The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-12-21

December II at ten o'clock. Little
credence is given however to Knights
story.
The letters are from her husband, All
bert AiatsOn, and were written from san
Diego, Cal. One was dated November
Z and the other November :. The sec
ond had been written without waiting
for answer from the first
The tone Of the letters would lead one
TO understand that MatsOn had left To-
peka with some vestige of scandal cling
ing to him, and that he wished to return.
lie wrote to ask his wife if she would
not sign some papers that he could show
to some person or persons that would re-
move from him the evidence Of having
done anything wrong.
They were business-like letters, with
no ispIay Of affection and without any
feeling but bitterness against his enemies.
He wanted his wife to ''clear his skirts
of this something that seemed to be
against him in Topeka. The letters do
not say anything IN regard TO this some
thing, except in one place, where he
says: Il was never jealous of Mrs. SIS
doctor. was never in love with any
other mans wife You know ] am not
that kind Of a man. l have not been
in love with any biped very recently.
AS to Miss Mills, a certain young
lady's little scheme did not
work worth cent l received a letter
from Alr. Mills recently, in which he
( and / hope you Will God bless you.
I Three Of you can decide this question.
and what you say shall settle what l shall
do, and that very sOOn.' There was also
a marginal note that read: 4 have not
the money to pay off the mortgage and
/ ! believe 1 never will All this was IN
Matson's handwriting.
Matson left Topeka some eight years
/ ago and he and his wife have not lived
( together since. 1t would seem from the
I letters that he had asked her to sign
4 denial of his guilt before and she had re-
4 fused to do SO or not answered the letters
at all
There were no threats against Mrs
I Matson or any one in the letters and they
began sAlamed and were signed al
bert"
The most unfortunate part Of the evil
/ dence gathering Is that George Knight,
I the only person that says he saw any
thing, Is deaf aud dumb. The only story
he car tell is by signs, but he is a good
deal Of a pantOmInIst and his brother
/ VIII and ex-COnstable Jimmie Harlan
say they understand him very we'll He
lives in TennesseetOwn but claims he
was in the region of the house
/ on the night the murder was probably
is this: He was going north on the east
/ side Of the house when his attention was
| attracted TO two men, Cne of whom had
! got over the fence and was going toward
I the norm WlnQOW Oh lUG mousse. l0
| man went TO the window, peeped in and
then motioned his friend to follow. The
man at the window was tall and wore a
long beard. The other was shorter and
I wore a mustache. Both were white men.
Mr. Matson is a tall man and wears a
| full beard
Knight told his brother about il but
/ William paid no attention to the story as
he thought George had simply seen a
fight somewhere and was trying to des-
| cribe il.
As he pictures it he went to the win
| dow and saw the men strike Mrs. Matson
and then ne ran.
Knight is said by people who know
him to be a truthful man. On the other
hand several who know Knight say that
it is a trick of his to pretend he has wit
| messed anything that IS for the time at
/ tracing public attention His mind is
| not bright.
So far as known the last person 70 see
! Mrs Matson was a prominent suffrage
| woman who called on her on the morn
/ ing of Tuesday, the 11th, to invite her to
a meeting of the F.. s. A. Mrs. Matson
replied that she could not 20, as she was
| expecting TO 60 TO Salina in day or two
to see about y corn deal she was having
/ some trouble with there.
The fact that the milk pail was on the
/ back porch as usual Wednesday morn
ing leads one to believe that the crime
was committed after supper. as Mrs.
MaIsOn seldom put the pail there until
/ about the last thing before retiring. A
4 lamp was sitting on the dining room
table as though it had been set there
/ hastily and blown out The wick was
turned far down as though that too had
been done hastily