Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-23
THE MOTIVE. A MYSTERY
Murder Of a Delegate to the Kansas Popu-
list Convention.
Clinton Osbon and His Daughter
Charged With the Crime-The
Record of the latter
Special Correspondence Of The Evening" star.
HOLTON. Kan. Julv N 4,


HOLTON, Kan. July Il. 1891.
The trial of Clinton Osbon and his lsugh
ter Estelle. who are now in the Shawnee,
county jail. charged with the murder of
Charles HANDLE at this place. June IA. NAV
bring out most Interesting story. for tho
| motives which prompted the horrible crime
are shrouded in mystery. and great secrecss
has been observed by all connected with 81.
For once public sympathy is against IN.
woman In the case and is with the brigh,
young man whose life was taken away.
with scarcely moments warning, at p
time when a great career of promise was
opening out before him.
HANDLE was delegate from Jackson
county TO the peoples party state conven.
ton. which met in Topeka June l. and IL,
and was seriously considered as a probable
nominee for lieutenant governor, but he
declined 10 allow his name to be used In
thSt connection. Before leaving Topeka
for his home he had arranged with the
chairman Of the state central committee
| TO enter actively into the canvass and re-
main on the stump during the entire cam
paign. He was regarded as one of the
brightest young men in the party.
The day after the convention Hambie was
attending TO legal business In his Office and
left there at GSo'clock, in company with
| his brother John. both riding on bicycles.
When the outskirts OF the town were reach
| ed the two young men met a wagon and
were compelled TO dsmount to permit IL 10
| pass. Just they were again mounting
their wheels they were approached by Gin
ton Osbon. carrying a doubled la rrelei shot
gun. who commanded them 10 halt. He hsd
been walking up and down the road in tie
vicinity waiting for his victim for two
| hours. He accused him OF having ruined
his daughter and told him II he did not
| m ~ har ha Am
| stoutly denied the charge and said he cou a
easily prove his innocence. Ostsn then
ordered HANDLE TO march down town ahead
| OF him. but this Handle refused TO do re.
| marking that he would walk with him as .
| man, but would not be driven ike dog
| AT this Osbon drew up his gun and emp
| tied both barrels into his breast. Osbca
evidently forgot that he had shot both bar
rels. for he snapped the gun al John Ham,
ble also. After the shooting osbon went
70 the court house and gave himself -.
| when the news Of the crime was clrculatet
! about town the excitement became intense
and lynching Has freely threatened. To
, prevent mob violence Osbon was taken 20
Topeka to await his trial.
The Young Oilce Girl.
There was employed in the Office OF the
| Handle boys in this place. as stenoz-
| rapher. a young woman named Estelle Os-
bon. She was slight Of figure, with light
brown hair and pleasant large gray eyes.
! Her features were regular. and her teeth
white and even. while her mouth and chin
indicated frmness and resolution. She was
possessed Of fairly good education. waz
! a pleasant conversati0nalist. bright and
| interesting. Her duties in the Office were
| light and her remuneration small but she
expressed a desire TO perfect herself in
stenographic work that she might be able
! TO give UP her occupation as a school
teacher. II she became intimate with Chas
Handle Ii was not generally known, and
| those who were In q position 10 watch their
movements declare that there was nothing
/ in their conduct TO Indicate that their rela-
tons were closer than those of employee.
| and employed. Handle was a young man,
of regular habits, and was apparently rot
| overload Of the company Of women. Prior
TO his murder IL had not been intilnated
/ by any one that his relations with his
stenographer were other than proper, and
the excuse given by OSbon for killing Ham,
| BILE was not credited.
A few days after the fathers arrest Es-
! telle was taken into custody charged with
being an accessory to the murder and was
| quietly taken TO Topeka and lodged in JAN
| The officers declined to state what Evidence
had been discovered duplicating her. AMI
were very mysterious when discussing the
case. ON the preliminary hearing OF the
girl, which occurred here last week. little
evidence Of Importance was brought out
but the examining magistrate. acting upon
the advice of the county attorney. who
sured him that there was much impOrssa
testimony Withheld that he did not deem
proper to bring out at that time, hel1 her
for trial in the district court and remanGei
her to jail one or two witnesses at tie
preliminary hearing swore that she remark
ed once in a playful way that Charles Ham
BILE was TO be killed. and another testiled
that she told him that she had been secret
ly married to HANDLE. She apparently took
little intcsest IN the examination. She gave
no exhibition Of emotion. AID when the
magistrate decided TO hold her she 40
ccpted his decision as q matter Of course.
Something About the osbons.
II was econ whispered about that Miss
osbon was not what she pretended 10 De.
bu: that che was an experienced sdventur-
ess one Of the officers who has been at
work upon the case was questioned concern
Ing these reports today. and after being as
sa.ed that his name would not be used in
connection with The story, said:
Shortly after the murder We began 20
hunt up the history OF the Osbon family.
they had resdcd but s5ors lime in Jack
s,n county, ana no one appeared 70 know
where they came from. csbOn had at dif-
fcrent times been engaged in 'b0OleScinG.'
and several occasions narrowly escaped
arrest for the violation o: the Hqaor lI~s.
At Was soon found that prior 10 coming q
Kansas the family had lived IN Iowa. waerc
the cid man had beca Joint keeper ami
had fed 10 escape prosecution. He was. %
course. IN bad oder here, but the girl hal
behaved herself. and few attached any sus-
picicn 10 her. She taught scaooi n number
OF terms IN country district rear Holtan.
and while apparently worily wise beyond
her years occasionally sciatcd with the
young people OF the community. When We
heard from Iowa We found she had been
loss discreet there. and that her name ha
l-cn associated with a couple OF u-iy scan
dIls. We also fosni that the family had
moved to Iowa from New orleans, ar!
pressing our inquiries further we soon
Learned that Estclle lad been a variety act
ress In that city. that she had worked ab,,,
the concert halls for a long time. ana tia;
she the wife of a gambler. IL was sala
that she left New crleaJls gish her fathc.
and mother, after her husband had aban-
Goned he.. When the tiial comes OF IN NJ
vemher We expect 10 have witaocses L,
prove that she is an adventures OF LON
experience which. IN Connection With III.
circumstential evidences thst VIII be pro-
i.uccd froai tsis co:n,nunliy, should convicI
tor as ell "a her father"
Niles OsbOa was seen IN Ter cell ut the
county jaIl bat size positively dcclired 60
discuss the crime or say anything concern
ing her career before coming 10 KANSAS On
any other subject she would talk freely.
She does not appear to be the least worried
over her Imprisonment OF the serious cT1ria
With which she IN charged. She said simply
hon, ta lrao IL.