The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-12-20
MURDERED.
Mrs. A. ID. Matson is Found
Dead.
She Rs.d Been Outraged and
Cruelty Slain
The Murder Must Have Taken
Place Many Days Ago

At $50 this afternoon a horrible muir
der was discovered in this city.
Mrs A. D. Matson was found dead on
the floor Of one Of the rooms Of her house
al Fifteenth and Monroe this afternoon
by Police Officers Charles Lindsay. Tim
Donovan. and a JouRNAL reporter.
The body had evidently lain there for
at least ten days. as it was stiff and cold.
and. there had been no life about the
house for ten days.
A boy who delivers milk at her house
had noticed that the can he left about ten
days ago had stayed on the back doorstep
and he gave the alarm to the police this
afternoon.
The house is a wo-story stone one and
has about ten rooms. 1t is nicely fur
nished and has been ransacked from one
end to the other.
Mrs. Matson lived there alone. Her
husband il Ia California She lived
ia good deal Of seclu-
sion as regards her neighbors
who are mostly colored people, aud it is
not known whether there was any money
in the house Or not
She lay ia a little back room on her
back and in "a pool of her own blood,
which had dried. It appears ahe had
been criminalIy assaulted
The boy that delivers the milk. and
had noticed the death like stiffness Of the
house, reported the matter to the police
today, and Sergeant Donovan. Officer
Lindsey and a JOURNAL reporter. as
stated, went to the house about $3.50
o'clock this afternoon
The milk Sat covered where it had
been left. and STATE JOURNALS Of dates
ranging to week ago we're strewn
about the yard as the CARRIER had left
them The house was locked and sew
eral keys were tried
As the officers stood az hack window
on the porch they could look directly in
on the body as il lay on the hoor with
one foot sticking through a door
1t was covered with clothing and rags
and a couple Of sacks Of sweet potatoes
had been placed on her head. She lay
in an easy position On her back with her
arms at her sides, her head turned to the
right. her right limb straight out and the
other drawn up little
The police and the reporter entered
the house at a north window.
Her clothes were thrown up over her
head and cIotted blood held them to the
floor.
The entire top Of her head was crush
ga ia as though she haG been struck
with one fearful blow
The crime must have been committed
very early in the morning or late
at night as the house was en-
tirely locked aud yet Mrs Matson
was fully dressed Her cloak lay across
a chair ia the kitchen a. though she had
just come in and thrown it there.
The greatest air of mystery covers the
whole affair, AS the neigh bors do not re-
member that any body ever prowled
about the place. The thief must have
made his escape and perhaps his en-
trance through the window which the
police entered today.
When the coroner came he uncovered
her hsad Z vas then found that an old
piece o@sn lHs1 had been wound around
her hea&- ihree times. This was
saturated with blood. When the
carpet was removed horrible
sight was revealed The top
of the dead woman's head was crushed
and when the carpet was removed it took
part Of the scalp with id The skull was
crushed almost down 70 the eyes An Ak
stood ia enc corner of the barren room in
which the body lay and it was with this
weapon that the murder was probably
committed, though there was no blood
upon il
There was only one room in the house
that had not been ransacked and this was
large south room upstairs which had
been probably used for bed room.
Ia this room evidently nothing had
been touched though there was q cheap
pocketbook under a cloth on a table
which was entirely empty. In the north
east upstairs room the murderer had
evidently expected 70 ind money.
A trunk stood near an old single bed
which had been hllad with trinkets and
small articles, and these were scattered
over the floor 0f the room.
The bed clothes were turned down and