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

was fully dressed Her cloak lay across
a chair in the kitchen as though she had
just come in and thrown IL there.
When the coroner came he uncovered d
her head 1t was then found that an old
piece Of carpet had been wound around
her head three times. This was
saturated with blood When the
carpet was removed a 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 it. The skull was
crushed almost down to the eyes. An ak
stood in one corner Of the barren room n
which he body lay and il was with this
weapon that the murder was probably
committed, though there was no blood
upon it,
There was only one room in the house
that had not been ransacked and this was
a large south room upstairs which had
been probably used for a bed room.
IN this room ev identity nothing had
been touched though there was a cheap
pock etbook under a cloth on a table
which was entirely empty. Ia the north
east upstairs room the murderer had
evidently expected to find N oney.
trunk stood near an old single bed
which had been filed with trinkets and
small articles, and these were scattered
over the floor Of the room.
The bed clothes were urned down and
had evidently been thoroughly exa m
ined.
In the parlor stood a secretary and the
CO ntents and letters had been disarranged
showing that the miscreant had not neg
le cted anything. They probably found,
money and this accounts for the fact that
the large spare bedroom upstairs had not
been molested-
The neighbors in the vicinity are all
colored, and they say that they have not
seen Mrs. Matson for two weeks. Mrs.
Robinson, who lives across the street
says that she saw Mrs. Mataon
about two weeks ago and she was
then coming from the direction of
Ii er houses and she had evidently
been collecting rent. She saw no one
around the house at any time and never
heard any noise or disturbance Of any
kind there.
Mrs A D. Matson was for several
years a member Of the city board of
education from the Fifth ward
and took an active interest
IN the city schools. She was
at one time city teacher and was as
we'll known as any woman in the
city. Two years ago. Dr. J. NJ
Westerfield was elected to succeed her.
She was generally supposed to have
considerable money and owned five or
six houses on the east side Her hus-
band left Aer four or i've years ago and
took up u homestead in California, where
he has since lived
Mrs. Mat5on was a member of the To-
peka Equal Suffrage association and a
prominent suffrage worker.
Mrs. Matson was in the habit or vistiDg z
at two places on Monroe street-at the
house Of Rev. a. T. Button at 1901 anG
L. G. Sain at 1875.
Rev Mr. Button said to a JOURNAL re-
porter: 1T has been nearly a month
since I saw Mrs. Matson. She generally
stopped here on her way home from up
town. She was perfectly fearless and
would come and 60 at all times with "a D.
parently no thought Of danger She did
not make many friends and neither did
she have enemies. I do not believe that
the murder could have been committed
by ar.y one who knew her, for it was
generally known that she kept no money