The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-09-19
The Lawrence Murder Still Re-
mains Unfathomable.
Martha McCOrd, Killed With a
Hatchet While Asleep.
MOTIVE WAS ROBBERY.
Her POcketbOOk and Other Mon
ey Taken From Her.
Other Kansas News Of a General
Nature.

Lawrence, Sept. 19.-Between 10 and
II O'Clock yesterday morning Martha
McCOrd was found dead in her room
over the Racket store in 800 block on
the east side of Massachusetts, street.
as related in a brief dispatch to the
Journal yesterday On the pillow be-
side her was a hatchet covered with
blood and hair. and on her head were
marks that indicated how she had been
killed. Coroner Leonard was at once
summoned and made a hurried exam
4natiOn- He found the body still warm
when he got there, but was unable to
tell at a glance whether the woman had
been killed or whether she had commit
ted suicide.
Martha McCord has lived in the room
where she was found for a long time
She has kept house there for herself
and cooked, lived and slept in the one
little room She was a seamstress and
went out to do sewing, so was not in
the room very much in the daytime.
Last Sunday she was taken sick. She
has been in bed since then. Her neigh
bOrs on the same floor. Mrs. Clara Cum
ningham and others, have cared for her
and supplied her wants in every way.
She has been feeling very miserable,
but her condition was not thought to be
serious at any time. She was very
hard OF hearing and was an eccentric
woman in every way. She insisted on
Mrs. Cunningham's taking the key to
her room at night and locking the door,
agreeing that in case she wanted any
thing she would awake Mrs. Cunning
ham by knocking on the partition that
separated the two rooms.
Tuesday night Mrs. Cunningham took
the key as usual and locked the door.
About $50 in the morning she unlocked
the door with The intention of taking
Miss AIcCOrd's breakfast to her. Miss
McCOrd was asleep and snoring hard,
as was her habit. Mrs. Cunningham
decided not to disturb her, and went
away to get breakfast for her bOarders
A little later in the forenoon one OF
Mrs. Cunningham boarders went to
see how Miss McCOrd was and found
her still asleep She was not disturbed
this time and it was the last time she
was seen alive.
About 1890 Mrs. Rutter went up to
to see the woman. and looking into the
room saw that her face was very white.
This frightened her and she called Mrs.
Cunningham, saying that she believed
Martha McCOrd was dead. Mrs. Gun
bingham and the bOarder who had gone
into the room during the forenoon
Joined Mrs Rutter and they discovered
the Ratchet lying on the pillow beside
the woman. and saw that she was dead.
In her first visit to the room Mrs.
Cunningham had noticed that the bed
clothing was straight and that the pill
low was not muSsed, but when the dis
cOvery was made that she was dead,
the bedding was all aWry and the pill
low sOiled and tUmbIed up
Immediately upon making the discOv-
cry that Miss NIcCord was dead the
three women backed out of the room
and sent for Coroner Leonard. He got
to the room in time to find that the
body was still warm, and that the WO-
man had been dead but a short time.
a haSty examination revealed that she
had been struck three times with the
blade of the Ratchet that was lying on
the pillow, and that these three blows
We're just above the right temple.
The first thought was that the wo-
mans illness had caused her to commit
suicide, but the Ratchet was found to
be lying with the head toward the top
of the bed as though it had been drop
ped that way by some person other
than the dead woman, who would prob
ably have dropped the Ratchet with the
head the other way if she had done
the deed.
Nothing in the room had been dis
turbed, as far as could be seen. The en-
trance had been made through the door,
as there was a screen nailed over the
window and it had not been disturbed.