The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-27
SECRET BURIED.
Nevels Dies at Midnight, and No
One Knows,
With PerfectCertainty, Whether
He Killed Mrs. MatsOn
OR WAS ACCESSORY.
Last Hours of the Convicted
Murderer
Were Marked by Several Start
ling Incidents.
OR WAS ACCESSORY.

The secret of the murder of Mrs. A.
| D. Matson at the old stone house on the
corner of Fifteenth and Monroe streets
in December of 1894 remains yet to be
revealed. for Frank Nevels, convicted
of the crime died at the county Jail last
night without confessing the murder
which it is believed he committed.
1t has not been two weeks since the
district court jury brought in verdict
| finding Novels guilty of the murder.
The decision was given on Sunday morn :
ing. March Is. Before the trial Nevels
told fellow prisoner, "Doc'' Giles, tn at
if he were convicted he would not live a
week afterward. He missed his guess,
if guess it was, by only four days.
How Novels should know he would
die so quickly after conviction, makes
his death seem moro than a natural one.
Yet, if he was using any drug, or doing
anything to shorten his life, it could
not be discovered His clothes were
searched, his bad ranEacksd, his cell
completely and thoroughly gone through
by the jailer and his assistants. What
ever he used, if anything, must have
been brought there by Mrs. Nevels or
his father and carried away with them.
Novels may have made the remark
meaning that the disappointment of
conviction would kill him. He was
weakening rapidly before the trial
came off, aud County Physician Howard
gave him stimulants simply to brace
him up for the ordeal, knowing that af-
forwards he would sink back One
evening the trial had to be adjourned
early because the man was no longer
able to sit up and when he was taken
back to Jail the Saturday evening before
the decision he was in a wild state of
nervous excitement. When he sent for
Jailer Sheehan last Monday and told him
this was his last day on earth he added:
The shock of the trial has killed me-"
At 1910 last night the fconvicted Inur-
derer arose from his bed in the large
room on the third floor of the jail, where
half-doZen sick men were sleeping,
and putting on his shoes, walked strongly
to the iron door 10 feet away and raped
upon it. Trusty doc" Giles, who sleeps
in the hospital room on the same floor,
ran to call Jailer Sheehan and open the
door.
The jailer was greatly surprised to
find him sitting in a chair ia front of the
door, for Nevels had been too weak to
move for week. He has also
been almost unable to speak,
and Mr.. Sheshan started when the muir
derer addressed him in his usual tone of
voice His eyes were bright with the
LII u a 0S AAS anu bA0y
were fixed deep in their sockets.
Il want to sleep in my bed in nv CELL,
said Nevels when the jailer opened the
door.
"Why, there's somebody else in your
bed" replied the jaiier.
You poople are not treating me
right in doing that" said the
prisoner. 81 ought to have my bed. 1
want to be taken to my CELL"
"ThatS all ripht Won can 90 down
there tomorrow" said the jailer sooth.
ingly.
Take that fellow out of here" New
els continued, angrilY pointing to his
father, who was lying asleep on his bed.
whats he doing there?"
"Why, Frank, that's your father"
"Oh, it is; all right then"
"Frank, you are dying man; if you
have anything to say you had better do
So" remarked Sheehan.
81 haven't anything" Then he walk
ed back to his bad and lay down. The
door was again closed. and quiet was re-
stored until after IL O'Clock, when
Nevels' father raped furiously on the
door.
81 want 20 get out, I want to get out"
he was crying when Giles opened the
door. "Frank is dying" he cried as
Giles walked in. He wanted to go for
Mrs. Frank Nevels, but the end was too
near. The dying man was
gasping for breath. He Law
upon his back. His breathing became
harder and harder, and when JaiIer
Sheehan reached the room a moment
later his jaws were still weakly work
ing, though his breathing had ceased.
He died at 1888 without saying a word
or making a sound.
Almost every time he has talked TO
Sheshan the last week he has said: "You
remember the verdict, don't your" Part
of the time ae was undoubtedly out of
his head. A strange thing about
his conversation with the jailer yester-
day morning was that he told him
in whisper how good he had been to
him, and talked quite at length upon the
jailer's kindness, but when he came to
say something about the murder his
voice quickly failed him. All he could
say then was, "You heard the verdict?"'
and winfield" When Sheehan got the
paper and pencil for him and urged
him to write, Novels would look
at him with eyes wide open,
and then scribble something on the
the jailer by his looks whether it were
safe to trust him. Nevels undou btedly
sent for Sheehan intending to relate
something important but each time his
courage failed him.
Deputy Sheriff AL Kuykendall, who is
colored, talked with Nevels in the last
two days. Wednesday morning he told
Kuykendall, "I don't know anything
about this murder, but the judge asked
me question couldn't an
swer, SO he put my trial of for
six weeks" Wednesday evening Kuy-
kendall finished a letter for Nevels