The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-24
Joseph New Shot While Investi-
eating Odd Noises That
DISTURBED HIS WIFE.
G. H. DObbs Accused, Mrs. New
His Alleged Accessory.
Case Attracting Attention in
Greenwood County.


Wichita, Nov. 2L-The trial in New
York of Martin Thorn for the murder of
William Guldensuppe, in which Mrs. Mack
was accomplice, viii have a striking
parallel when the case of George H
Dobbs as principal and Mrs. Amelia New
as accessory in the murder of her hus-
band, Joseph New, October 81, comes to
trial
The circumstances surrounding the mur-
der are peculiar and the case has aroused
unusual interest. Mr.. and Mrs. New were
a home Sunday night, the last day of Oc~
tober. with two young ladies, their nieces.
About $3.50 Mrs. New woke her husband
and told him she heard a queer noise,
like someone throwing pebbles against the
house. and asked him to see what was
the matter. New said he could hear
nothing, and would not get up. He dozed
until presently Mrs. New aroused him.
saying she could hear the pebbles strik-
ing the house again. The husband stin
refused to go and see what might be tho
cause of the noise that Mrs. New said
she could hear After awhile there was
a loud noise, as if someone had drawn
stick across the wea therboarding. Mt.
New then got up, and while he was pre-
pairing to go and see what the noise was
Mrs. New lighted the lantern, which. it
>
anticipating some such necessity for q
lamp. When New had gone something
like forty feet from the door there was a
loud report, as if q shotgun had been
fired. New had gone out at the east door
toward the barn.
AS soon as the shot was fired, Mrs. New
went out of the west door and went
straight to the house of a netghbor, near
ly mile away, and notified the folks that
her husband had been shot. This was
shown in the testimony before the cOro-
ner's jury The two nieces were left alone
at the house and Mrs. New did not know
that her husband had been hurt at all
except that Immediately after the shot
there was a cry of "Oh. my God!' which,
according to the testimony of Mrs. New
and the two girls, seemed to be the voice
OF Mr. New.
George H. Dobbs was arrested at Eu>
reka November 3. Later in the day Mrs.
New, wife of the murdered man. was ac-
cused of being accessory to the crime.
After the murder suspicion fell on Dobbs.
who almost at once took up his abode
at Mrs. News house. Other strong cir
cumstantial evidence developed. Dobbs
is a widower with two small children and
has resided in the neighborhoOd of the
murdered man for two years. He was a
the place soon after the murder and help
ed with the funeral arrangement is. He
even sat the coroner's jury that de-
cided that New was fouIly murdered by
some unknown person
On the night that New was shot Dobbs
had borrowed a shotgun from a neighbor
in the afternoon. saying he wanted to
shoot some quail. He returned the gun
that night. saying he had not killed any
game. When he was arrested he said he
had not fired the gun at all, but an
animation of the gun showed that he had.
Dobbs had been quite intimate with
Mrs New and frequently held long cons
versatiOns with her. When he took up
his home at her house SO soon after the
killing there was a strong suspicion and
much talk of lynching until the arrests
We're made and Mrs. New brought to
Wichita by Sheriff Knox of Greenwood
county.
About twelve years ago News brother,
a bachelor was found hanging to the
ceiling of his own house. dead The COR
Orner's jury at that time decided that it
was a case Of suicide, but an a1tempt viii