The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-10-14
KILLED THE ROAD.
Father Heard Report of Gun Which
Killed His Daughter.

Shamokin, Pa, Oct. 14.-Carrying the
bleeding body of his 16-year-old daugh-
ter Daisy in his strong arms henry
Smith, a farmer of this county, stag
gered up to the porch of his residence
at noon today. He had found the girl
lying in the middle of the public road,
riddled with shot, her throat cut from
ear to ear His wife was preparing
dinner in the kitchen of the house.
Hearing a despairing cry from her hus-
band, she FASTENED to the porch only to
see her pretty girl lying dead and mutt
lated and her husband faintings by the
side of the corpse. A man who is be-
ieved to have committed the crime has
been captured. If sufficient evidence is
secured to even remotely connect him
with it, his case will never come to trial
in a court of law.
Farmer Smith, a well-to-do and re-
spected man, lives in comfortable
dwelling along the public road, midway
between HOWhng Run and Boiling Run,
isolated country settlements in a WHO
region. There are a few farm houses
scattered about the countryside, but
generally the region is indescrlbaply
lonely.
Mr. Smith found this morning that
one of his horses was sick. He required
for the animal medicine compounded OF
herbs which grow in the vicinity. The
girl Daisy, volunteered to gather the
herbs and started on her errand shortly
after breakfast.
She had been gone but few moments
when Mr.. Smith, who was in the barh'
heard two shots from the direction she
had taken He looked down the road,
saw nothing of his daughter, ana, pc
ieving that the shots had been fired by
some farm hand at crows in corn helo'
paid no attention to the matter
Instead of going down the r TqI g I 10 q
cut across his farm. He tOiled all morn
ing, and when noon came ne ~, We p ~, y9ea1
chance of fate at point on ms 1aIId NJ 81
the road and some distance beyono Lnc
place from where the sound of the SHOTS
had seemed to come to MIN IN the MORN
ing. III. the rod toward the
house. Before he had progressed I 3 ne
Jaw the body of a woman lying face down.
M he hurried RI ed on. Before he reached it he
recognized his daughters gown HORNED,
he turned the body over and gazed INTO
the face of his pretty Daisy
It was evident that two full loads OF
boG bV the ' murderer. and that not con-
tent with his work with the gun. he had
a Keen knife. The stricken father tender
~ picked up the remains Of his child and
the trees from whence he heard sounds
of the laughter of his other children
The alarm. was given ana neighborss
gathered quickly from az ABOUT armed l9i
covered. some distance from the scene of
the crime, William kress.n niger. an e1-co5 I
at a water trough in front of an inn Al
though the man protested innocence, prep
arations were made to hang him on the
spot and this, would undoubtedly ,5 ed, -. have ";
fiuence of Coroner Shindle. who persuad-
ed the mob to give Kressingg3e ger. into the
custody of County Detective Miles Dough-
erty and his deputies. The accused man
was taken to the county Jail.
Kressfnger bears a bad reputation, and
already stands convicted in the minds of
the people. The girl knew him, and it is
believed that her recognition prompted
him to the deed. All that is needed to in
cite the people to mob violence is the
slightest shade of evidence to directly con-
meet the convict with the murder Of Daisy
Smith.
quest will be held.