The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-11-17
C. S. CROSSES END.
Continued from First Page.)

Continued from First Page)
Evans. manager OF the farm, but did
not seem to notice him.
Just after Cross had passed through
the room Evans was called to the barn
lot to show a stranger some fine hogs.
After they had finished looking az the
hogs they went to the barn, where they
supposed they would find Mr.. Cross.
Not finding him there, they went to the
house. Mr.. Evans opened the door
leading to the bedroom into which Mr..
Cross had gone but fifteen minutes be-
fore and a terrible sight burst upon his
gaze.
Lying stretched across the southwest
corner of the room was the dead body
of Mr.. Cross. His right hand still
grasped the weapon which had ac-
cOmpliShed his destruction. 1t was a IS
calibre Smith & Wesson revolver.
Mr.. Cross had taken the mirror down
and placed it upon the floor in the
corner of the room. He had then got
ten before it, placed the revolver
against his right temple and fired the
fatal shot The bullet went clear
through his head and buried itself in the
wall of the room. The only person in
the house at the time the shot was
fired besides Mr.. Cross himself was Mrs.
Rasmussen, the hOUsekeeper, and she
did not hear it. The shot was evidently
fired within a very few minutes after
Mr.. Cross entered the room, as his head
was surrounded by a great pool of blood
when Mr.. Evans discovered him fifteen
minutes after 1 o'clock.
Coroner DR.. BOylan was Immediately
notified of the suicide and he at once
drove out to Sunny Slope and took
charge of the remains.
No letters or papers of any kind were
found on the body of Mr.. Cross. A ci-
gar which he still grasped, was found in
his left hand
Mrs Cross was the first to arrive
from town at the scene of horror. Her
grief was pitiabIe. Kneeling at the
side of her dead husband she grasped
his hands and covered them with kisses,
all the time moaning in mortal agony.
The scene was a pathetic one; the dead
body stretched out on the floor, a great
pool of blood surrounding the head and
spreading over the floor, the weeping
and almost Senseless wife in her frantic
efforts to do, she knew not what, and
all surrounded by strong rough men.
vainly trying to prevent their sObs and
the tears from crushing down their ia
ces-7
Mr.. Cross owned the fine sunny
Slope" farm three miles north of En-
poria. Nearly 500 fine Herefords are
maintained on the 1900 acres. These
animals are valued at from $500 to
$1,000 each and several of them cap
tured prizes at the Omaha exposition.
At the sale a 2-year-Old imported
bull brought $1,000, an imported heifer
$1,000, imported bull calf 81, 600 and 81
head of young cattle bred in Hereford
shire averaged $500 each.
Charlie Cross was a student of the
Kansas state university at Lawrence.
While there at school he met Miss Kate
Smeed, daughter of the man who was
chief engineer of the Union Pacific rail-
road, and after his school days they were
married. For fifteen years they lived
together and then a divorce was grant
ed. Mrs. Cross was great lover of
society and trouble grew out of that
She went to Altoona, Pa, where she
makes her home with relatives. Mr..
Cross kept their daughter and a few
years later married again, his second
wife, Miss Wilder, of Lawrence, being
a cousin of his divorced wife. Their
marriage proved to be a perfectly happy
one.
They occupied a splendid home, that
abounded in all that could add to the
happiness of the family. His aged
mother made her home near him. He
was of a literary taste and his home
was filed with books of which he was
very proud. His surroundings were ali
such as would tend to make life enjoy
able and man happy.
A dozen years ago he began importing
fine Hereford and his Sunny Slope herd
was famous all over the country.
The raising of HerefOrds was the hob
by of Mr.. Cross. Sunny Slope farm was
his pride and he determined TO make it
known throughout the United States.
In speaking of it few months ago he
said: Il gave my card to the president
of big eastern bank, and he looked at
it coldly and remarked: 'Ah, yes; of the
Emporia bank. Good bank. Hmm.
Anything I can do for you?'
Yes I said, pointing to the picture
of a fine Jersey bull on the wall of his
Office, You can tell me whose bull that
is The president of the bank turned
sharply around to me and said: What
do you know about Jersey bulls? That's
my bull I then explained that I was
the proprietor of Sunny Slope, in Kan
sas. His whole manner changed and he
talked cattle for an hour and would
hardly let me go. When I did go, he
said, pointing to my card: Take the
name of your bank off that card and
put Sunny Slope on it whenever you
want quick hearing from an eastern
man who is interested in fine cattle.
There are hundreds OF banks and only
one Sunny Slope herd I followed his
advice later on when in New York and
found he was right The name was an
open sesame to the inner doors of the
greatest maGnates.'
Of Sunny Slopes $3.50 acres, 25 acres
are occupied by the building and the
small pasture and feed lots adjacent.
The farm department includes 125 acres
of alfalfa. 200 acres of sorghum, 20 acres
of mangel beets and the balance in pas
ture Water is supplied by windmills
to a pond. from where it is pumped to
a reservoir high above the buildings,
thus furnishing running water in pipes
to all of them.
The feed for the stock is largely
bought. Mr. Cross believed that, while
buying might cost a little more the
raising of it meant too many diversified