The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-07-10
CAPTURED BY A MOB,

Williams were photographed and copies
of the pictures were sent to Alma ana
Mcfarland and the two were 1dentlhed
as pictures of the two colOred men seen
with Tandy and another white man on
the day OF the murder- me Nv Two wiil'e
Chief Ramsey found that a white man
by the name of William McCarty was
with the TWO cOIOred men the day after
the murder and gambled with them in
TOpeka. McCarty was brought down
from Alma and held in the city Jail.
He admitted having won an open faced
gold watch from Render and Williams
in a game of craps. He said he sold the
watch to Henry Steele of North To-
peka, ex-chief of police. for So The
watch was bought back from Steele and
AIcCarty Identified it as the one he
won from the coIored men, Officer Nc
Coy was sent to Creighton, No, with
the watch and Dr. j. Tandy, the 1ather
of the murdered man, together with his
daughter and a jeweler, all identified it
as Harry G. Tandy's watch.
Williams was kept in the city jail
and Render in the county jail and with
no means of communicating their stories
differed greatly. Both denied having
been in Alma or Mcfarland but when
told they had been seen there both ad-
mitted they had been in both places
but denied any knowledge of the mur-
der. Both admitted having played cards
on the creek bank with two white men.
AS the case became stronger against
the two the officers became more GER
tain that both wEite men had been
killed.
Sergeant Belts found that the day
Render and Williams came to town
Render went to a barner shop ana L.1L
changed clothes and left some OF MS
clothing there. He found one OF Ken
der's outer shirts and on the wristband
of one of the sleeves were blood stains.
The shirt was Identified as the one
Render wore to Topeka.
Sheriff Cook made a tour of the pawn
shops. When Tandy was last seen he
had a vaIise. In a lower Kansas avenue
T1ayvn ShOn he found a small yellow
colored valise which had been pawned
by Render and Williams. The sheriff
bought it for IS cents. The bottom of
the valfse was stained as if it had stood
in a pool of blood The valise was not
the one which belonged to Tandy, but
had been stolen from Rock Island
train between Mcpherson and Alma a
week before and belonged to a man by
the name of Won. In the Valise was the
weapon used in numbering randy. A
heavy stone in a strong SOCK. The sock
was wet In the valise was the name of
the owner. Won. In searching Williams
and Render a pair OF cuHs marked
''VOn'' were found.
Williams and Render were repeatedly
put through the Sweating process,
Williams denied everything, even being
in Alma and Mcfarland Render ad-
mitted being in both places and when
Williams was told that several persons
would identify him as the man who Dor
rowed some fishing poles in Mcfarland
on the afternoon OF June " and VINO
bought a bottle of whisky at Alma the
same day, he admitted having been in
both places, but made no other state
ment. No less than three times was he
questioned and cross questioned but
nothing of importance was learned from
| him.
| Farland on the train and met Williams
| who told him of having been there.
| Render was closely questioned and told
/ the officers that Williams told him he
/ had been mixed up in some sort of
| row. During his story Render did not
refer to anyone as having been muir
dered but said they silenced him." or
they put him off" He was careful to
say they" duplicating others besides
Williams.
Render drew a diagram of the ground
around Mcfarland for the officers. He
explained the location of the depot, the
eating house and ice house in reference
to the railroad. He indicated the spot
where the first body was found and
marked another spot three-QuarterS OF
a mile up the track where the body of
the other murdered man would be
! found. He said that Williams had told
him all this and that he had never
stopped there. He would not admit that
murder had been done, but said he was
told that the first man was silenced
on the bank Of the creek where he was
found the next day and that they put
the other man off three-quarters OF
mile from there"
on Saturday noon Sheriff Cook and
Sergeant Belts left for Mcfarland to
search for the body of the second man.
They took with them the crude map
drawn by Render. Upon leaving the
train they followed the map and went
directly to the place on the bank of the
creek where Tandy's body was found.
So far the map was correct They fol
lowed the railroad track, by the aid OF
the map to point three-QuarterS of a
mile above where the first body was
found. They climbed a fence, according
to the directions on the map, and when
they had reached a point in an orchard
/ indicated on the map as the point where
the second body would be found they
! noticed a disagreeable odor and within
so feet from where they were they found
| the body of another man.
The body was lying face down and
having been dead II days was badly de-
composed. The body was found about
200 feet from a farm house on the edge
of an orchard near the bank of a small
creek. The weeds and grass had grown
up around the body about two feet high.
The right arm was bent under the face
and the left arm was extended along
the body. The head was covered by a
hat but under the right ear was a large
| hole where the skull had been crushed
by some blunt instrument.
The man was about six feet tall and of
a slim build. His hair was brown and
he was probably 80 years old. The flesh
was so decOmpOsed that when the body
was moved it fell to pieces. The flesh
had fallen from most parts of the sl1ele-
ton and the bones were all that was
left. The face was unrecOgniza Bile.
One front tooth in the upper Jaw was
missing and a wisdom tooth was de-
! cayed. Four under teeth were lying on
4 the ground by the body. which indicates
\ Lhat the man was struck in the mouth
/ The body was dressed in a full suit of
/ understanding, a pair of jeans trousers
/ of gray color, a pair of blue bib over
I ais, two colOred shirts and a tan color
1 ed coat and vest of sort of plaid and
/ lined with snuff coIored farmers satin.
! He wore no shoes. The hat was a soft
/ wide brimmed white hat. 1t was too
/ large and to make it smaller a Mime
/ apOlis, Kansas, newspaper had been
/ stuffed inside the sweat band and in
| side the newspaper was pinned a IS
| bill.
! Al the dead rnan.s nncl.ats haa