The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-04-25
Murder Occurred at Kansas
City Lodging House.
LEFT HERE TUESDAY.
Said He Was Going to Perry
vile on Business.
Was a Liquor Salesman Await
ing Judge Hooks Decision.

George w. Weingard. liquor salesman |
for a Kansas City firm. who has been
making his headquarters in Topeka for |
some time, Tuesday afternoon shot and |
killed William A. Simpson at Kansas
| City boarding house known as the Lin
coin house on West Fifth street.
Weingard was laid off three weeks
ago, pending the settlement of the Ber-
! gan liquor case which is now before |
Judge Hook, and which will determine
the rights of liquor statesmen to do bus
mess in Kansas. During this three
weeks he boarded on jackson street and
spent his time loafing around joints and
1 drug stores. He appeared to have very
little money. Much of the time he drank
/ heavily When sober he was inOffen-
| siVe, genial, and had many friends
among the convivial element in Topeka.
Tuesday morning he borrowed some
money and said he intended to go to
/ Valley Falls; a little later in the day
he told one of his friends that he had
| missed the train and would go to Per-
ryville instead. That was the last heard
of him in Topeka until information was
received that he had committed a muir
der in Kansas City. His friends here
did not know that he ever carried a
| weapon of any kind
A woman who called herself Vein
CARDS wife, lived with him here in To-
| pexa during part of the time he was
| in the city, but his friends say that she
| left town several days ago.
The following story of the shooting is
taken from a Kansas City paper:
Weingard had been at the house only
| since morning, registering from Topeka,
Kan. AS he passed Simpson he said
something to him, and the latter made
some answer which angered Weingard
and he drew revolver and commenced
firing When Simpson heard the first
shot, he started for the dining room
about 40 feet away with a lamp CHM
ney in his hand, and going in attempt
ed to close the door after him. but his
asSailant, now beside himself with ex-
citement, followed closely after, and be-
fore the door could be closed, pushed
against it. Weingard being a heavily
built man, and possessed of great
strength, Mr.. Simpson was unable to
shut the door.
> Weingard then shot again. holding the
revolver so close to the door that it was
: powder burned and the bullet went
. through the edge of the wood. lodging
] in his victims left arm just below the
elbow, passing through, and dropping on
the floor. 1t was found by the police.
: This wound staggered Mr.. Simpson, and
e this gave Weingard the advantage he
sought and he fired third time the
: bullet striking Simpson in the back
I about six inches below the shoulder and
two inches to the left Of the spinal col
v umn. His murderer fired a. fourth bull
a let but this was found imbedded in the
: door. Simpson fell to the floor and by
| the LILLE 1dlTOlInen AlcCOSRrOVe and
l. Greedy, who heard the shots, arrived in
Z the house, he was dead 1t is supposed
: that he died almost instantly.
t The officers, knowing that the muir
x derer had not escaped from the build
ing, made a search of the several rooms
:; and found him concealed in a room at
q the east end of the long corridor He
. had locked himself into the room and
the two policemen were forced to break
in the door, when they found him be-
hind the door, with his revolver in his
right hand The officers aimed theil
revolverS at him and demanded his
surrender; he made no resistance. u
= looked as though he had attempted tt
jump out of the window to the side.
walk, but he could not get the window
up in time, and thought that he NIGH
IS be overlooked if he hid behind the door
:, He had emitted his revolver on tn,
~ floor, and four empty shells and on,
, full one were picked up.
RI When first arrested he did not seen
J to care very much, but asked the police
sr men if it was a case of murder H,
~ was told that it was and then he said
''Well you seem like pretty good fel
lows, put me in Jail" After a while h.
lie said, Have killed him?" and when h
g. was told that he had, he remarked, e.
IT intended to-
- At the station he appeared cool. blu
- was still very much under the inhuenc
= of liquor, and when approached there h
refused to say anything except tina
nc when he. was sober he would perhap
quarters hOldover and no one was al
&c lowed to see him until after ne ha
made a statement to the prosecuting
~ attorney.
- Mrs. Elson, the proprietor of tn
as house, said that she did not know any
. thing about the man Weingard, excep
- that he had stopped at her house one
- | or twice before. and that he had neve
% showed that he was of pugnacious o
&c | desperate disposition. He came her
- and registered but I had not the slight
a est idea that it would end in such
a. dreadful tragedy"
81 While talking to the policeman VIII
IL arrested him, Weingard told them tha
he saw a Ratchet in Simpsons hanC
- but there is no Ratchet in the hous
and the police made a careful searcl
n 1t is supposed that the murderer in h
Il frenzied state might have taken III
lamp chimney for the weapon.
as To the prosecuting attorney Weir
gard made a brief statement, hut RI
fused to go into the details of the shoe
la ing, saying that he did not wish
IS make detailed statement until
ne talked with counsel. He told the pros
- cutting attorney that he had come
IN the city yesterday morning and tn;
pe and gone to the hotel How 7 can
1Is to kill him. said Weingard, 81 cam
- tell. I am sure, however, that if hs
OA not been drunk it would not have hal
10 pened I saw no weapon of any kiI
as in his hand, but when 1 was here Il
last trip he assaulted me with a pa
of shears, but this had nothing to
with what did today"