The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-11-22
SERVANTS TELL.
Those Employed in Sells House
hold on the Stand.
All Tell of Frequent Visits of
Men.
WATCHED FOR LYONS.
Mrs. Ella Davis Waited For Him
Until He Came Out.
Miss Kelly Saw "ShadOws" but
Would Tell No More.

The servants of the Sells household
have had their inning. They told some
| interesting things all corroborative OF
the testimony given by others.
Miss Maggie Kerwin. the good looking
housekeeper of w. H. Fish, was the first
witness placed on the stand. Miss Ker-
win was well dressed, handsome and
apparently well educated, as she talked
with a refined accent and used the most
| carefully correct English. She was
manifestly nervous when on the stand
at first, but gave her testimony clearly
and cooIly.
Miss Kerwin testified that, because of
an injury to her limb" she was unable
to rest at night She was forced to rise
frequently and change her position, and
often found it restful to look out of the
window towards the Sells residence.
| During these painful vigils Miss Ker-
win frequently saw two men call at Mrs.
Sells residence. She described their
personal appearance carefully, and, while
she did not testify Of personal knowl-
edge to their names, they were recogniz-
ed as Lyons and Bott. She first noticed
them in 1897. They visited about three or
four times a week, and kept it up during
| the circus season. They ceased their
visits in the fall of 1899
| Their visits were usually made be-
| tween o'clock and $3.50 in the evening.
| Mrs. Sells usually watched for them
from the windows of Miss F'lorence's
room.
When Mr.Sells was at home the house
would be lighted brilliantly from top to
bottom. 1t looked like an illumination
| in his honor. When Peter was on the
road, however, the house was dinly
/ lighted. Here followed the oft-given tes-
| timony as to the remarkable antics of
| q oh ia iCif of 2nff md
| Lyons.
| Usually the visitors outlasted Miss
/ KerWin, who would be in bed and asleep
| before they left. Once or twice late at
night, she saw them leave. Several
| times Miss Florence called at the Fish
| residence durlDg the calls of her moth
| er's friends The two mysterious visi-
| tors never called together, nor did they
! ever call when Peter Sells was at home.
On cross examination Miss Kerwin
| testified that friends of Miss Florence
| frequently called in the afternoon and
evening, and at times visitors remained
| for days at time in the house AS
general rule, these persons were visitors
| to Miss Florence, although several times
| to her knowledge Mrs. Sells entertained
During the summer time Miss KerWin
| spent a large part of her evenings on
| the front or rear porch of the Fish resi-
dence. Mr.. Hullng attempted to connect
| Miss Kerwin with the lawn sDrinlling,
| which was apparently continuous per-
fOrmance at the Fish house, but failed
seldom
handled the hose. Miss Kerwin avoided
| all of Mr.. Huling's traps, and came out
| of the cross examination with flying
cOlors-
Mrs Ella Davis. the former cook in
| the Sells household, was next placed on
| the stand. Mrs. Davis is a lady of a
| certain age, and looks like a most COM
! petent cook. Mrs Davis testified that
| had filed a similar position in the house
holds of Mrs. H. T. Chittenden and Mrs.
| George Monypenny.
Mrs. Davis saw Mr.. Lyons at the
Sells residence, play cards and billiards
with Mr.. Sells.
When Mr.. Sells was away from home
she saw Lyons call at the house. Once
she ran into him about IL o'clock one
| night outside the side door, and Lyons
declared he wanted to see Fred, the
| cOachman. Then she recognized Lyons.
| and, not believing his statement, she
| passed on into the house.
A sQuabble arose over the admission
of this conversation. Mr.. Safer said:
''It doesn't matter. Wen have Lyons
back on the stand and he can tell"
Colonel Holmes-He can't give incom-
petent testimony
Mr.. BOOth-And we hope that he will
only give truthful testimony
Msr. Davis told of one evening she
was sitting in the yard when Lyons
rode up suddenly on his wheel and en-
tered the house without ringing.
Later Mrs Sells came to her and said
| that she was sick and was going to bed
| No one was to be admitted.
A Mrs. Kellogg called later to see
| Mrs Sells but Mrs. Davis refused to
| admit her to Mrs. Sells presence.
Miss Florence, the housemaid and the
coachman were at the Buffalo Bill show
that night.
Mrs. Sells had furnished the tickets
for this household treat. She had ask
ed Mrs. Davis to go to the theater but
the cook did not care to.
The last the cook saw Of Mrs Sells
that night she was clothed in a. silk
night dress or wrapper.
Mrs. Davis sat in the yard for two
hours waiting for Lyons to come out
and rode rapidly away.
Peter Sells was not at home on the
night in question
Lyons paid other visits to the house
usually coming on his wheel. He placed
the wheel under the dining room win
| dow Mrs Sells admitted him
On one such occasion Mrs Davis ad-
rnitted Lyons at the front door, and he
asked if the folks were in She remem-
was not able to go into details on ths
matter.
On cross examination it developed
that Mrs. Davis once left the Sells en-
ploy because of a disagreement with
Mrs Sells. She returned later, as did Z
houseman who left at the same time
Lyons and other men frequently call
| ed during Mr. Sells stay at his home
On such occasions Lyons entered bS
the front door. On other occasions
Lyons frequently entered by the side
| door.
| Davis told of Mrs Sells wearing on ths
night of the Buffalo Bill show, when she
pleaded illness and went to bed, proved
on cross examination, to be the usua
attire of Mrs. Sells, who frequently wori
Mary Kelly, who began to work foi