The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-03
KLUSMIRE HERE.


May. the eldest daughter, and two 9TH
ers We're at church in Holton- john the
another farmer. he was not at home
that evening
These were the conditions Of the night
of the crime In that bare bedchamber
occurred the tragedy. The babies
slept. Perhaps there was a scuff1e- Per
haps only a dull thud or two the
wife slumbered- Then the man carried
the limp form OF a woman, llfeieSS or
almost so. down the steep bare stairs
and out into the night There may have
been a stop out i'm the yard to finish
beyond doubt the deed Then on under
the stars the burden was carried across
a level, dusty field for a quarter of a
mile. At the far side of the slope two
sullies are furr0wed into the bosom of
the field The further one OF the two IS
the shallOWer. At the point where the
body was placed there was wide
breach about ten feet across. The gutter
Is about four feet deep.
Into this depression the body was
tossed and covered up with loose dirt.
Some days before the farmer had hauled
a load OF brush. trimmed from a hedge,
to this point and a heap OF II was piled
over the mound
Next morning Klusnire was asked by
his children where their mother was He
told them he and she had quarrelled-
She had taken one Of her usual mad fits
he explained, and had gone to Straight
Creek. a place nine miles away in the
northeast corner Of Jackson county
When she did not return the children
were told by Klusnire that their mother
had gone to Texas. They were not salts
ned but went on with the milking, and
churnlng- the chores and the house
work that keep farmers and their fam
lies busy. The father kept telling them
one story after another to account for
the absence OF the mother
All the while her dead body lay out
there in the field under little mound of
earth and brush Had a heavy shower
occurred and filed the ravine with
NJ FER Ia WI
have washed out
One OF Elusnsire's stories to the chill
dren was that he had received letter
from their mother in Texas She had
suffered an accident and had broken
her leg. Saturday before last Klusmire
told them that he had received another
letter from his wife. She was i'll with
yellow fever. he said. and was quite low
On Thursday he announced to the fam
lily that he had received telegram ask
ing him to come quick, that his wife was
not expected to live. He borrowed
valise from a neighbor, packed a few
clothes and went away that night
Before he went May Klusmire. the ED
est daughter, asked her father to see the
letter and the telegram He told her he
had lost them; he said he had showed
them to a merchant in the town. She
went to see the merchant, her suspicious
now being thoroughly aroused The mer-
chant told her he had never seen such
letter. She went to the telegraph office
for a copy of the telegram. There had
never any such a message come
These things confirmed her worst
fears. She sent for her brother John
and the two began a search of the farm.
They went out across the dusty field
Saturday morning With them went the
house-dog, a rusty-coated black hound.
The dog shifted a the pile Of brush and
unbleached earth John threw off the
brush with a pitchfOrk and dug away
the dirt. He soon came upon a bit of
familiar cloth 1t was a corner of his
mothers cape. The boy and girl turned
away. sickened by the horrible dis
covery- They sent for neighbors and for
the authorities.
Coroner McCand1ess took charge OF
the case. NeighbOr men dug up the body
and an inquest was held. The body was
in a good state Of preservation notwith-
standing its three weeks interment. Il
lay face downward IN the shallow grave
The appearance was that it had been
just tumbled in the ravine and the dirt
covered over. There were bruises on the
breast and neck and the marks OF two
heavy blows on the side Of the head.
Back Of the right temple was an inden-
tation in the skull. The doctors exam
ined at the inquest testified that this in
Jury alone was sufficient to have caused
death. The woman was att1red only in
her night clothes. except for her cape
which was wound around her shoulders.
The jury's verdict was that Mrs. KluS-
mire had come to her death by a blow
4.
supposed to have been welded BY her
husband, w. H Klusmire
After the inquest a funeral was held
late Saturday afternoon The process
sion went through the town at o'clock
and the remains Of the murdered woman
were Inferred in the cemetery south OF
the city.
May Klusmire. the eldest daughter of
the murdered woman, is p years of age.
She has the dazed, spilftless tempera-
ment that comes from q life of farm
drudgeFy. These characteristics are ac-
centured by the recent shadow she has
lived through, the cloud not yet passed.
Accustomed to finding one day much
like another and taking things as they
came along. she could not fathom
mystery and a tragedy in a short time
Burdened with the care Of the large
family OF small children the fathers
statements acted as a 1ull to anxieties.
Her story of the disappearance of her
mother and the ultimate finding Of her
dead BODY is brief.
THE last time I saw my mother" she
said was on Sunday evening, before
we went to church She helped me dress
for church It was late when we got
started. think. 1t must have been half
past 2 o'clock. We hurried 50 we could
get to Christian Endeavor.
NV hen we came home every thing was
quiet around the house We came in
quietly and went to our rooms. The
children were asleep suppose father
and mother We're in their room on the
other side of the stairway with the two
babies. We were quiet so as to not dis
turb anybody. Everybody knows all the
rest"
Miss Klusmire talked DULY and me
chanically, all ambition seeming Slapped
by the tragedy and the cares OF her
life.
You asked after her next morning."
Yes. He said she had left home that
night
did your mother ever 80 away be-
fore ~
mo. She had tried to. but he wouldn't
How did YOU suppose she got away