The Topeka state journal., 1901-09-06
A MURDER MOST FOUL.


BY the time the parts of the roof of
the house and the walls fell the fire
mad been burning so hercely that Miss
Hounsom would have been dead some
time and could not have changed her
position in the bed from lying on her
right side to a position fiat on her back.
The bed clothing was so heavy that it
Undoubtedly held her in the same posi-
tion when the bed was burned away
and her body and the mattress. which
was but partly burned, and the bed
clothing slipped to the floor.
The night was not particularly cool
and 1t does not seem that the woman
would have had so much clothing over
her unless she had been foully dealt
with and the bed clothing heaped upon
her by those who placed her body in
the bed.
COULD NOT HAVE BEEN SUICIDE.
Miss Hounsom could not have COM
mitted suicide though there are circum-
stances that point to that theory.
Thursday afternoon Miss Hounsom
took $50 and some trinkets to Mrs. H.
G. Odtinger, at 307 Lime street, and
asked her to keep them for her, as she
said she was about to move and might
lose them. Miss HOunsom and Mrs.
Odtinger have been close friends for
several years. Miss HOunsOm also gave
her a letter and two cents in money.
The letter was addressed to Miss Niota
Hounsom, Glenwood, Missouri, Schuy-
Ter county. The letter was to a sister
of the dead woman She asked Mrs.
two pennies to buy postage stamp
and mail it for her in the morning as
she did not expect to see the postman-
The letter was closely written In pencil
on both sides of two sheets of common
letter paper. The envelope was un-
sealed. The letter was cheerful and
gave all the news of the mutual friends
of the sisters. In the letter Miss Houn-
som explained that the house she lived
in had been sold and that she was look
ing for new place to live, but there
was no hint of suicide.
The house where Miss Hounsom lived
was among those bought by the Com
mercial club to make room for the new
Santa Ee shops. With the exception OF
q Russian family living in a house at
the rear of the same lot Miss Hounsom
had no neighbors as the rest of the
houses had been vacated and were be-
ing moved away. In the letter to her
sister Miss HounsOm explained that she
wanted to secure a place where there
was barn SO she could keep her COW.
The sale of milk was her only means
of making a living except doing some
light sewing She said in the letter
that hef brother, Elmer r. Hounsom,
who owns several houses in that part
of town. had offered her a house. She
said that there was no barn on the
place and that she had rented the house
house and given a receipt for the rent
she had received and that with the rent
she expected to hire a house that had
a barn She said that her
brother 3jected to that arrange
I&euL d41&E GtSLkl1Q LlG people occupy
ing the H6uses tospay him the rent. They
told him that they had paid Miss
Hounsom. The brother said that he
owned the house and that. they must
move out Miss Hounsom explained in
the letter that she did not know where
she would go.
QUEER MESSAGES LEFT.
Besides the $50 in money. which Miss
FIounsom left with Mrs; Odtinger was
a box containing sOmea@v@4ftd41g paper,
half dozen silver spoons, a necklace
and Iocket three inexpensive breast
pins, two rings, and some small trink-
cts. On the top of the box containing
the money was pasted a little slip of
paper which read as follows: Sadie,
the ring is yours" Written on the out
side of an envelope in the other box
is yours. Don't let anybody have it.
Send the other things to Niota if any
thing should happen to me- I can trust
you" This indicates that she might |
have anticipa ted death
Miss HounSOm had been in the habit
of having her friends keep her money
and trinkets for her. At times Mrs.
Edward Dustin, 131 North Branner
should be done with her money seems |
more like a crude will that had been
made without any thought of commit
ting suicide rather than the instruc-
tions written by suicide on the eve
of a premeditated deed If Miss HOun-
som was murdered the deed may have |
been prompted by the knowledge that |
she had some money in her posses
sion.
Frank Dyche. a coIored laborer who |
has been working with the men NOV
ing the houses, left his ak on the porch |
inside the screen door of Miss HOun-
SONS home Thursday at the close of |
his days work. He saw her later and /
told her he would call for the ak in the |
morning. She said it would be all right |
at her home The most tangible clue /
toward the suicide theory is that last |
evening Miss Hounsom took the ak to /
a neighbor's and left it with instruc- |
tions that it be given to, Dyche II sne
was not at home when he came in the /
morning.
NEIGHBORS WE'RE NOT AROUSED |
The house at the rear of Miss Houn- /
som s place is occupied by a Russian |
named Daniel Ferlig, who is employed I
at the Wolff packing house. The house
occupied by Ferlig was east Of that oc-
cupied by Miss Hounsom. There is no /
door nor window on the west side of the /
F'erlig home, which is the side toward 1
the house that was occupied by Miss /
Hounsom Mrs Ferlig. who can speak /
only in Russian said, this morning that /
she nor her husband had any knowledge
of the fire until they We're awakened by /
the people who discovered the fire.
When they were awakened the house
was an entire mass of flames. Mrs
FerIig said that Miss Hounsom had no I
gasoline stove. Several people passed /
the house late last night. Miss Houn-
som must have been in bed as there
was no light burning
Miss Hounsom's house had been piac-
ed on skids yesterday afternoon by the
house movers employed by H. G.Tandy. /
Miss H0unsom was told by Tandy and
his wor{xnen yesterday that the house
would be moved soon, today perhaps, !
and that she would have to find another
place to live She seemed somewhat
excited and said that while her brother
owned several houses that he had not
given her a suitable one to live in and /
that she would not move out until she
had a place to go to.
ALARM OF FIRE AT 2:13.
The alarm of fire was turned in from 4
box. 121 at 2:13 o'clock this morning and /