The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-26
IT WAS MURDER.
So Says COroners Jury of the
Lowe Tragedy.
Verdict is Returned at COmpIe-
tiOn of Inquest.
FOUND MANY BRUISES.
Body of Woman Showed Result
of Mistreatment-
Date For loves Preliminary
Has Not Been Fixed.

The coroner's jury brought in ver-
diet today II 80 which holds John c.
Lowe for the murder of his wife. The
finding of the jury was as follows.
We the jury find that Mrs J. c.
Lowe came to her death by peritonitis.
caused by two gunshot wounds. ana
that said wounds were inflicted by John
G. Lowe. her husband. Furthermore.
accident"
The inquest has occupied a portion OF
three days. The jurors, L NJ. Carter. c.
F. G1Vens, e p. White. H. J. Bevelles
J. W Gardiner and Dr. r. E. Bucknas-
ter viewed the remains and heard 4.
summary of the finding of the post
mortem Tuesday afternoon. after which
they adjourned until Wednesday,. wheu
they We're taken out to the Reform
school and heard the testimony of Sup
erintendent Charles, Night Watchlnan
G. A. Smith Mr.. and Mrs. Charles
Lundgren, Assistant superintendent
George Misner and John Strauthers. one
of the inmates of the Reform school
who in the play room fof cottage
b when the tragedy occurred
Strauthers testified that he saw Lowe
and his wife at the foot of the stairs
short time before they went up to the
room and the shots We're fired. He said
that Lowe was speaking to his wife in
a tone of voice which led him to be-
lieve that they were quarTeling. and his
impression grew into conviction when
Lowe finally seized his wife by the arm
and forced her upstairs.
No defense was made and the ques-
tions asked by the attorneys for Lowe
We're mainly about the location of the
two wounds and he range of the bullets.
Each witness was also asked if Lowe
had acted peculiar. or seemed to be of
uHsOund mind at any time within their
knowledge. and it is plain that in
sanity and not accidental shooting viii
be the defense at the preliminary hear
ing.
Most of the witnesses declared that
Lowe had acted as usual up to the time
of the tragedy. and had shown no signs
of insanity.
c. Lowe. father of the accused man,
testified that his son was of unSound
mind and had been so for number Of
years.
Omcers Jenkins and Morgan. who
brought Lowe from the hospital testi-
fed that while bringing him to the
-s1ation In the patrol wagon he had "a.
fainting spell and stiffened out and
that they had attributed the attack to
the carbolic acid the man swallowed at
the hospital a short time before.
The testimony of the other witnesses
brought out nothing which was not
known before. The only new feature ia
the tragedy IS the fact that the body Of
Mrs. Lowe showed unmistakable signs
of brutal treatment before her death.
Physicians who attended the autopsy
declare that the body was covered with
bruises. and that in their opinion she
had been brutally kicked in many places
by her husband before he had finished
his work by shooting her
DR.. Alkire, one Of the physicians WHO
conducted the autopsy. said. '-It looked
TO me like the woman had been thrown
down and kicked a number Of times.
Small bruises on her arms might have
been made by her husband when he
dragged her up stairs, as testified TO by
Strauthers Her flesh was of the kind
which easily sustains bruise Her
back and limbs were marked in q shame
ful manner, but with the exception of
the two bullet wounds the skin was
not broken. If my suppositions are cor
rect, the woman was shamefully mis-
treated before she was shot"
The bruises range from the size of a
finger nail to three inches in diameter.
and the physicians are positive that It
was impossible for her to sustain sucn
injuries after she reached the hospital
The smaller bruises were mostly about
the arms and neck Of the victim ana
could have been made by the fingers OF
her husband as he dragged her up
stairs in the manner told by the Strau-
theirs boy. The story as told by Lowe,
who claims that the shooting Of his wife
and himself was accidental. is not cred
tied in the least, and the defense will
make fight n the theory Of insanity.
Lowe was represented al the Inquest by
Attorneys Magaw and Allen & Allen.
s. s. Allen cross examining the wit
nesses.
The written, statement signed by Mrs
Lowe before her death is still i'm the
hands Of Miss Smith matron Of Storrnont
hospital, and was not introduced At the
The bullets. two of them misshapen and
dented, have been found iu the room
where the shooting took place by Supt-
Charles who turned them over to Coron-
er Hogeboom. Added to the two bullets
which entered the body Of the victim this
makes a total of five Most of the em-
ployees who heard the shooting testified
that three shots were fired. @ A. Smith.
who was the first on the scene. thought
he heard four shots, but is certain Of
but three This leaves an extra bullet
and a mystery. The weapon used was a
five shot % caiiber revolver. Four empty
shells were found on the floor where they
had been automatically dumped when the
revolver was opened after the last shot
The fact that the revolver was found
open and the cartridges thrown out looks
that after shooting his wife and himself
he had found that the gun was enpi y.
and deliberately planning to reload the
weapon when interrupted 10y smith
The date for preliminary hearing, which
will be held at Justice Wright court near
Shorey has not been fixed
RESOLUTIONS FOR MRS. Low T.
The officers and employees of the boys
industrial school. wishing pay tribute tn
the exalted character and purity of iife
Of Mrs Fanny Lowe late matron OF TN
school hereby express to the hereaVed rel
atives and friends our heart felt sympaths
renee which resulted in her death.
During the entire period of her connec-
tion with this institution her life has been
family has been above the shadow of s1is
picion. Patient and forbearinE under everr
trial. she had a kind word and cheerful
smile for everybody. even when IT was ap-
/ parent that her own heart was wrung
( with deepest suffering
Everyone connected with this Institution
Officers. employees and pupils-loved her
and it is with unspeakable grief that We
/ bow to the viii of an iuscrutable PrONt-
feeble expression of our sympathy IN this
hour of bereavement.