The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-01-24
KANSAS NEWS.
A Leavenworth Boy Accuses
Father of Murder.
Sensational Stnrx aR GAnrcA
Sensational Story of George
Stewart in Court Room.
INNOCENT MAN SUFFERS
Youth Declares His Father Kill.
ed Albert Cummings.
For the Crime of Which George
Murphy Is Accused.

Ieavenworth, Kan, Jan. PA sensa-
ton was sprung in the city court room
THURSDAY when George Stewart made a
sworn statement accusing his father, w.
H Stewart. of 917 Cherokee street, of hav-
ing murdered in October, 1896, Albert Cum
mings, an old soldier, for whose murder
George Murphy, alias Phillips is now
serving a p years sentence in the. state
penitentiary at Lansing.
The boy had just been convicted of petty
larceny. Immediately after Judge Moore
sentenced him to 60 days in the county
jail, young Stewart announced that he
wanted to make a statement
Stewart was arrested several days ago
on a warrant sworn out by his father.
charging him with having stolen $3.50 from
him. In his statement yesterday morn.
ing the boy said that it was the object of
his father to have him in Jail so that the
old man could get away without letting
the boy know anything about it.
Young Stewart was very deliberate in
killed Cummings, and spoke every word
without a tremor. The elder Cummings sat
as he heard the boy tell his story and left
the room shortly after the statement was
made Young Stewart is 20 years old;
that he would Immediately start an in
vestigation of the case He was engaged
in a trial at Lansing then and was unable
county attorney Viii visit Young Stewart
in the county jail and secure from him an
affidavit to the statement made.
Cummings was murdered one night in
October. 1896. He lived in a shanty about
electric railway station at the Soldiers
home and was found by a table in his
little house with his brains beaten out.
The murder was surrounded with myS-
terry. Cummings was known to have sew
eral watches and it is said that he had
considerable money. Robbery was evident
ly the motive. The house had been ran
sacked and there was clue to the per-
petrators of the deed.
However, suspicion began to fall on Stew
art and Murphy. About five months later
Murphy found a watch near the Black
hawk bridge, north of the Soldiers home
People said the watch belonged to Cum
mingS. Murphy was arrested, tried in the
district court here for murder in the first
degree and was finally sentenced in Feb
ruary, 1898, to serve q years in the state
second degree. Murphy was convicted on
purely circuniStantial- evidence.
Stewart was arrested after Murphy had
been sentenced, charged with completely
in the crime, but he was acquitted.
Murphy is now lying sick in his cell at
the state penitentiary. He is now 62 years
old and is worn and weak and cannot live
long. When seen in his cell this afternoon
by a reporter for the Journal in weak
and sunken voice. Murphy said:
IAN know is that 1 am innocent. I
didn't kill Cummings and did not know
anything about it until after L had heard
he dead and had been murdered. I
found a watch some time after the MUIR
der was committed. They said it belonged
to Cummings and then 1 was sent up for
u years.
Stewart and Baker killed Cummings
continued Murphy. II was in Kansas City
the night he was killed"
What Baker?' asked the correspondent.
why George Baker; he's living there