The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-11
CAUGHT LIKE RATS
Three More Bodies Recovered
from ShunkwiIer House.
They Are J. H. Stout and Wife
and Daughter.
HAVE FOUND FIVE.
Supposed That There Are Two
Still There.
Men Are Needed to Help in the
Work.
HAVE FOUND FIVE.

The bodies of ]. H. Stout and his wife,
Jessie Marple Stout. and a 13-year-old
girl were taken out of the wrecked
Shunkwiler house at 1913 Harrison
street J. H. Stout's body was recover
ed Wednesday afternoon and Mrs. Stout
was taken out al 1880 this forenoon
and the girl was found this afternoon
This makes five bodies which have
been taken from the house In the order
in which they were recovered they were
as follows:
Mrs. Nancy Shunkwiler
2-morths-old infant son of Mr.. and
Mrs. Stout
J. H. Stout
Mrs. ]. H. Stout.
Daughter Of J. H Stout.
Two other bodies are believed to be in
the wrecked house. They are the two
remaining children of J. H Stout by
a former marriage.
Mrs. Stout's father, Henderson Marple.
led the party which succeeded in finding
his daughters body this morning. The
party is working for Mr. Marple, not
for the coroner, and considerable diff
Guilty has been found in obtaining men
for the work. This morning the follow
ing. mostly relatives or friends of the
Marple family, were engaged in the
work: Henderson Marple. Enoeh Mar
pie. Nate Marple. Frank Marple, Geo.
Shunkwiler. Will Shunkwiler, S. +.
Herndon, C. G. Conman. J. NJ. Ban
field. John Slocum. T. Marple, Frank
Stout. George Root.
The Shunkwiler house was the most
terrible death trap so far found in
North Topeka. 1t was located in the
worst part of the current which swept
across from the river to a junction
with Soldier creek. Although it was an
apparently substantial two story house,
the current undermined it, tipped II
over on one side. piled another house
up against it on the north side, and left
it almost submerged in mud and water.
When the river commenced to cut
across the Soldier creek bottoms and
the terrified people in that vicinity were
searching for places of safety, the
Stout family came to the Shunkwiler
house for refuge It is supposed that
they were all in an upper room togeth-
er when the house tipped over
The rooms which they were in was
the east one. and went entirely under
water Caught like rats in trap, the
entire party perished. At least, this IS
the theory upon which the searching
party is working
The house lies tilted up on the roof,
and a great mass of mud and water mas
collected in a sWale about it. 1t IS SUN
I
boat. The men who are hunting for
the bodies work at great disadvantages
They have to stand in the mud and wa
ter waist deep. on the slOping ceiling OF
one room. while with iron hooks they
fish through the partition into the lower
room. and strive to get hold of some
thing in the mass of mud and water.
! There are several mattresses In the room.
5 and the men find it difficult to make any
! progress with them in the way The
workers think that the bodies of the
I three Stout children will be found to-
+ gether in the further corner of the room.
"As far as we have gone" said one OF
I the searchers today after the body or
/ Mrs. Stout had been taken out. we have
found all the bodies close together, ex-
cent that of Mrs Shunkwiler. who was
+ hanging over rafter. and was seen
from the outside and taken away before
the flood abated It would he of great
assistance if they would hitch team OF
horses to a triple block and pull away the
wreckage Of the other house which has
LODGED against the Shunkwiler house
But they say that they could not move
it in this way"
The street commissioner went olil
and inspected the situation a few days
ago and was asked to furnish men and
teams to dig 4 ditch to drain the slough
so that the water might go out and
give the workmen a better chance te
get down into the wrecked house. He
found that it would be a difficult and
expensive task to furnish the necessary
drai ina ge but is going to try and az
complish the task, if the bodies are no'
found.
Some of the people employed at ths
house have been in favor of using dyna~