The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-25
NOT A CLUE LEFT.
Mystery Of Hair Found at Nick
um Hotel Solved.
Certain That 1t Came from Mur-
dsred MOman's Head.
OFFICERS Do NOTHING.
Sheriff Lucas Makes Fruitless
Trip to Country.
Tramp Arrested in Topeka Held
by Farmers.
Had Frightened Women by His
Appearance.
OFFICERS Do NOTHING.

Hope on the part of the officials that
the stray, light colored hairs found or
the bloody napkins in the room with
Mrs. Nickum on the morning of tht
murder were the hairs of her muir
derer. has almost vanished.
The doctors at Christ hospital have
succeeded in finding quite a number OF
hairs shaved from Mrs. Nickum's head
when her wounds were dressed. They
were clinging to the towels which
were underneath her head and have
been carefully collected to be turned
over to Sheriff Lucas. Coroner Hoge-
boom has also found quite a quantity
of the hair which was cut off from
Mrs. Nickum's head at the Nickum
house before she was taken to the
hospital. This hair had been thrown
out into the alley.
All of this hair which has been
found tends to show that while most
of Mrs Nickum's hair was darker
napkin, it varied a good deal in color,
and that some of it was quite as light
a shade as the hair on the napkin.
a State Journal reporter this morn
ing inspected the hair found by the
Christ hospital doctors, and COM
pared it with the hair found on the
bloody napkin. Most of the hair is
dark. but some of it, when viewed in a
found by Coroner Hogeboom shows
many decidedly yellow strands.
me indications are" said DIR.
HogeboOm, that all the hair which
has been found in connection with
this case, both on the napkin and else
Where, came from Mrs. Nickum' s
head"
Had it been possible to show that the
blonde hairs found on the bloody nap
kin could 'notz- have come from Mrs
Nickums head, ii would have been con-
elusive evidence that the murder was
committed by a woman and the-enly
woman SO far even suspected as being
implicated is Mrs. Stella Brown the
cook. No evidence has been found
which reflects on Mrs Brown; the only
tangible ground of suspicion was the
presence of blonde hairs in the bloody
napkin, for Mrs. Brown is a blonde and
Mrs Niekum a dark haired woman.
The finding of the samples of Mrs.
Nickum's hair tends to relieve Mrs
Brown of all suspicion.
Struck Gold Scent"
Joe Ross and Policeman Palmer, who
are connected with the police force,
found a handkerchief Thursday in the
rear of the Pleasant Home hotel, at
Fourth and Jefferson streets, about
block from the Nickum house. The
handkerchief had blood on it, and it
was at once thought that it had some
thing to do with the Nickum case.
There is no doubt, however, that this
handkerchief is entirely innocent"
Mrs. J. H. Clark, the proprietor of the
Pleasant Home hotel said this morn
ing:
found down here has been there for
about ten days. 1t was there some days
before this murder was committed. 1
think it was left there by a country
woman who stopped in here. She went
out that way and I think she left it
behind her. 1 did not see anything of
the blue handkerchief found in the
weeds back of the NiclxWm house"
Mrs. NJ Herman, mother of Mrs.
Clark. was the first One to find the
white handkerchief. She said:
Il saw the handkerchief with the
blood on it lying there by the fence
back of our coal house. 1 did not like
the looks of blood. and took stick
grass That was some days before the
murder of Mrs. Nickum."
Frank White, a paper hanger who
boards with Mrs. Clark was with Mrs.
Herman when she saw the handker-
chief. and confirms what she says
about its being there before the muir
der.
The blue bandanna handkerchief
covered with blood stains is still con-
siderable of a mystery. There are
some things. which indicate that the
blood on the handkerchief is from the
nose and not wiped on from any
body's hands.
If both of the blood stained hand
kerchiefs are shown to have no con-
nectOn with the murder, there is very
little left to the officers in the way of
clues.
Peculiar Absence of Blood
Except right in the room of the
murder. and in front of the door
where the murder occurred, there is
a remarkable absence of blood stains
to help put the officers on the right
scent There were no signs of blood
on the handle of the axe, nor on the
handle of the knife with which Mrs.
Nickum was mutilated. There were
no marks on the floors to indicate that
the murderer had walked in blood
and tracked it as he went out. There
are no blood stains on the doors or
door castings, as might be expected had
the murderer had blood on his hands
Yet if the murderer did not have
blood on his hands, which he at
tempted to shake off, how did the
blood get spattered so high on the
walls of the little kitchen?
If the murderer got blood az ss:=
hands. - =aust have been after he
That would imply that he fingered
about the body for some reason.
Tramp Again Arrested.
Sheriff Lucas took a long hard buggy
ride this morning, and is now of the
opinion that he is a much bothered |
man. /
Early this morning he got telephone
message from Wakarusa to the effect
that farmers had captured a crazy man |
who was undoubtedly the murderer of
Mrs Nickum. The sheriff rs not over |
looking any chance. and although he
had little faith in the story, drove down
to the village on the creek
Here he found a swarm of excited