The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-23
LUCAS ON HUNT.
Sheriff Is in Independence. After
Murder Evidence.
Carefully Looking Up Cunning
hams Movements.
HE FEIGNS ILLNESS,
Prisoner Said Noise Would
Drive Him Mad.
Denies That He Ever Lived at
the Nickum.

No prisoners ever locked up in the
county Jail were guarded and hemmed
in from all communication with the
outside world as are Nate Farrend,
alias w. B. Cunningham, and Vashti
Cunningham.
They have not had a chance to
speak to each other since they were
arrested a week ago. No one but the
Jail authorities have been allowed to
speak with either of the prisoners or
to communicate with them in any
manner.
Not a newspaper has entered the
county Jail for week so fearful are
the officers that the Cunninghams
may learn something about the move
ments of the officers or the stories told
by each of them.
Wednesday Sheriff Lucas left To-
peka for independence to make an
effort to find clues which may possibly
lead to the weaving of a web of evil
dence connecting Cunningham with
the Nickum murder.
So far every effort to shake the
stories told by the Cunninghams has
failed The prisoners had no time to
make up any stories that would tally
exactly. Their statements have differ
ed considerably on many points but
the one point, and the one most i'm
portant concerning the Nickum case, is
that both prisoners state that they left
Topeka in the stolen automobile about
o'clock of the evening before the
Nickum murder.
Neither of the prisoners tell exactly
the same story but they each main
tain their original story that they left
long before midnight.
Every effort of the officers to force a
different story from Mrs Cunningham
has failed. Letters written by her hus-.
band to Mrs. Helen Ferguson, of In
dependence, were read to her in hopes
story.
'I don't care to hear those letters
read" said Mrs. Cunningham.
CUNNINGHAM still feigns sickness. DIR.
Ellinger, the county physician, exam
ned him and stated that he is not
sick When it was found that Cum
ningham had tried to communicate with
his wife, who was in the cell above his,
he was removed from the parlor cell
to the first tier of cages in the main
part of the Jail with the. other prison
ers.
Cunningham was in the cage last
night. He objected to being kept there
and begged to be taken back to the
parlor cell.
This noise will drive me mad" he
said, referring to the talk and noise of
the other prisoners.
This morning he was taken back to
Cunningham denies that he ever
at the Nickum house. County
Hungate questioned him
closely on that point last night. Cum
nins s'ham said that he came to Topeka
"a, 1908, and registered at
the Fifth Avenue. The hotel register
shows that statement to be true, but
when he left the hotel is not known,
as the room book" which would
show that, was not preserved. w. B.
F'irguson, of Independence, who was
a partner of Cunningham in the map
making business, says that Cunning
ham told him that he had stopped at
the Nickum hotel Sheriff Lucas will
this statement while in In
While in independence last summer
Cunnin CHAM and Mr.. and Mrs. Firgu-
son had some trouble. This is also
being investigated by Sheriff Lucas.
The trouble occurred in a room and
4 shot was fired by Firguson either at
his wife or at Cunningham.