The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-30
FOUND HIS man.
Monroe Patterson Charged With
Nickum Murder, Arrested.
Taken by Kansas City Policemen
in a Saloon.
TOO DRUNK TO TALk.
Promised to Tell His Story
Today.
Admitted He Was I'm Topeka
Night OF Murder.
TOO DRUNK TO TALK.
Topeka Spiritualists Discuss
Their Efforts in Case.

Kansas City, Nov. 30.-Edwin Mon
roe Patterson, wanted at Topeka in
connection with the atrocious murder
of Mrs. Nickurn who was arrested here
last night, denied today any knowl-
edge of the killing although confronted
by the sheriff and the prosecutor from
Topeka Another attempt to get a
statement from him will be made. 1t
is said the sheriff first desires to Sc
cure statements from other men re-
garding Patterson's recent movements.
Monroe Patterson, the man accused
by E. E. Sparr of killing Mrs. Mary
Nickum in this city on November 20,
was arrested in Charles Muccrs sa-
loon, at 91S Union avenue, Kansas
City, Tuesday evening, by Detective
Bates and Policemen Roger and
Daley of the Kansas City police
force.
When arrested Patterson, it is said,
tried to draw a razor. The Kansas
City papers say that he was ''seized
and disarmed." This may be simply
a little imaginative embroidery added
to the case by the Kansas City police
for the sake of giving a reallys truly
Sherlock Holmes appearance to the
affair.
Kansas City with him the last time,
and Sparr assisted in locating Patter-
SON.
Sheriff Lucas went on through Kan
sas City Tuesday to Moberly, Mo-,
where Patterson's brother is chief of
police. He thought that the man he
wanted might have gone there. But
there was trace of him to be
found. While in Moberly, Mr.. Lucas
looked up Patterson's record, and
found that he had never been arrest
ed except for misdemeanor charges.
When arrested Tuesday evening,
Patterson had been drinking and was
not in condition to make statement
TO the officers He viii probably be
brought to Topeka Patterson was
asked by Policeman Roger the
way to the station Tuesday night
whether he was in Topeka the night
Mrs. Nickum was murdered.
"I was in Topeka" he said, ION
the night of the murder and for three
nights afterwards -
Mr.. Patterson said he would make
a full statement of his case in the
morning. Sheriff Lucas was in. Mo-
berly when the arrest was made, and
when he arrived at the Kansas City
holdover Patterson was asleep. Pat
terson when arrested was wearing
red flannel shirt, cheap suit of
clothes, and was very grimy and
dirty.
There has been no evidence found
against Patterson except Sparr'S
statement, and this statement is re-
garded by the officers as very shaky,
especially so far as it pertains to
Martin Connors, who surrendered
himself to the officers Tuesday when
he found out that he had been impH-
Gated in the affair.
If it should be found that Patter-
son is guilty, through a confession or
some similar means, it is highly prob
able that Sheriff Lucas would not
bring him back to Topeka at this time.
He would wait for the excitement over
the murder to die out somewhat.
The three policemen of the Kansas
hn q
probably get the $500 reward offered
by Governor Bailey in case Patterson
proves to be the right man.
She Had Vision.
Il would know the man who killed
Mrs. Nickum if I should see him. l
have seen him once. Sometime I shall
see him again"
This is the remarkable statement of
Mrs. Mary Clark, who lives at Fourth
and Jefferson and who claims that God
has revealed to her in a dream all the
details of the NiNckum murder.
Mrs. Clark is not a member of the
Spiritualist church in Topeka. but she
claims to possess a mystic power of
seeing beyond the veil"
Mrs. Inez Wagner. of 22O West Sixth
avenue, the head of the Spiritualist
church in Topeka, said to a State Jour
nal reporter:
1--WE have tried to get communica-
tions in regard to this awful murder,
but so far nothing has come. I have
this feeling, which is very persistent:
that the officers have not yet struck
the right clue, and that when they do,
they will find that the murderer was
woman"
All the Spiritualists in Topeka are
hoping to receive some solution of the
mystery through the various mediums
in the city, and special seances are be-
ing held. They say that the sheriff
and his deputies have so far failed to
produce any results and that if the
murderer of Mrs. Nickum is ever found.
it must be through the help of God.
Mrs. Mary Clark, however, is the only
one who has so far anything tangible
to report in the way of evidence OBJ
tanned through what she believes to be
a divine source. This is her story:
Ever since this Nickum murder I
have been unable to sleep. have felt
that if I could go over there to the
Nickum house and look it over 1 would
be given more light to understand how
the deed was committed I have had
some very strange dreams at night in
the short intervals which I have slept;
dreams in which I have seen this muir
der done At last 1 could not stand 1t
any longer. I asked an officer to take
me through the Nickum house. He did
So looked around there, and the
whole thing became as plain as day
to me- I went into Mrs. Nickum's room,
knelt down by her bed, and prayed that
1 might make no mistake. 1 can tell
exactly how this murder was commit
ted: The murdered woman had taken
off one of her slippers and left it in
the hall by the couch. She was called
to the front door to let in some sup
posed friend. The blood found on the
1c,,rh and 1Inder the couch was Mrs.