The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-23
Actions Indicated That She II ad
PremOnitiOn of Disaster.
Mrs. Della SkidmOre Throws
Light on the Situation.
HAD SECRET TROUBLE.
Often Talked of 1t But With
held the Details.
Was Expecting a Letter Bearing
on Difficulty.
MAN TRIED TO BREAK in
This Was on Saturday Preced-
ing Her Murder.
Sheriff Lucas Finds a Man But
Not Right One.
Often Talked of 1t But With
held the Details.
Was Expecting a Letter Bearing
on Difficulty.
MAN TRIED TO BREAK in
This Was on Saturday Preced-
ing Her Murder.
Sheriff Lucas Finds a Man But
Not Right One.

NOL HI HI VHCS
Highly sensational disclosures in the
Nickurn case were made today to a
State Journal reporter by Mrs Della
Skidmore, who lives at $50 Jefferson
street, and who was, for six weeks prior
to Mrs. Nickum's murder, employed as
chambermaid at the Nickum hotel.
For two weeks, according to Mrs.
Skidmore, Mrs. Nickum had been afraid
of some mysterious person; on the Fri
day or Saturday preceding her murder,
between and o'clock in the morning,
some one had made an effort to force
an entrace into the rear part of the
Nickum hotel while Mrs. Nickum was
awake.
Mrs. Nickum had a secret trouble.
She had boasted to Mrs. Skidmore a
month ago that she was always the
same You never see me down in the
depths or up on the heights she said
to Mrs. Skidmore. Il am always about
on a level About a week before the
murder, however, Mrs. Skidmore had
noticed that Mrs. Nickum seemed much
depressed. Mrs. Skidmore said to her
in a joking sore of a way:
Mrs Nickum, 1 thought you said you
were never down in the depths. Why
time, and looking so blue?"
"Oh, Della,'' said Mrs. Nickum, Il
have a burden on my heart; it is almost
SmOthering me. l have lots of things
to bother me. 1, am having trouble
about some money matters And then
1 am troubled about my help"
You don't mean that L have been
troubling you, do you?" asked Mrs.
Skidmore.
mo, it's not you Della said Mrs.
TiClx hell a
I would never have any trouble on that
score
Mrs. Della Slzidmore left Mrs. Nick
um's employ on Thursday, November
II, on account of i'll health. She is the
Della" for whom Mrs. Nickum called
as she lay bleeding to death on the floor
of her little kitchen on the awful Sun
day morning
Mrs. Nickum Was Afraid.
Mrs Slidmore makes the following
statement:
"On account of the fact that Mrs.
Nickum's cook left her, it was neces-
sary for me to get up Tuesday MORN
ing, November Is. and get the break
fast for the 16 bOarders- 1 found that
the sugar was all used up, and that L
would have to go up on the third floor
of the hotel where Mrs. Nickum kept
her sugar sack, to get some more Mrs.
Nickum slept late in the morning, ana
l had all the work to do alone that
morning So it put me back a little to
have to get the sugar and I thought it
strange that Mrs. Nickum had not at
tended TO it. She was always very good
about getting out supplies ready in the
morning, and seeing to it that nothing
ran short.
1T was such an unusual thing for the
supplies to run out that / said to her
when she got up Tuesday morning,
Mrs. Nickum, I had to go up in the
garret this morning to get sugar
Yes, Della, I'm sorry about it, said
Mrs. Nickum in reply, / knew the su-
I, ~ rfr.1 4
to go up into the attic last night for
more. 1t is the first time 1 was ever
afraid, I think. 1 don't know what is
the matter with me. but someway L
felt afraid to go up there
I thought it was very strange at the
time because I knew that in the past,
Mrs. Niclxum had not been afraid to
even go out to her coal house at or
o'clock in the morning to get more
coal 1 had told her she should not do
this, but she said she could not afford
to keep a night clerk. and that as soon
as she could make another payment
on her house she would have it all paid
for, and would then stop taking board
ers, and keep nothing but roomers.
when 1 do that she said, I hope you
will stay with me, for you will be all
my own. and nobody can turn me out
into the street
Expected Letter.
Mrs. Nickum had been expecting
some sort OF an important letter IOT
some days prior to the time I left. She
never got much mail, only two letters
and a postal card during the whole time
I was there. But she told me she was
expecting a letter and she used to come
out of her room every morning when
the pOstman came to see whether or
not a letter had come. Then she would
go back to bed
She several times during the last
two weeks 1 was there came to me, put
her arms around my neck, and laid her
head on my shoulder and said. Della,
I'm so worried about things. I don't
know what to do
"Once she said something about
somebody owing her money, or else ow-
ing money to somebody, 1 have forgot
ten which it was. 1 think it was some
thing about money which she owed;
I cot the impression that it was money
she owed on the house.
'.She acted so differently from her
usual way during those two weeks that
I knew she was worrying about some
thing. but she never told me exactly
what it was. So far as 1 know, she diva
not get the letter she was expecting
while / was there. 1 never saw any
body come there to talk to her about
money matters. I never knew of her
having much money about the house.
1 handled a good deal of money for her,
,aada change o11f of her money. and re-