The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-01-11
RYNO CASE PECULIAR.
Chief Justice Johnston Reviews Its
Strange Phases.

The Ryno case, which the supreme
court passed upon Saturday by deciding
that DR.. RynO will have to serve his
term in the penitentiary, is a very pc
culiar one. The fact that an old man
should carry on a correspondence for
months with a young girl whom he
did not know, and eventually attempt
to kill her, seemed very strange. There
was considerable mystery about the
case and it attracted wide attention.
The supreme court tells the story as
follows, in the opinion written by
Chief Justice Johnston:
ON the night of July s. 1902, while
Miss Maud Holmes was in her cham
Der preparing to retire a gun was fired
near the house, q charge of shot from
which passed through a screen window
near which she was standing, striking
her head, neck and breast, and inf1ict-
ing serious wounds. She was a young
unmarried woman who lived on a farm
with the other members of the Holmes
family, consisting of her father, moth
er and sister, all of whom were in the
house when the shooting occurred. No
one was seen to fire the gun, and who
did it was, for some time at least, a
puzzling problem. Attention was fin
ally directed towards A. B. Ryno, who
resided in another neighborhood about
three miles distant from the Holmes
place. He was about so years of age,
married and having a family of five
children, the youngest of whom was Is
years of age. 1t appears that in Janu-
airy, 1901, some one representing him
self to be George r. Clark, wrote to
Maud Holmes, proposing correspon-
dence with her. He claimed to be from
Ohio and was in Kansas looking for
investments, and dated his letter at
Canton, Kansas, a point in the county
in which Maud Holmes lived.
She consented to and did correspond
with him for q time, keeping copies of
the letters which she sent to him. AL
though his letters We're posted from
neighboring places and on railroad
trains near the Holmes home, he did not
call on her until October s, 1901, when
he introduced himself as the George r.
Clark who had been carrying on the
correspondence. At the same time he
also met Mauds father and mother,
and as the visit lasted about three
hours all had an opportunity to OBJ
serve his appearance, manners and pc
culiarities. He talked about the cor
respondence and the subjects about
which they had been writing and I'M
dertook to explain the reason why his
letters had been so strangely posted at
different places. At that time Maud in
Dictated that she did not desire to carry
on the correspondence further, but he
continued to write to her and to other
members of the Holmes family until
shortly before the shooting. The letters
first suggested love, a desire for matr1-
mony, an effort to have Maud meet
him at different places, and to take a
trip to Ohio; there were some sensual
illusions; they suggested resentment
because she did not conform with his
wishes; jealousy of a young man with
whom she was keeping company; a
possible or impending tragedy in the
family, and references to the poisoning
of the Holmes dog; an attack on and
fright of Maud a short time before she
was shot, and other occurrences ABOUT
the Holmes home about which only a
participant would well have knowl-
edge. Ryno was recognized by Maud
and the other members of her family
as the George R. Clark VINO caileo at
the Holmes place and then acknowl-
edged the writing of.the lett'fs sent
prior to the visit. These. with other
circumstances, pointed to him as the
guilty one and a prosecution was IN
stituted against him. He was charged
with an assault upon Maud Holmes
with an intent to kill her