The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-11-28

Ebers OF the sheriff's force refuse to
| give any information concerning the
| evidence given them by SpGrr, but he
has told his story before and after his
conference with the officials. County
Attorney Hungate said today:
Il cannot tell you anything about
the case at present 1t may be hot
air, but if there is anything in it,
Lucas ought to be given chance.
The man may see a paper before
Lucas finds him, and in that case the
| capture would be frustrated"
Two members of the sheriff's office
who were known to be present when
Sparr was questioned, profess to be
| ignorant of any transaction of the
kind.
There is a doubt in the mind of the
| county attorney concerning the value
to make d thorough investigation be-
fore discrediting it entirely.
Gruber Isn't Wanted.
Sheriff Lucas, whose efforts to locate
the murderer of Mrs. Mary A.
| Nickum are being Shrouded in much
mystery, returned from Kansas City
| Sunday afternoon without the man for
whom he was seeking He was in
town only few hours, and then re-
| turned to Kansas City
Sheriff Lucas is following up a new
| clue, which promises to result in the
exposure of d sensational plot to rob
cause Mrs. Nickum made so much re-
sistance that the would-be robbers
were obliged to commit murder to
save themselves.
The report that Sheriff Lucas trip
to Kansas City was for the purpose of
placing under arrest Henry Gruber.
the old German who roomed for
week in the attic of the Nickum house,
| is emphatically denied by the officials.
County Attorney Hungate said this
morning: This story about Gruber
being implicated in the crime is merely
newspaper talk. don't think he had
anything to do with it We want to
locate Gruber, of course, just as we
want to locate all the people who
boarded at the Nickum- We want to
get his testimony, and know where we
can find him. But I don't believe he
can be connected with the crime.
THE statement that he said he
would kill Mrs. Nickum like he would
a dog, is not true. So far as we know
he never made such a statement. This
boy Jenkins that was brought up here
from Oskaloosa, who roomed with
Gruber, said that Gruber got mad one
night about the arrangement of his
room, and said he would get even
with Mrs. Nickum.' That is the only
thing which Gruber said, so far as we
know
"Gruber was inclined to bluster and
bluff a good deal in his talk. but it is
not at all likely that he would be led
into anything like this Nickum affair.
One thing is certain: Sheriff Lucas
did not go to Kansas City to hunt for
Gruber; he is after another man.
went away from the Nickum house on
November IL. The murder was COM
mitted November 19. Gruber is sup
posed to have been out of town ever
since the time he stopped boarding at
the Nickum.
Those who are acquainted with Mr..
Gruber say that he is not the kind of
man who would be likely to commit
murder.f They say he inclined to be
smouthy,'' especially when under the
influence of liquor, but they do not
think he is the desperate kind of a man
who would resort to murder.
Sheriff Lucas did not bring Gruber
back with him from Kansas City Sun
day, and it is not known whether he
even saw the man. Gruber is supposed
to be in Kansas City
Wife Says He Is Innocent.
Mrs. Henry Gruber, wife of the man
whose implication in the Nickum muir
der has been charged, denies en-
phaticaIly the possibility that her hus-
band is mixed up in the affair.
MY husband had no more to do
with that murder than an innocent
babe" said Mrs. Gruber this morning I
to a State Journal reporter. He |
went to Kansas City the day after the |
election-that was Wednesday, He !
was there when the murder was COM |
mitted- 1 sent the papers containing |
the account of it to my daughter who |
lives in Argentine, and told her to
show it to her papa, and she wrote /
me that he read it. He was a soft |
hearted man, ana uSeQ TO cry easily. |
why did Mr.. Gruber leave home |
and go to board with Mrs. Nickum %
was asked.
He was ashamed to come back
here said Mrs. Gruber. He came |
here part drunk one day, and abused |
me, called me all kinds of names, and |
l went up to Cunningham grocery !
and asked Cunningham to call the |
police. He did so, and about fifteen |
minutes later. the 'hoodIum' came and /
took him away. My husband was
sentenced to serve 80 days in Jail |
Since then he has not been back to |
this house, but he will come back i
some time. He never whipped me in
his life, but he calls me names often.
He has always been a good provider,
and 1 have no desire to get a divorce
from him.
Il heard that he was staying at the
Nickum and went there to see. Mrs.
NiclIum said yes, he was there. 1 told /
her that his home was open to him,
and to tell him to come home. Mrs
Nickum told me that he was occupy
ing an attic room. That was the day
after he went there SO know it is
false that he got mad at Mrs. Nickum
because she moved him from one of
the other rooms to the attic. He had
been in the attic all the time he was
there.
"He must have decided to go to
Kansas City very suddenly. because he
left without taking any of his clothes.
He telephoned back to my daughter
~ AeNNe Us SAOtLASS sent " nm, anu
we packed grip full of his things
and sent them. I saw Mrs. Nickum
about him once again before he went
to Kansas City. She said she had told
him he had better come back home,
but he had refused. He does not
make any trouble she said to me-
He comes in and goes right up stairs
to his ROOM
MY husband is 60 years old, and
has lived right here in Topeka for 80
years He is as innocent of this
charge as the sun ITSELF
Sheriff Lucas, according to his
deputies. knows exactly where to put
his hands on Gruber if he wants him,
Far7f n