The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-24
WEB TIGHTENING.
Cunnimgham's Stories About
His Action Untrue.
Said That He Stopped at Farm
. House.
MIR. WILK ERSON TALKS
Says lie Won't Stop Till Bottom
Is Reached.
Now After the Missing Clothing
and YaIiSe.
ONLY A SINGLE FLAW.
Stories of Cunninghams Agree
After Leaving Topeka.
Actions OH That Night Only
Point Unexplained.


I'VE will not ease up on the suspic-
ious circumstances surrounding Nate
Ferrand. alias w. B. Cunningham, and
the murder of Mrs. Nickum and his
flight from Topeka the same night un-
til we see the bottom of it ALL said
John NJ. Wilkerson. who followed on the
trail of MI. and Mrs. Cunningham, and
the stolen automobile to Ohio and
caused their arrests at Lima and
Geneva.
When Cunningham reached Lima he
had a valise filed with clothing. lie
left the grip full of clothing at a bar
Der shop. where there was an agency
for a laundry. and took q check for it.
The clothing in the valise was sent to
a laundry Wilkerson secured the laufi-
dry check from Cunningham after the
arrest and the police at Lima at once
started on the trail of the valise. Wed
nesday the Lima. police telegraphed the
Topeka officers that the valise full of
Clothing had been secured and had been
sent to Topeka by express. On account
of the heavy holiday business of the ex-
press companies they are delayed in
their deliveries and the Cunningham
valise from Lima has not reached To-
peka.
VIII the officers find any traces of
blood stains on Cunningham's clothing
4n that valise?
As part of the clothing, at least, has
been laundried all traces of blood, if
there were any, might have been re-
moved, but the Lima officers have been
instructed by telegraph to fOll6W up The
valise from the barber shop to the
laundry and back and make diligent in
qulrles at the laundry to determine
whether the clothing, before being
1aundried, bore any blood stains.
Another valise, which Cunningham
had when he started on his automobile
flight from Topeka across the country,
was thrown away on the trip.
Valise.
Cunningham says he left Topeka at
eight O'Clock the night of Saturday,
November 10" said Wilkerson. The
murder occurred at about two o'clock
or before that. on the morning of No
vember 20. The Cunninghams reached
Yates Center at eight o'clock in the
morning of Sunday. the 20th That is
TOO long time for Cunningham to have
spent in his run from Topeka to Yates
Center. That was taking 12 hours for
the trip and automobilists tell US that
he could have made it in much less time
than that.
They Tell Different Stories.
The stories told by Mr.. Cunningham
and Mrs Cunningham as to their move
ments and what they did on NoVemb ber
20 and the days following until their ar
rests tally in almost every instance but
they fixed up a story to tell about what
they did and where they were on the
night of November 10 the night of the
Nlekum murder, and they have not told
the same stories.
Cunningham told us that they stop
PED at a farm house at 10 o'clock on the
night Of November 19 and stayed there
until O'Clock Sunday morning and then
left for Yates Center. Cunningham in
his story. said that when they drove 1p
10 the farm house in the automobile
that an old man with white whiskers
told them to run the machine around to
the h--ird and then he carried the
light ana took them up stairs to their
room, and that this old man was the
only person they saw at the farm house
Mrs. Cunningham told her version of
the stop at the farm house and said
that they saw two men and two Wo-
men at the farm house. They gave us
an idea as to where the farm house was
and how far from town and that they
positively stopped there at 10 O'Clock
Saturday night We investigated this
thoroughly and have found that the
house between Topeka and Yates Cen
ter for breakfast at o'clock.
Cunningham knows that we have all
the evidence necessary in the autOmo-
bile case 1t Will do him no good to
cover up anything in regard to that and
he has already said he doesn't want
any preliminary nearing DQT Is ready TO
take what is coming to him. Then why
does he mislead US about his where
abouts on the night he stole the automo-
biles
Cunningham knows that he is under
suspicion for the Nickum murder He
has told us the straight of it all fol-
lowing the night of the murder His
misleading stories about that night GER
tafnly look suspicious. We know posi-
lively that they did not stop at any
farm house from 10 o'clock till o'clock
How did he put in the IL hours between
s o'clock. when he was seen in Topeka
by two parties with the stolen automo-
bile the night of November 18th and
O'Clock the morning of the 20th when he
reached Yates Center? That is what
We want to know.
why should Cunningham be trying
to feign serious illness2 He may be stiff
and sore but he is not all broke up the
way he lets on.
Where Is the Missing Valise?
when Cunningham left Topeka with
the stolen automobile he had two grips
which we have not yet in our posses
sion. One OF these grips he threw away
We would like to find it. He says there
was nothing in the grip but some tools
and that he took them out and threw
the grip in a river. Mrs. Cunningham
said he had some clothes in the grip.
When we pressed Cunningham he told
us that he threw the grip away near Le-
banon. No. We have not found that