The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-12-01
|SPARR LOCKED UP
Informer in Nickum Murder
Case Under Suspicion.
His Revelations Put Him in a
Bad Light.
'SWEARS TO HIS STORY.
Practically the Same as Printed
in State Journal.
E. Monroe Patterson Is Also
Placed I'm Jail.
Says That He Is Innocent of the
Charges.

L. monroe PATTERSON, the man SuS-
pected of the Nickum murder, and E.
E. Sparr, the man whose story resulted
| in Patterson's arrest, are both confined
| in the Shawnee county Jail, and there
is some doubt in the minds of the Off
GERS as to which prisoner deserves the
most attention. Sparr, according to his
story, knows entirely too much to be
running at large. The other man, Pat
| terson, claims that Sparr suggested the
| only criminal idea ever discussed by
them, and the officers are inclined to
| think that they are both implicated in
the crime.
Monroe Patterson was formally ar
rested in the county Jail this afternoon,
and will be held on the charge of muir
der. The disposition of Sparr, the star
witness, has not been decided upon, but
he will doubtless spend some more of
his spare time in jail.
Patterson was brought back to Tope-
ka last night by Sheriff Lucas and
County Attorney Hungate on the $50
Union Pacific train. He was handcuffed,
and E. E. Sparr, who was taken to
Kansas City by Sheriff Lucas to identi-
fy Patterson, was also closely guarded.
Patterson had been "sweated'' for ten
hours at the central police station in
Kansas City, by Sheriff Lucas, County
Attorney Hungate and Chief Hayes. He
made no confession, and did not betray
himself to the officers in any way. He
simply maintained his innocence of the
crime, and said that Sparr was a falSi-
fer, pure and simple
Sparr, who was kept at the central
station while the officers were looking
for Patterson, was brought out, and re-
peated his story in the presence of Pat
terson. Patterson cursed him, told him
to his face that he was lying, and then
retired into silence.
Sf0rV
in the presence of Patterson, County
Attorney Hungate called in notary
and warning Sparr that he must tell it
straight swore him, and then took
down his statement verbatim His story
is almost exactly like the story he told
last Saturday night, which was printed
in the State Journal Monday.
The principal features of his story
before the officers and county attorney
were as follows:
Patterson said to me, Let's go and
"prowl'' some of these hotels L
made no answer at once, but after a
minute I said: We won't get any
thing if we do He then said, That
woman over there has got some
Nickum house. He said: It's easy got.
and We'll go over there and cop it I
said, 'Supposing we get ketched up
He said, No danger of getting caught,
If we do, we won't let anything stand
between US, even if it comes to muir
der. If we do get caught We'll cut
her up and make it appear that she
was outraged, and lay it on some
niger L told him, No, not for me.
Of course what you do is none of my
business
HE said, Well, if you won't go, I
will get Connors.' He told me L was
not game"
Continuing with his statement Sparr
said that he met Patterson Sunday
morning, and they began talking
about getting a drink. He tapped on
d, 1&,lx
you get?" And Paterson replied:
1--WE didn't get anything. That old
woman over there was murdered last
night. You keep your-Mouth Shut
Patterson Makes Denial.
In his sworn statement Sparr said
that the first conversation, in which
Patterson invited him to assist in rob-
bing the hotels. took place Saturday
night at o'clock, four or five hours
before the murder, and that at the
time they were standing near the
northeast corner of the Pleasant Home
hotel.
When confronted by this story Pat
terson did not vince, but repeatedly
called Sparr a liar.
Paterson is confined in one of the
north cells on the second floor of the
county Jail A State Journal reporter
and two deputy sheriffs talked to him
this morning, as he was changing his
clothes for the garments brought from
Eudora by Under Sheriff Belts yester-
day. Before giving him the clothes,
which were the ones worn by him
when he left Topeka last Thursday,
the officers examined them closely with
a microscope, but failed to find any
blood stains.
Patterson was putting on the red
flannel shirt when the officers ap-
preached and spoke to him.
''Say, is Sparr a partner of yours
asked a deputy.
What, that -- - liar. said
Patterson. He is no partner of mine, |
but he is a - liar. He said I was
mixed up in that murder, and 1 amt !
He must be crazy. He tries to lay
things onto me that he said himself. |
He wanted me to help him cop out a /
couple of valises from the Santa Fe |
depot. and 1 told him 1 would go
ragged before 1 would get my clothes /
about robbing a hotel or something of
that sort. and I didn't do no such i
thing. He is a liar
Patterson is small, thin man, |
weighs about 125 and is about feet |
z inches in height. He looks like a |
farmer.
Sparr, who was confined in the hos
pital room, on the third floor. had
nothing to say, except to answer ques-
height. He is 80 years old, and
weighs about ITO. OF the two. he has
more the appearance of criminal.
When Sheriff Lucas arrived last /
night, Matt Connors, the other man who
was implicated by Sparr's story, and |
locked up when he surrendered to the /
deputy sheriff yesterday, was in the
hospital cell when Sparr and Patter-j
son were brought in. SDarr was taken