The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-03-28

don except that in those cases the vic
Tins were killed by having their threats
cut and that they all belonged to the
lower class.
It is a pretty safe assertion that when
the assailant Of Mrs Jobes is arrested
the murder of Mrs. Mary A. Nicl1um OF
Topeka viii also have been found.
The Nickum murder case. an exact
counterpart of the Ottawa horror,
startled Topeka last November. The
crime was 50 fendish and had been so
cunningly carried out that the author1a
ties became convinced that it was the
work of a murderOus lunatic.
Mrs. Mary A. Nickhm, aged 68 years,
kept the Nickum hotel at 500 East Fifth
street. She employed two girls. but
made it a point to sit up at night un-
til the late trains came in. About 2
o'clock on the morning of Nozenber 20,
Stella Brown, one of the dOmestics, was
awakened by hearing groanS. Upon in
Vestigaticn she found Mrs. Nickum ly-
ing in a small pantry near the dining
room. She was groaning, and her head
lay in d large pool of blood The girl
spoke to her and she said. Raise me
up Miss Brown assisted her to Sit
ting posture, and then she said, Man
hit me with axe and relapsed into un-
consciousness
The little room where Mrs Nickum' s
body was found was splashed with
blood. and the floor was covered with
it. The injured woman was at once ta-
ken to Christ hospital, where surgeons
attempted to trephine her skull she
had been beaten over the head with an
old axe and her skull crushed in two
places. 1t was not until after Mrs
Nickuu died at 7:45 o'clock on the ev-
ening of the same day, that the hospital
authorities discovered the horrible and
revolving mutilation of her body, which
was exactly the same as described IN
the Ottawa story
When officers examined the Nickum
house after the murder, they found an
old axe, which had been taken from the
coal house in the rear of the building,
lyine near the spot where the murder
ed woman had been found. Later, they
found a-sman pairing knife covered with
blood, which the murderer had evident
" used in completing his unspeakaole
crime
the murderer was left behind The
house bore no evidence of burglary, ana
a LARGE sum of money was found IN q
dresser where it had been hidden Dy
Mrs Njclxllrn On November 2S, E. +.
ploye told a story which implicated an
other shop man, Edgar NJ Patterson.
He told Frank Keith, druggist that
Patterson had confessed to the murder,
and that the purpose was robbery:
Keith took the man before the sherlfI
and county attorney, and he repeated
his story On his testimony Patterson
was arrested on December :, anu
charged with murder in the first degree.
Patterson was given preliminary
hearing in city court on December L
and discharged, after proving an abso--
Lutte alibi. The officers were convinced
that SpaIr who was known to be a
dissoIute character. had told the story IN
the hopes of securing the large reward
which had been offered for the murder
er Jy the state and county
The discharge of Patterson left the
authorities in the dark worse than ever
Sheriff Lucas followed every shghl
clue and rounded UP number OF sus-
pects. all of whom We're released upon
Harestiea ton
capture OF the fiend. the Nickum case IS
more Of a mystery than it was an hour
after il Vas Committed.