The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-11-07
A. ". Coleman Victim Of 81
Unknown Nan.
in His Room at the EeIIs
Hotel.
THROUGH A WINDOW.
Tried to Resist When
Shot.
Nan Leaves q Rear Door and
Escapes.

A few moments before II o'clock last
night A. W. Coleman, a guest Of the
Eells hotel was SHOT by a burglar who
entered his room from h roof of an
adjoining building through a window
and there are small hopes entertained
for his recovery. Mr.. Coleman has been
a resident of Shawnee county for 20
years though most of the time has been
spent travelling for insurance companies
throughout the state.
Mr.. Coleman went to his room early
last night which was contrary to his
custom. He retired last night about 9
o'clock and was awakened two hours
later by the noise made when the in
truder had raised a window open
ing on to the roof of the Lake drug
store on the south.
Mr.. Coleman sat on the edge of the
bed and between gasps told the story
OF the shooting. He said; 7 had been
asleep for some time When I was awak-
eTied by the noise made by some one in
my room. I sat up in bed and saw the
figure of a man and I told him to get
out. He said, Don't you move or / will
shoot I spranR from nv bed and was
stooping to grab a chair when he fired
and the ball struck me in the shoulder
and 1 guess that I am done for this
time sure.
1T was dark in the room excepting
- N--( so w III ACAA10 III 0GEA
the window from the street lamps and
[, could not see plainly, but the figure
seemed to be that of a tall rather slen-
der maj with a mustache n / think
that he had on a black soft hat pulled
we'll down over his eyes. AS soon as he
shot I fell back on the bed and be
made his escape from the window.
i haven't an enemy in the world Il a
l know OF and / can't imagine why n
one should enter my room to Kill me
unless he came in for the purpose of
robbery. 1 have been drinking tome
Of late but was not drunk. Just a week
ago tonight l buried one of my sons and
a Few weeks before he died / buried
my wife whose death followed that Of
another son, making three of my imme-
date family who have died within the
last u months.
i have a son who lives in Colorado
and he IS the only one who is left, for
this wound is killing me-"
Your are all right" said Sergeant
Gardner. who has known Mr.. Coleman
for 25 years, and your wound is oniy
a slight one"
No said Mr.. Coleman. Il am sho.
through the lung and 1 am going to
die. the fourth one Of my family to go
in less than a year..
Then the mind Of the wounded man
began to wander and he laid back on
the bed n erTHuttered ihcoherent1y.
Mr.. Eells, the proprietor of the hotel,
who was sleeping in an adjoining
AOOAAAs 44Cai0 l44C III vi EDAdlk 1IOLil
his bed and found the wounded man in
the hall with blood squirting from a
small hole in his right shoulder. The
I ball., Which was a small one. entered
just below the collar bone and ranged
downward and was buried Just under
the skin near the center of back
and six inches below the point Of en-
trance.
Doctors Keith. Hamell and Brod-
erick were called and temporarily
I-n=-%1 EIA 49, g. ~
Coleman was taken to the Keith hos
pital and about midnight the wound
was probed n the ball located and
extracted. The wounded man rallied
slightly and regaincd consciousness
though this morning he is barely alive
and is being kept up by the admins
tration OF strong stimulants and there
is hardly a chance for his recovery as
he is bleeding internally and is weak.
Mr.. Eells said: When I was awak-
ened by the shot I rushed into the hall
and found Mr.. Coleman in his under
clothes and blood gushing from a
wound in his right breast. 1 helped
him to his room and called the doctors
and that is about all that / know of
the affair, though I believe that tbs
man h shot him rushed into the hall
ana made his escape by the back stairs
as L heard the door slam just as 1 came
into the hall.
mr.. Coleman has beer at the hotel
for several days and has been drinking
heavily and retiring late at night. He
has always appeared to have plenty OF
money and it may be that he flashed ii
about some of the drinking places
which he freQuented and that this
prompted the attempted robbery. fol
that is what it appears to have been
The police were on the scene i'm
mediately after the shooting and
made a search of the room. which is
a small one, but there was nothing te
indicate a clue Of any kind. and no re-
xolver was found. It is said that tbs