The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-04
Question Regarding Mysterious
Death Of Edwards
Found Dead in Home Of His
BrOther-in-LaW, UnsOlYed.
KILLER is A KANSAN.
He Has Resided for Many Years
at Salina.
His Home and His Wife Are
Still in That City.
KILLER is A KANSAN.

New Haven, Conn, Jan. Am su-
topsy which viii be held upon the body
Of Charles A. Edwards, the New York
business man who WAS fatally shot in
a mysterious manner. while the guest OF
MS brother-in-iaw, Charles A Hitler of
College street. early yesterday. is exc
pected to determine whether the shoot
ing was suicide or murder. Ia the
case the latter is indicated the 1oIice
will proceed to run down some clews
which they possess, but which do not at
present offer much promise ofsa result.
When DR.. Benjamin Cheny was called
in TO see the dying man yesterday he
did not discover the bullet wound until
he turned Edwards over. He ran q
probe into the wound and located the
bullet III the lower section of the BRAIN
The bullet has not yet been removed.
After the autopsy Coroner Mix is ex-
pected to reopen the inquest which was
held for many hours last night by his
deputy. Phillip Pond. over night no
clews were brought to light by the ds-
tectives, who continued carefully TO ex-
anime the Hitler homestead. A servant
girl in neighboring house had told OF
hearing three pistol shots during Tues
day night and scrutiny was made or
the walls and ceilings of several rooms
to see if any stray bullet could be lo-
Gated. That the bullet was fired at close
range is indicated by the statement OF
DR.. B. h. Cheny who was summoned
to attend the injured man, that the lobe
of the ear was black with powder stains
around the wound. DR.. Cheny found no
stains on Mr.. Evans finger.
It seems to be generally known that
there were disagreements between MRS.
I Edwards, wife of the dead man and her
! brothers, Charles A. and Maxcy Hitler,
/ over the settlement of the estate OF their
mother Mrs. Abigail Hitler, VINO died
/ six weeks ago. Mr.. Edwards recently
/ consulted counsel preliminary to what
was expected to be contest III the
! courts over the division Of the estate
which is said to be worth 100000
4 Under supervision of the police
/ plumbers were set at Work To-Day ~
the Hitler house tearing up the traps
and plumbing and to lay bare ZOE
/ scrutiny most of the drainage pipes
No explanation was given Tor tnls
4 move.
1t was reported that the inquest
/ evidence showed that certain docu-
ments which Mr.. Edwards was sup
posed to have with him were missing
| but Coroner Mix is quoted as saying
| that nothing has been missed so far as
! determined up to the present. There
has been no evidence presented as yet
to give strength to report that there
was an argument and quarrel at the
Hitler homestead Tuesday night
Charles A. Hitler, of Salina. has been
in years gone by one of the best known
attorneys of central. Kansas Lot so
much because of his ability as law
yer as because of his attainme nts in
other lines. He will doubtless rank
among the highest educated men in
Kansas-for he is still a citizen Of this
state. He is graduate of Yale and
his scholastic attainments made him a
source of wide information In fact ne
gave so much time to study that it in
terfered with his law practice and he
was outstripped as lawyer by men on
far less mental equipment. One OF mis-
fads was astronomy, and adjoining mis-
home in Salina he has private OBJ
servatory equipped with telescope OF
considerable value.
Mr.. Hitler came to Kansas in the
early days and has always lived in Sa-
lima AS nan he stands well n the
community and it viii be difficult for
his friends in Kansas to believe he is
in any way implicated in the death OF
Mr. Edwards. He is Mason Of high
degree, and personally an inoffenslYe
man, somewhat understood physically,
with a students temperament.
Two years ago Mr.. Hitler was called
to New Haven, Conn.,, by the serious
illness of his aged mother, and he re-
mained with her until her death several
The Statement in the dispatches that
Mr. Hitler is unmarried is erroneous
His wife is considered an exceedingly
estimable woman in Salina. She IS an
accomplished musician--considered in
fact the best contralto singer in that
nart of the state Mrs. Hitler has Wis
tied in Topeka at the home of Mr. and
Mrs. n. H. LOOMS and has sung IN the
First PRESBYTERIAN church here. During
Mr. Killers absence in the east she has
remained at the family nome IN ga
lima with her son, Ralph, who is phar-
DaciSt there.