Free press., 1907-07-06
It HaPPened X a n S A S


ton, receiving Injuries from which he
died three hours later.
Signal Device Nets Him 100000
Judd Shoecraft. of Eslkridge, has sold
a signal patent to the Santa Fe Rail
road Company for 100000 This is
not the first patent that Mr.. Shoe
craft has secured and sold. He was
partly responsible for the patent of
the signal bars which are used by
| most railroads at the different cross
| ings in towns.
$6,ooo,ooo Mortgage. = BY far the
largest mortgage ever filed in Shaw
nee county was filed with Register of
Deeds S. ]. Hodgins recently. The
amount was $6.0OO.O0O. and the mort
gage covers all of the right-of-way.
| track. telegraph lines. rolling stock
and all other property of the Topeka
| Southwestern railroad. The mort
gage secures gold bonds bearing in
terest at G per cent.
Took All But the House. = Gov.
Hoch has issued requisition on the
governor of Indiana for Harry Ward,
who is wanted in Arkansas City for
grand larceny. Ward is now at Vigo,
Ind. and is under arrest. He is
charged with stealing from Warren
B. Robertson a trunk, eight rugs,
eleven lace curtains, two bed
spreads. a lot of table linen. portiers
and a clock The total value of the
articles taken is about $1OO.
Largest in the State. = When the
work being carried on by the Mis-
souri, and Kansas Telephone Com
pany is completed, Wichita will have
the largest underground telephone
system in the state. The conduits
will extend under the entire business
district to cover the future expansion
district and far enough into the resi-
dence district to cover the future ex-
pension of the business district for
some years to come.
Cut Their Threats. = Mrs. Peter
Johnson, of Formoso. attempted to
take the lives of her two children, a
girl of 10 years and a boy of 5, by
cutting their throats while they were
in their beds. She then ran up
stairs and cut her own throat She
used piece of broken earthenware.
The children will recover, but the
mothers life is in doubt. She is the
widow of Peter Johnson, who took
his life by drinking carbolic acid
June Is.
Boy browns While Bathing. = Ed
gar Beckwith. aged II years, an in
mate of the Soldiers Orphans Home,
at Atchison, was drowned in Deer
creek while in bathing. The teach
ers had taken the children to the
woods for an outing and in spite of
orders to the contrary the Beckwith
boy and two others slipped off to the.
creek and went in swimming Ira
Rushenord, another boy, came near
being drowned in attempting to res
cue his companion.
Board Elects Officers. = The State
Board of Control held it's biennial
election of officers at Topeka and re-
elected all of it's old officers. E. B.
Schermerhorn will continue as chair
man, S. c. Elliott as treasurer and H
G. Bowman as attorney. The board
also let contracts for desks and
chairs for the addition to the Girls
Industrial School at Beloit. The Hall
Stationery Company. of Topeka, was
the lowest bidder on desks and Sc
cured the contract for $1,000 worth.
There were five bidders. The Hall
Company also secured the contract
for $243.40 worth of gymnasium sup
plies for the Beloit school.
Third to Die Violent Death.-While
mentally deranged from brooding
over his recent arrest on the charge
of cruelty to animals, John Harkins,
of Topeka. aged 19 years, committed
suicide. Harkins filed a teacup with
carboiic acid and drank all but
few drops. He is the third Of the
family to die violent death within
the last two years. Some time ago
a brother was drowned and about
two years ago another brother, a
brakeman, was killed in an acci-
dent.
First Degree Murder. = Ex-City
Marshal Charles Garner, of Galena.
recently arrested for alleged COM
plicity in the robbery and murde> of
L. c. Frick, a secondhand deal.i'.
has been bound over to the district
court in the sum of $4,000 on a
charge of murder in the first degree.
N C. Malone. another secondhand
dealer. turned states evidence and
accused Garner, r. Z. Booth and Ed
Jones, of committing the crime.
zones died in the county jail of blood
poisoning shortly after the hour set
for lis preliminary
Peabody Youth Drowns.-Roy Non
ken, a young man nineteen years OF
age, of Peabody. Kan. was drowned
in Cedar creek, near Wonsevu.
Killed by Train at Florence.-Pat-
rick Coyne, a retired farmer living at
Florence, was struck by the Santa Fe
California Limited and instantly xiii
ed.
4S Steers Killed by Lightning. =
NJ. w. Scott. stockman living two
miles west of Grandan, had forty
three head of 3-year-old steers killed