The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-17
Work OF Unraveling Mystery
of "Three Bridges.
FINDING OF THE BODY
Gaping Wound i'm Head Made by
Two Shots.
Victim Probably Unconscious at
the Time.

|
the district court in the trial of Wilbur
" Van Horn on charge of murder in
the first degree for his alleged killing
of William Morkinson, whose dead
body was found on June 10 on the
bank of the Kaw quite a distance to
the northeast of the Three Bridges ,''
which are a mile and a half to the
north of North Topeka.
| But even in this preliminary testi-
mony which was in the nature of
! establishing the finding of the dead
| body, the results of the autopsy show
| ing the causing of death, and it's
Identification which are necessary de-
tails to be proved by the state in each
and every murder trial, it was quite
evident that Van Horn scored a point
or two which will be in his favor in the
| final determination of the case.
A jury was not secured to try the
case until this morning and the person.
mel of the jury which holds the fate OF
Van Horn in its hands is as follows:
E. w. Hughes. r: H. Eddy, L. 2.
Reed, J. c. Marsh, S. r. Tuttle, S. O..
Sheldon, E. Ridings, Wesley Forte,
Arthur Kientz and w. A. Carriger. 1t
| took the regular panel of the jurors
working in the court for the September
twenty which were drawn yesterday in
order to complete the jury, and as soon
as the last peremptory challenge of the
defense had been used this morning
the trial was proceeded with.
H. A. Dusenberry, who was on the
police force at the time the body of
Morkinson was found, was the first
witness called He received the first
word of the finding Of Morkinson's body
by theUnion Pacific laborers and told
of his trip there with Coroner Keith and
other officials on a handcar. He de-
scribed the position in which the body
SfT Cfr o. wi
hands at the side and the legs extend
ed and crossed, and with a revolver
laying across the breast near the neck.
The head, he said, was resting on a
removed a loaded 38 caiber bullet roll
ed. He was not very familiar
with the nature of the wound
which was found in Morkinson's head
He said the body was taken from the
place where it was found to Conwell's s
undertaking rooms in wagon which
was driven to the scene.
On eross-examination by Mr.. Lynch.
of counsel for Van Horn, Dusenberry
declared that he had found a lot of
shoe tracks about the spot where Mork
inson'S body was discovered and that
the most prominent of these were tracks
pick shape. These were the most
plainly visible.
DIR. Keith Testifies.
DR.. Keith was thh next witness call
ed. He told about the same story of
the finding of the body as had been
told by Dusenberry and then describ-
ed the wounds found in Morkinson's
head and which resulted in his death.
DIR. Keith testified that the autopsy re-
vealed a gaping wound in the right
temple in which had evidently been
fired two bullets. One of these went
straight through the brain to the 9TH
er side of the skull The other went
in the same opening and DETECTED down
into the left side of the nasal cavity.
Then there was a wound to the rear
of the right side of the head which had
evidently been made by a blunt instru-
ment which fractured the skull at that
were no decided blood clots in the brain
or skull where these bullets went
through and DR.. eKith expressed the
opinion that for this reason Morkin-
son had been knocked senseless by the
blow which fractured his skull before
the bullets were fired into his head. Bpt
he placed as the immediate cause of
death the bullet wound that had gone
through the skull.
This bullet was produced by DIR. Keith
and he expressed the opinion that 1t
was of a 3S-caliber. He was unable to
produce the other bullet which he tes-
titled had been taken from Morkinson's
skull He said 1T had disappeared from
his possession and had no idea where it
was He admitted that this second bull
let weighed several grains less than the
SS-caliber one which he produced.
DR.. Keith next produced the revolver
which was found on MorkinSon's breast
and in such a peculiar position that 1t
practically precluded a suicide.
''Is that thing loaded?' asked Judge
Dana as DR.. Keith and J. ]. Schenck,
the county attorney, proceeded to break
the thing open and were not over par
ticular as to which way it pointed.
NO" replied DR.. Keith, and with a
sort of sigh of relief Judge Dana said,
well proceed
1t was told by DR.. Keith that he had
cleaned up and oiled the revolver since
the preliminary examination of Van
Horn in the case. He told of finding
but one empty shell in the revolver
when it was taken from Morkinson's
breast and that there was no indication
that the weapon had been fired more
than once.
In reply to questions from Mr..
Schenck, DR.. Keith said that he was
present at the Jail with other officials
on the day that Van Horn was ar
rested and during a series of Ques-
tionings by himself and tie others, Van
Horn had declared at first that he had
never owned a gun and did not have
one on the fatal morning when he and
the Rabbit, Morkinson's familiar
name had driven over to North To-
peka on the hack.
AFTER Van Horn had made these
statements" said DR.. Keith, IT told
him that I had information that he
had gone to second hand store and
redeemed this very revolver which he
had in pawn. Then he gave way and
confessed that it was his gun and he
had taken it out of pawn because
Morkinson wanted to borrow it.
Dr. Keith Is Cross Examined.
During the course of the cross ex-