The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-25
Frank Buckmeister, Held as a
Suspect, Is Released.
MAN is IDENTIFIED.
His Name Was VIM. ZOOk, an
Omaha Printer.
Two Tramps Who Tell Conflict
ing Stories in Jail.

Identification of the murdered man,
whose body was found yesterday
morning on the Union Pacific tracks
Just the other side of the Three
Bridges, has been made. His name is
William Zook. He was between 21
and % years old and his parents
home is in Omaha.
Although hard work has been done
by J. NJ. Wilkerson, the sheriff, and
]. ]. Schenck. the county attorney,
and the members of the local police
force, there is not much more light
on the murder today than there was
"a hours ago. but with the identifca-
ton of the murdered man in hand the
sheriff and his forces and the police as
well are sanguine that this second
&murder within weeks time VIII De
Solved and the guilty brought to jus
tice.
Two tramps, giving their names as
Frank Carney and Henry O'Neill. were
picked up this morning by JOSIAH
Ross, the police sergeant. They have
told different stories as to their ar
rival here in town and Will be held
tions since they have been in town can
be investigated.
Frank Buckmeister. a barber by
trade. was taken into custody by the
sheriff last night under the impression
that heknew something about the muir
der but an investigation of his actions
during the last couple of days satisned
the sheriff that he was in no way con-
nected with the case and the sheriff
permitted him to leave Jail this noon
after having had him incarcerated for
the night
identification of the Body.
Robert Meyers. an employe of the
Mail and Breeze Printing company
made the Identification of the murder
ed man as being William Zook- And
this Identification was confirmed In a
way by H j. Littlejohn, who works
at the Midland hotel. After seeing the
description of the murdered man IN
last evenings newspaper, Mr.; MEYERS
Immediately thought that 1t might pos
sfbly be Zook. whom he had seen Tor
the first time in a long while on sun
day afternoon. He went to Shellapar-
gers undertaking rooms ana MADE
thorough examination OF the oody ana ana
of as much of the features as were left
and satisfied his own mind that II was
Zook. He was particularly certain
that the clothing was the same that
Zook wore on Sunday afternoon eXcept
that on that occasion Zook did not
have on his coat. The size of the man.
his raven black and wavy hair, his un-
usually small chin as well as some thne
other details impressed Mr.. Meyers that
Zook was the murder victim
Mr.. Meyers met Zook in Omaha
couple of years ago. They were Doth
employed in the Great Western type
foundry Zook was then little over
10 years old. He was the only son OF
NJ L. ZoOk, who was at that tlrne
solicitor fer the Rees Printing company |
of Denver Mr.. Meyers says that Zooks
family were erainently respectable peo- |
ple in well-to-dO circumstances put /
that the young man was inclined to De /
a trihe wild and was also of very |
beIlfgerent disposition and prone TO
pick a fight on the slightest proVoca-
ton.
Mr.. Meyers and Mr.. Littlejohn were
out walking on Sunday afternoon ana
as they passed up East Fourth street
near Kansas avenue. one of three or
four men who were sitting on the
projected foundation of the building on
the southeast corner, stepped up TO MIN
and slapped him on the back ana salu'
Hello. Pal" Mr.. Meyers said ne rec
ognized him Immediately as Zook anc
was surprised to see him looking SO
much like a tramp. Zook told him that
he had not been in Omaha since Aprll
and that he ard two or three pals
had just come on from Denver. -
Zook stated further that they were
on their way to Kansas City and that
they intended to start that night MT
Mevers told him that if he was IN
town the next day he would like to |
have him call where he was working.
1t was Mr.. Meyers intention to give
him a lift to get on his feet II ne SO
desired. But he saw nothing OF MIN
until he viewed his mangled body yes
terdav afternoon Mr.. Littlejohn, who
was with Mr. Meyers on sunday after
noon. around to Shellaoarser
undertaking rooms and expressed pos
itiveness that the murdered man was
the same one with whom Mr.. Meyers
had talked on Sunday afternoon. He
based his identification chiefly on the
clothing worn by the victim.
Buclzmeister's Arrest.
While the sheriffs forces and the
police were working on the case yes
terdav afternoon, word came to them
from Buckmeister's wife. who was
known around town as May Bergonier
before her marriage to Buckmeister
on May 1 4 that her husband could tell
something about the murder 1t did ,
not take Sheriff Wilkerson long to get
q hold of Buckmeister and place him
in the county jail. Buckmeister was
emphatic in his assertions as to his in
nocence and declared that he knew
n bsOIutely nothing about the murder
and had never seen a man who looked
like the murdered man. All kinds of
sweating failed to get any admis-
sions of any sort from Buckmeister
but the sheriff thought it would be a
good policy to keep him in custody
while the case was being investigated |
The woman was questioned again this
morning by the sheriff as to her story
of last night that her husband knew
declared that the person she had talk
ed with. about the general murder
business which has been engaged in
within the vicinity of the city for the
rast few days had misunderstood her. |
She insisted that what she had said to
this party who had informed the po-
lice was that her husband was familiar ;
with the talk that was going on in the
neighbOrhood about the MarkinsOn
murder for which Wilburn Van Horn, (
the hackman, is now in Jail. On this