The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-07-01
STICKS TO STORY
John Wagner, Hackman, in
Custody of Sheriff.
Again Questioned About the
Van Horn Murder.
HE rs SOON RELEASED
Offers Nothing That Would
Clear Up Mystery.
Wichita Man Inquiries About
His Missing Son.
HE is SOON RELEASED

John Wagner, Ine hdChhAe1A'
taken into custody again this morning
by j. M. Wilkerson, the sherlI' anu
questioned at length concerning MS
being with. William Morkinson, the
fruit peddler and WiIDurn Van Horn'
the hackman, on Wednesday morning
lime 10. the day when Morkinson
murdered body was found in the
bushes on the Kaw river bank just the
other side of the three bridges van
Horn is a prisoner in the county jail
under the specific charge that he muir
dered Morkinson.
Wagner has admitted all along that
he rode over to North Topeka In the
hack with Van Horn and MorKlnsoh
on the morning of the murder, but ne
has insisted that he got out OF the
hack on North Quincy street near the
barn used by "Peg Leg" kotch' the
hackman for whom Wagner was WORK
ing He has declared that the last ne
saw of Van Horn and Mork1nsoh Oh
that occasion was when they oroNe Oh
north on Quincy street ,.es
| Information was secured by SherliI
| wilkerson from three rural route mdli
carriers named Brown, Reedy anu
| Maze. to the effect that on the Weo,
nesday morning of the murder ana
shortly after 8 o'clock they saw van
Horn and Wagner in the alley west OF
North Kansas avenue and peuwSSn
| Gordon and Fairchilds streets. me
employer, is in this alley between these
ON securing this information Sheriff
WiIkerson had Wagner taken up LIE
morning and he questioned MIN at
length about his whereabouts on tne
morning of the murder. Wagner STUCK
70 his original story about being Win
Van Horn and Morklnson On is;stn6
that he and Van Horn were not IN the
alley later in the morning according 10
the stories told the sheriff by the rural
mail carriers He said that irish
| Van Horn had been down in the alley
near "Peg Legs barn on the Sunday
morning previous, but that he was not
there on Wednesday morning. me
mail carriers on the other hand, are
nositive that they saw the men togeth-
: er in this alley on wednesday morning
: at a time which is after the hour wn t
the murder likely occurred. Iney
could hardly be mistaken as to the
: date and would not have been likely TO
: get Wednesday confused with Sunday
: as the time when they saw the men
! talking together IN the alley Tor the
: very good reason that they DO not go
ont on the routes on Sunday.
But no amount of questioning could
eet wagner to change his story and
the sheriff permitted him to go MS
a The opinion of the sheriff and the
: other county authorities that there was
+ more than one person connected WIN
: the murder of Morkinson VIII not uoM W. :
O and thew are using their best energies
| to run to earth the persons whom they
| believe to have been Van Horns &C
completes. They have some good cue.
on which they are working and expec
to get some good and definite results
May Be wichita Man.
e As the days pass by there seems u
e be little likelihood that the myster!
= surrounding the murder of the maj
E whose body was found on the Onlol
d Pacific tracks on MONDAY morning
It last week and within hundred YARD
s. of where Morkinson's body was foun
h four days before, will ever be solved.
ID The coroner's jury which was empan
ir neled in the case met at tne court noG ;s,
n. today for the purpose of holding an IN
s. ouest but the county authorities ma
r, no evidence on hand to lay perore IN
n Jury touching on a solution OF IN
murder or the identity of the victim
Mt the Inquest was adjourned for tw
tn weeks until July Is and perhaps by tina
v. time something will have develope
lg which will throw some nSnl oh III
m 4 letter was received today by She
iff Wilkerson from B. w. Holhday,
Sc Wichita, asking for some inIo1Ina AZ AZ
by about this second murder. Mr.. Hollida
nd states that his son, b. M. Holnoay,
We years old, has been missing Tor tnre
o. weeks. A description of his son tam
es in several particulars with that OF u
It 11nknogn dead man. The description
the missing Holiday boy is black hal
curly on top and straight in the pacl
of slight build, small stature anu
or Ieaoootbed shaved face, with a scar {
n the right leg above the knee and SCI
IS, under the right eye.
u The body of the muroereu man ~ -:
or haa11 buried since Saturday and viii
to it's general description is something III
that of Mr. Holidays son, still the or
GERS are not inclined to think tnat II
because they are sure that there w
av no scar on the murdered mans rig
of leg nor under his right eye.