The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-06-20
MURDER IS
Body Found in Weeds That of
VIM. MOrkinsOn.
Man Was Brutally Killed With
out a Doubt.
ONE ARREST is MADE.
w. V. Van Horn, Hack Driver,
in Custody.
Admits He Saw the Man Early
in Morning.
Skull Had Been Fractured Be-
fore Victim Was Shot.

William Morkinson is the name of
the man whose dead body was found
yesterday noon time in a little cluster
of trees near the Kaw river bank and
at a point just off the Union Pacific's
right of way to the east of the three
bridges near North Topeka. That he
was the victim of a brutal and cold
blooded murder there is not the
slightest doubt. All of the peace Of
ficers OF the county and city are of
this opinion and what is better they
are sure that this is a murder mystery
which will be solved by them and for
\ which the guilty will be brought to
sjustice. Morkinson was a fruit ped
dler whose home was at Hope, KAN
sas.
Wilburn V. Van Horn, a hack driv-
er. was taken into custody this morn
ing by J. NJ Wilkerson, the sheriff
and after being questioned by J. J.
Schenck. the county attorney, and
Sheriff Wilkerson. he was locked up
in the county Jail without any par
ticular charges being made against
him. He will be held there while the
case is being investigated. Van Horn
was seen in the company of Morkin-
son within a short time of the hour
when the victim must have died. He
was the last man seen with him so far
as is now known. With tears courS-
tested his innocence of being con-
nected with the crime. But he told
two or three unnecessary falsehOods
when being questioned concerning his
being with MorkinsOn yesterday morn
ing and the county officers feel justi
fed in holding him as a suspect.
Proof That 1t Was Murder.
1t was the autopsy on the body
which was performed by DR.. Keith the
coroner. last night that proved beyond
peradventure that Morkinson, who
was then unidentified, had been MUIR
dered. DR.. Keith found two bullets in
the mans skull, one of which had 49,
penetrated the brain. The other had
These bullets had entered the skull
directly in the center of the right tenn
pie, where there was a large gaping
wound. wound that looked on super
nclal examination as though it could
not possibly have been made by a bull
let. or one bullet from a thirty-eight
calibre revolver But DR.. Keith found
more than the bullets. Although there
was not mark or bruise of any kind
on the scalp there was a large frac-
ture of the skull at a point about four
inches to the rear of the wound in
the temple. This fracture could not
possibly have been made by the bull
let's. They went into the head in an
other direction The fracture was a
depression of the skull three or four
inches deep. Nor did DR.. Keith find
any blood on the brain. This is evil
dence that Morkinson was struck with
billy or some other murderous in
strument across the skull and that this
blow had probably killed him. If he
had been killed by the bullets there
would have been traces of blood on the
brain So the gaping wound was prob
ably made with the bullets by the
murderer with view of trying to es-
tablish the theory that Morkinson had
committed suicide. It was a sorry ef-
fort to conceal a dastardly crime.
Where the Body Was Found.
ment that the body was found and
viewed by the peace Officers-and this
was hours before the autopsy had
been pcrformed-there was little
DOUBT IN their minds that the man had
been a victim of foul murder. The
body was found by some Mexicans |
who are working in a ballasting gang
on the Union Pacifc's new tracks |
IHey started in at work yesterday /
morning at seven o'clock on that part |
OF the tracks just east of the three |
bridges across Soldier creek At |
noon time they were working at a |
point near where the road to Grant |
vile crosses the Union Pacfic's right |
of way. This Is a bit of A dfstan nee
east of the bridges
Between the railroads right of wav !
and the river at this point is a strip |
of land from fifty TO a hundred wards |
wide. which is used as a pasture and |
along the river edge of this strip are |
cluster of cottonwood and willow trees |
Ihey fringe the bank of the stream !
and the bank at this point is twelve or |
fifteen feet above the water level The
Mexicans went down among these trees
to eat their noon day lunch in the shade. |
their regular camp being considerable
distance away. As they approached the
river couple of the foremost men let
OF { yell and turned and run back
Z They called to A. Carlson, the fore
man of the gang He ran up to them
and saw their gruesome find. Stretch
ed out on the ground under a cotton
wood tree lay the body of Markinson
face upward. His head. with the
Gightful wound in the temple from
down the face, resting on his coat which
was neatly folded up for a pillow His
head was to the east and his feet which |
were fully extended stretched in the
opposite direction. The legs were cross
ed from the knees down. Across the
breast and well up towards the neck
lay a thirty-eight calibre Ivers-John-
son blue steel barrelled revolver. Mar
kinsOn's arms were extended at the
sides of his body.
Without disturbing the body in any
way, Mr. Carlson went to a nearby
farm house and called up the Union
Pacific office and notified the officials
there of the find that had been made.
The coroner and the other county off,
GERS as well the police were
promptly notified, and DIR. Keith hur-
ried to the scene in his automobile. A
hasty examination by him showed that
Morkinson had been dead for a few
hours. There was one empty shell in
. chamber of the revolver and the rest