The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-10-14
Statement of the lola Man,: Pre-.
pared Before Arrest.
HIS LIFE A TORTURE.
Miss Sapp Gave Him No Peace
for Eight Weary Months.
Night After Night Appeared
Around His Home.
An Incident Which Gives Color
to WhitlOw's Manuscript.

lola, Kan, Oct. 14.-The prosecut-
ing attorney, who is working on the
case of Samuel F. Whitlow, charged
with the murder of Miss May Sapp,
has made public the second statement,
of the defendant. The first statement,
1t will be remembered. Whitlow testi-
fed that he had written and given to
, his wife, Immediately after the death
of the young woman. 1t mysteriously
disappeared. Whitlow then wrote an
other which was found by the officers
in the cupboard in his home. Both
of these were written before he was
arrested
One theory of the authorities was
that possibly these statements had
been written with a view to leaving
them for use as testimony. Whitlow
denied that this was his purpose.
Whitlow said on the witness stand
that the first an dsecond statements
he wrote were alike in substance and
told the same story which he related
on the witness stand. Except that he
filled in more details, the second state
ment concerning his relations with
the dead girl agrees substantially with
his testimony. He said, however, in
his testimony nothing about making
up his mind to commit suicide, which
he practically admits was his inten-
tion in his second statement. The full
text of the second statement, which
was secured by the county attorney
ancl sheriff last Wednesday is as fol-
lows:
81 had from boyhood a strong re-
ligious desire, and a pride in being
upright in every respect. But at the
very time 1 thought 1 was beyond
danger of being imposed upon, 1 was
made the victim of a school scandal
that pretty nearly broke my spirit, but
by choking down my feelings for sew
eral years 1 had as I thought recover
4 - L.
unexpected trouble. About two years
ago (1905) as 1 passed the home of
]. \. Sapp, his daughter. May, was in 1
the garden near the fence, and she
requested me to come to the yard
fence that evening that she had some
thing to tell me. agreed to and met
her there that night.
ITO my surprise the poor girl told
me pitiful story of how she had low
ed me since she first knew me and
that she could not care for any one
else. That she had turned away diff
ferent suitors just because of me. I
told her that she must not do that.
That she knew / was married and
could never be anything to her, but
she said she could not help it, and
must come and talk with her a min
ute or two once week. 1 went a few
times alone and tried to argue and
reason her out of the notion, but could
not. 1 became alarmed ard feared that
another talk would start if 1 should be
seen talking to her at dark.
To Whitlow's Home
$50 I began to stay away from that
part of town and after a few months
Miss Sapp came after night to my
place and would walk by and go back. |
But later she raped on the barn one
night as 1 was choring after dark. I
went to the gate and she was very an
CRY and struck me in the face because |
1 had not been back to see her. I told
her I did not intend to ever go again, |
and I went into the barn and began |
milking. She got over the gate and |
rushed into the barn and Snatched my
glasses off my face and ran. was
dazed for moment then ran after
her and caught her and demanded my
glasses telling her 1 would have her
arrested. She threw them away and
1t was dark and could not tell where
they went. 1 got my boys and Johnny
Rees to hunt for them the next day. |
Johnny Rees found them. They were
all twisted up.
"a week later she came again along
the walk and whistled for me and I
went out and she was penitent and beg
ged me to forgive her and come to see
her. She declared she could not and
would not live if 1 did not. 1 walked
part the way home with her pleading
with her net to do that way. 1 told
her how deep my love for my wife and
children was and how sacred I held
those ties and obligations. She said
Knocked on His Door.
Time passed on and she continued |
TO make few visits, always with the |
same results. until the present summer |
OF 1907. when she became more deter |
mined to take me away from my fam !
0y She ventured to knock on my door
and then hide. This caused my folks to /
be afraid. I did not feel as if 1 could |
tell my wife of all this, 80 1 kept it a |
secret.
She was met by my Oldest boy as |
he reached the yard one night as we |
came from church. She had been in the |
house and threw some rugs on the din |
ing table. This put my family to talk |
ing a great deal about who it could be |
and what they were up to. I feigned |
the same curiosity
THE next evening I went up and sig
nailed her to come to the gate and 1 told |
her not to do that any more and plead |
ed with her, but she said she could not |
live if I did not come away with her.
told her 1 could not, that I had one |
of the best and truest wives that ever
was and 1 could not. We could only I
there were people passing so often, so |
would just leave and go home when
anyone appeared
II began planning to try to get ont /
of 1t without any talk getting started |
told her if we were seen together that
It would start a talk and cause her
folks and mine no end of trouble. she
said she did not care anything for her
folks or anyone else, and that She couII
not go down town, could not and wouId
not go to church if she could get out
of It. Said she was simply going crazy