The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-02-25


those who are familiar with the details
| of the affair is that the man was look
| ing for trouble. In company with Ser
| Cunningham Dunford went TO the
Burns home Saturday evening with the
avowed intention of cleaning the place
out as he expressed 1t. When he ar
rived he found that the doors were
locked and going to the rear or the
building kicked in the kitchen door and
started for the room occupied by the
woman as a bedroom and after break
ing the lock on this door entered ano
drawing a knife Threatened to take the
woman's life. The knife was taken from
him by his companion, and 1t is claim
ed he was in the act of stopping 10
pick up a chair when Mrs. Burns step
ped to the side Of a bed, drew a re-
volver and fired three shots In quick
succession.
One of the shots struck Dunford in
the chin and randed upward into the
brain. He staggered back towards the
bed and there the stories conflict. Mae Mae
Burns says that he called up the police
and told them of the shooting and DR..
H H Keith claims that such thing
was impossible as his tongue was cut
in two by the bullet. Opinions at the
police station vary. Though someone
called up and notified them that they
had been shot. they have no means of
knowing whether it was Dunford or
someone else
The first notice that they took of the
UP the station and told the police SER
geant that she had shot Dunford at
her home and that she was there with
him. When the officers arrived they
found her alone with the dying man.
He was so weak from loss of blood
that he was barely able to speak and
soon after collapsed and was uncon-
scious when he arrived at DR.. Kieth's
hospital
Last Monday Dunford went to the
Of nd Of
ing in the doors began demolishing the
furniture and threatening the woman
with a knife. He broke nearly all Of
the dishes in the kitchen and finding
little else of a breakable nature slash
ed the paper on the walls of the rooms.
Mrs. Burns called at the police station
the next morning and made a COM
plant against DunfOrd, claiming that
she was afraid that he would return
and murder her, and the police have
been on the lookout for him since then.
He was so we'll acquainted with the
city and the way it is policed that he
kept out of the way of the officers.
Mae Burns, who is now in the coun-
ty Jail, the self-confessed slayer of
Dennis Dunford, is a marked blonde
rather under medium height. with
traces Of past beauty Her hair is Il
dark brown almost red, and her eyes
of steel grey, reflect the determination
which prompted her to pull the trig-
ger last night which sent her assailant
to his death She is cool and collected
and talked of the killing as though it
was matter of no great Importance
to her.
Standing at her cell door this morn
ing with her hands about the steel
bars above her head she told the story
Df the killing about as it has been
narrated. She said: mo one knows
he trouble that man has caused me
since we ceased to be friends and
since have been keeping company
h II To- I'll,
ny house repeatedly and beaten and
shoked me and then he would break
Up the furniture in the house and tell
ne that he would be back next week
20 kill me.
Il have lived in mortal fear of him |
Tor knew that he would kill me some
lime when he was drunk if something
lid not happen to him. 1 am sorry
nat killed him for it is an awful
ming 10 take a human life, but it was
MS life or mine, but 1 do wish that
some one else had fired the shot
He was raising a chair to brain me
" Fhen L reached under a pillow where
nave kept a revolver since he has
would kill him if he ATTEMPTED to
'trlke me. He was in a stopping posi-
.lon not more than four feet from me
Just raising the chair to strike me
Nnen pulled the trigger on the re-
'olVer and / don't know how manv
'hots l fired but think 1 shot twice"
He staggered back. still clinginy TO |
the chair. and said: Mae, I didn't think
YOU had the nerve to do it If there was
my one else in the room when the shots
were fired they left and 1 notified the |
ponce OF what had done | had called |
hem when he first started to break in |
The door just as the chief of police had |
told me to do and I sat there in that |
room and waited for them to come |
Dunford did not fall when he was shot I
out walked over to the bed and sat on |
he side of it and I ran over to the other |
side of the room and kept the revolver /
n my hand for I was afraid that he !
would make another attempt to brain |
ne before the police would arrive"
DO you know that Harry Gruber |
;ays that you did not shoot Dunford |
1ut that the shots were fired by Harry /
Iohnson?" was asked.
Yes. 1 have heard that story but |
here is nothing to it at all. and 1 only |
wish that it was some one else than |
Who fired the shots. but there is no
loubt about it for there were no shots |
1red excepting the ones I fired and |
Dennis was not more than three or four
eet from me when / shot,
The police who were the first on the
Gene of the shooting are sure that Mae |
3urns is telling a straight story and |
hat it was she who killed Dunford and
Sheriff Wilkerson IS just as positive
hat the shots were fired by her lover
Harry Johnson. and that the woman is
rying to shield him. There are several
title things which go to confirm the
tory which Sheriff Wilkerson believes
o be true, besides the one told by
Harry Gruber who went to the place |
With Dunford.
Harry Gruber occupies a cell adjoin-
ng the one where Mae Burns is con-
ined and he is positive in his sta tement
f the trouble. He said: I'VE went !
own there Saturday night and both of
is had ben drinking some though 1 did
lot expect that Dunford was going to
'reak into the house and do as he did
1e had a knife in his hand and 1 took
his away from him and he was quar-
cling with Harry johnson when John
Ii |