The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-21
TENNYS0N IS HELD
Bound Over to District Court
on $4,000 Bond.
The Mother of the Prisoner First
Witness on the Stand.
HER GRIEF WAS GREAT
Declared Her Son Was Absent
at Moment of Shooting.
Evidence Taken Was Not Tn.
favorable to Defendant,

A"VOA dU1O 10 DclonUdnI.
Marysv1lle, Jan. 21--George Tennyson
was pound over this forenoon in the
sum or $4,000 for his appearance in the
olstrlct court on the charge of murder
ing his father. Tennyson says he can
secure bondsmen.
The trial of George Tennyson,
charged with the murder of his father.
DaVld Tennyson. was held here Mon
oay. The office of Justice Armstrong,
oerore whom the trial was held, proved
TOO small to accommodate the crowd,
SO the trial was held in the district
court room in the court house About
zoo people from the Tennyson neighbor-
nood near Frankfort, drove over to at
tend the hearing. W. J. Gregg and K.
A Berry are handling the case for the
defendant, and County Attorney Helver-
ing and Judge w. S, Glass are the at
torneys for the state
The first witness called was Mrs. Ma
tllda Iennyson, mother of the prisoner
ana Wl1e OF the murdered man. Her
grlef was so great that she had much
dlHlculty in answering questions at
first, but she became calmer in a short
time. She was examined principally on
the arrangement Of the house. She told
how she and Mr.. Tennyson were sitting
in the dining room reading when a
shot was fired through the window.
the light
And she was greatly confused. AS
soon as she recovered from the first
shock she called her daughter, Flora,
who was upstairs. The daughter
brought a lamp down with her and
they found Mr.. Tennyson sitting in his
chair dead. The charge from the gun
had entered the back of his head pro-
ducing instant death. She says George
was not on the place at the time, but
was not certain of the exact time he
left.
Edward Flaherty, a boy who worked
in a restaurant in Frankfort, was then
called. He said that George Tennyson
came to the restaurant shortly after 8
o'clock the night of the murder and
asked for Maud Sylvester, with whom
he was keeping company" Miss Syl-
vester was employed in the restaurant,
but had left few minutes before for
her rooms. Tennyson left in a few
minutes for that place
About five minutes after Tennyson
left some one called the restaurant by
| phone and told McMinimy that David
Tennyson had been shot. McMinimy
sent F'laherty to tell George of the ac-
cident. When told, George exclaimed.
"Oh, gosh" and told Miss Sylvester
that he would have to go home.
He and Flaherty left together to go
to the Tennyson home
DR. A. NJ Browley of Frankfort testi-
fed that he was called to look after Mr.
Tennyson. He described the nature and
location of the wound. Part of the
charge had gone entirely through the
head.
Sheriff Fred Barrett testified that he
was notified of the murder shortly after
Beatrice for bloodhounds, how he went
to the Tennyson place, had ropes put
,1p to keep the trail from being lost. He
told how he found the gun with which
it is supposed the shooting was done,
how he examined II ana Iouno IL ndu
been recently fired.
The sheriff also told how he had
round a mans footprints under the
window, and had found tracks in soft
ground in several places across the
pasture and along the railroad tracks
on the way to town.
The next morning he secured a pair
of George Tennyson's shoes and these
fitted the tracks. He told how the
hounds followed these tracks to the
Kaufman home in FRANKFORT, Wnere
Ceoree Tennyson had gone to see Miss
Sylvester
M T, Lindsay, a brother-1n-law OF
George Tennyson, told how the latter
had told him that he knew something
of the murder and that there We're as
manv as three persons mixed up in it.
George promised to get the family to-
gether the next day and tell them what
he knew. but said it would kill his
mother when he did. Lindsay was
with the sheriff and county attorney
rest George Tennyson. At the time
Tennvson denied making any such
statements to Lindsay. When con-
fronted by Lindsay he admitted max
attorney said he could do nothing but
prosecute Tennyson for the murder of
his father, George finally said that il
he had to tell he might just as well do
it then. He then tod that ms sister.
after the murder of her father, had
written and signed a note saying that
she was the cause of her father 5
death, but asking him not to tell any
one until he had to- George said he
did not think it was possible for her
to have committed the murder. This
note Tennyson had placed in safety
denosit vault in a bank at Minneapolis.
He showed it to the officers the next
Mr.. Gregg. Lindsay said that he was
taking great interest in the case on
Georges account. When questioned,
he admitted. however. that he had
agreed to contribute his share of $3.50
| to employ Judge Glass to assist th,.
attorney to prosecute the case. He
aiso admitted that Mrs. David Tenny-
son had paid his wife s2.500, but he
denied that this was uone 10 prevent
! contest of David Tennyson's will.
| Will Johnston. another brother
! ;n-law was then called and he told
| the same story of what was done and
| said AT Minneapolis. His wife had also
! receiyed s250O from Mrs. Tennyson
hut Mr.. Johnston denied any knowl-
| edge of a plan to break the will. Sher-
;ef barrett was recalled to the stan No
and told at length of the trip to Min
naanolis and of the arrest of George
/ Ternyson. He said he had allowed
! Tennyson to do his chores while he