The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-15
Negro Arrested in Kansas City
Makes Confession.
Was Frightened Into It BY q
Dream, He Says.
KILLED IN STORES.
Both His Victims Were Knocked
i'm the Head.
One Because He Refused to Lend
Him Money.

kansas City, Jan. 15.-"Promise me
you won't let 'em lynch me and I'll
tell you the whole story"
Sobbing, Grant Figs, a negro, who
was arrested early yesterday morn
ing, made this statement to Captain
Walter Whitsett, Sergeant Holly Jar
Doe and Arthur Dorsett. a patrolman,
at police headquarters last night. He
had been questioned closely for five
hours as he sat in the captains of
fee, his head swathed in bandages
from the beating he had received when
he resisted seven officers at the time
of his arrest.
Figs then confessed that he had
killed Edward Landman in his fur
nishing goods store at 1107 East
Eighteenth street on November %
and H. A. Woodman in his second
hand store at 1112 East Eighteenth
street on the afternoon of August 2S.
Although Figs has not been ques-
toned regarding other recent muir
ders which resemble very much these
two, the police believe that this negro
was implicated in the killing of l.. D:
Sternberg and wife December A on the
West Side. and possibly in the kill
ing of Thomas w. flaming December
80, 1906.
Figs then made the following state
ment:
How He Killed Landman.
Figs statement of the Landman
case, made and signed in the presence
of police officers, follows:
MY name is Grant Fig. 1 live at
2211 Lydia avenue with Mrs. Betty
Cushionberry. 1 have lived there six
or seven months. On November 25.
1907, at some time in the afternoon 1
went into furnishing goods store at
1107 East Eighteenth street and asked
the man in charge if the store about
some clothes that 1 had bought of him.
but that he had not delivered. He
said | had not bought any clothes
there. 1 showed him the ticket for
them and he tore it up. l picked up
some clothes and started out of the
door when he grabbed me and 1 struck
him with a piece of lead pipe which I
had gotten at junk shop and took
there with me. 1 took one red flannel
shirt which I had on last night when
was arrested and which is now in
the hands of the police. / also took
two suits of new underwear-one of
which I gave to Austin Cushionberry.
and the other 1 wore myself. 1 did
not take any money from this man.
though had plenty of time to search
him for money. 1 only took the red
shirt and two suits of underwear. /
took the piece of lead pipe away with
me and threw it over in an alley be-
tween Harrison and Troost on Eigh-
teenth. I make this statement of my
own free will because ii is the whole
truth
The Woodman Murder.
When he had told his story of the
Landman killing a little further ques-
tfoning drew from him the following
confession of the Woodman killing:
My name is Grant Figs. 1 live al
2211 Lydia avenue with Mrs. Betty
Cushionberry. 1 have lived there six
or he On, A,to,
about o'clock, 1 went into a second
hand store at 1112 East Eighteenth
street and told an old man that wart-
ed to borrow some money off of him.
He said that he did not have any to
give away or loan out. 1 told him that
he could lend me as much as IS or s6
until could get on my feet and that /
had sold him a good many things and
thought that he ought to loan me the
money. He said that nobody had toi&
me to do so and 1 told him I had
mind to take the money away from
him. Then we had an argument, and
I struck him with the hammer and
took about 50 or $40 out of his pocket.
It was in a pocketbook which 1 left In
the store with the hammer. Then l
came out of the store the front way and
went home. I make this statement be-
cause it is the whole truth"
Figs is short and slim. His Jaw
Is protruding and his lips thick. His
runs back to what might be called
point at the back. He wears con-
tinually an expression OF deep sullen-
ness, and, even when he had finished
his confession and seemed to be re-
lieved in mind, this expression did not
brighten or change in any way. Al
ter his confession he offered this ex-
planation to Captain Whitsett of why
ne made it.
''I thought you had it proved on
me anyway. 1 began to think Of being
lynched. I had often thought of that
before when I thought you never
would catch me. At the same time
thought Of that, 1 thought of a dream
I had about a month ago. 1 dreamed
that there was a big white dog on my
bed. He got bigger and turned black
Then he growled and turned into q
big black man. He had a heavy butt
end of buggy whip in his hand and
he beat me on the head with it.
thought he beat me a long time and
killed me, then / woke up. When 1
thought of this dream II made me
turn cold