The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-01-24
Officers Certain That j. b.
Joslin Was Murdered.
Puzzling Their Heads to Find
a Motive.
WOMAN IN THE CASE.
Lived With Him and Supposed
to Be His Wife.
Disappeared Suddenly and
Whereabouts Are Unknown.

There is but little doubt in the
minds of those who are familiar with
the conditions surrounding the finding
yesterday of the body of ]. B. Joslin
and his habits during life that he was
foully murdered in the howell at S2S
wabash avenue, which served him as
a home. Sheriff Wilkerson is firmly
convinced of the fact and is bending
his energies towards locating clue
which may assist in solving the mys-
terry.
The body which was discovered by
h r. Dennis, who called to present
gas bill early Thursday morning, was
In an advanced stage of decomposition
and all indications point to the fact
that the man was murdered some
time Tuesday. He was last seen
Sunday evening when he left an OAK
land street car in a drunken condition
and presumably went to his howell
which is less than a block from the
corner where he left the car.
The thing which points most
strongly to murder is the fact that
piece of rope several feet in length
was directly under the neck of the
dead man in just such position as 1t
would have been. liable to fall when
released by the hand of the murderer
after the victim had been strangled
to death. There was not even nail
in the wall near where the rope was
found to which it could have been
tied to facilitate suicide.
The eyes and tongue of the victim
protruded from the head just as they
would have done if death had been
produced by strangulation. The eff
1ects of decomposition were such that
it was impossible to tell whether there
were other marks on the BODY save
the wound in the throat; and the sta b
wound in the hand which might in
dictate that the victim had made an
attempt to defend himself from his
murderer.
5.Joslin was a recluse, though he had
a few boon companions with whom
he associated during his drunken
sprees, and among these he was sup
posed to have an income of some kind
or else money secreted, as he was al
was known to have the price of a
drink for himself and friends. He
worked as a laborer, but only at inter-
walls and then only for a short time.
When he, moved into the two rooms
which constituted his home he was ac-
companied by a woman who he said
was his wife. =
After living With him for d month
or so the woman disappeared and JOS
lin said that she had gone home to her
people for a visit and that they lived
in Iowa. She was not seen after her
sudden disappearance and Joslin has
been about the place less since then,
coming late in the evening and de-
parting early in the morning, when he
slept in the house.
He belonged to the white horse
brigade" as the drunkards of the city
who drink alcohol are known, and as
such has been locked in the city prison
at different times. His case is some
what similar to that of John Dalgreen,
who was found dead in the basement
of the Office block a few years ago
with his skull crushed. There was a
general rounding up of the white
horse brigade" following this murder.
but who killed him or a reason for his
murder was never decided.
This murder as in the Dalgreen case
seems to be one which will be added
to the list of unsolved crimes of the
city, the victims in all of th% cases be-
ing OF the drunken worthless class. It
is said that Joslin has relatives living
near Wakarusa and others living in
Iowa, but who they are or their exact
residence is not known.
A coroner's jury was summoned
yesterday afternoon and viewed the
body and listened to the testimony of
those who knew anything of the old
man and his habits, but no light was
thrown on the case and no motive for
the crime advanced. Sheriff Wilkerson
is at work on the case and the neigh
borhood is being secured for anything