The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-12-22
DASHED TO DEATH
Leon w. DetIOr Throws Himself
From Building,
Body Crushed on Pavement At
ter 65 Foot Fall.
REMORSE THE CAUSE.
Wilma Evan Had Died During
the Day.
Boy Came Home From Kansas
Ei4x- o,,I FFlT, -. IL MI
REMORSE THE CAUSE.
Boy Came Home From Kansas
City and Then the End.

>
pressman on the Daily Capital, threw
himself from the roof of the Capital
building last night and was dashed to
death on the pavement 65 feet below
1t is the old story of sowing the win d
and reaping the whirIwind There
are two characters in the tragedy.
Pretty Wilma Evan lies dead in a
morgue in Kansas City and the body
| of Leon Detlor, a young man of prom
Use, lies stark and cold on a marble
slab at Topeka undertaker's
The girl who had been employed as
a clerk in a Topeka store went to
Kansas City and to a hospital Her
condition was such that she could not
| meet her friends face to face and she
| hoped in town among strangers to
hide her shame from the world But
death interviewed and Detlor the auth
or of her trouble watched her life ebb
away on Monday, took the train, re-
turned to Topeka in the evening and
paid the forfeit in as tragic and spec
| tacular manner as could have been
conceived. He threw himself from the
building at 1880 p. m. and less than
two hours later died at Stormont hos
pital.
Accompanied Girl to Kansas City.
All doubts as to the motive which
| prompted Leon Detlor to throw him
| self from the fourth floor of the Daily
| Capital building Monday evening to his
| death on the sidewalk rs feet below
We're removed today when word was
received from Kansas City that his
| sweetheart, Wilma Evan, had died at
the University hospital following
i criminal operation Monday. Miss
EVAN came to Topeka five or six years
| ago from Baldwin, then the home of
| her parents, and since that time has
been employed in the millinery and dry
goods stores. For a week she was en-
ployed at the Warren NJ. Crosby store
and resigned. presumably to spend
Christmas with her parents who re-
| side at Oakley. Before that she work
ed at Barbara Tauer's millinery store.
Instead of going to the home of her
parents she was accompanied to Kan
sas City by Leon Detlor and there en-
/ tered hospital where she underwent
an operation which resulted in her
years the young woman had boarded,
and roomed at. the home of E NJ
Granger, 500 East Eighth avenue
Upon hearing that Leon Detlor had
been killed by a fall, Mrs. Granger
telephoned to Miss EVAN at her for
mer home in Baldwin and was inform
ed of her death in the University hos
pital at Kansas City the preceding
Walter Junkin, lives at Baldwin and
he had received notification of his
ter-in-law's death in Kansas City in
a telegram which was sent from KAN
SaS City Monday morning by Leon
Detlor.
Wilma Evan, who is highly spoken
of by her former employers, was "a
years of age and was to have been
married ON the first day of March to
the man who threw himself from the
Capital building last evening in fit of
dependency, or fear that he would be
called upon TO pay the penalty for his
part of the crime. Mrs. Detlor the
mother of the death youth, who lives at
607 West Sixth avenue, refused to dis
cuss the case and his sister did like
wise.
Besides his mother and sister Mr..
Detlor is survived by brother, Frank,
who lives at Monet, Mo. Practically
every bone in the young mans body
was broken when he struck the cement
sidewalk, including his neck The
body shows that it must have struck
the stylobat which supports immense
of the building, as It is bruised ard
scratched as though it had slid against
the stones.
There is more or less doubt whether
he threw himself from the roof or
fourth story window.
Saw Body Fall.
r. r. Wiord, a street car conductor, ]
saw the body of young Detlor in its
downward flight but thought that It
was a bundle of some kind thrown
from an upstairs window or from the
roof of the building. He said: My
car had just passed along in front of
the Capital building and I was stand
ing on the rear platform and looking
bundle which appeared to have been
dropped from the top of the building. !
I'VE were block or such matter
past the building and it was almost
dark excepting from the lights and [
thought but little of the occurrence unit |
on my return trip a passenger got on |
the car and told me that some one had |
fallen from an upper story window. 1
was so far away from the building that |
if l saw the body strike the sidewalk |
could not say so-''
Rode Up in Elevator.
Leon Detlor, the young man who |
threw himself from the Capital build |
ing just after dusk Monday evening was
we'll and favorably known in Topeka
which has been his home for a num- |
ber of years. He was a steady and |
faithful and a temperate man in all |
ways. 1.-THE first thing that thought |
of last night when we picked him up
said one of the first men to the scene |
CT the ira gedy t'that some one who |
had been drinking had fallen from a |
window. 1 placed my head to his
face to see if there was an odor of |
liquor and there was not"
After returning from Kansas City the |
young pressman went to the basement |
of the building from which he threw |
Iy prepared for his nights work. A |
few moments later he stepped into the /
elevator and rode to the fourth floor. |
which is not at this time occupied, and |
mangled form was picked up on the |
sidewalk on the west side of the build |
ing If he had premeditated suicide he |
said nothing of his purpose to his |
friends and associates in the press |
room of the Capital building.
Story of the Tragedy.
One window was open on the floor