The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-09
A SISTERS DREAM
1t Brought to Light Murder of
Mrs. Short.
Fred Tanning Confessed to Crime
When Confronted by Sister.
REAnG TTKE NAVET
READS LIKE A NOVEL
Mrs. Shorts Checkered Career
of % Years i'm Topeka.
Her Death Mysterious and Ter
ible-Slayer a Holy Roller.

A woman's intuition and her belief il:
dreams was responsible for the arrest
and subsequent confession of Fred
Tanning, that he murdered Mrs. Mary
J. Short, Topeka's mysterious woman
in black. a week ago by administering d
dose of rough on rats in her coffee
Tanning is now in the Shawnee county
Jail and hourly has pleaded with the
county attorney that he be Immediately
sentenced to the state penitentiary for
the crime which he has committed.
A week ago the body of Mrs. Short
was found in the little howell in which
she lived and doctor who was called
issued a certificate to the effect that
she came to her death from heart
failure" Q-f @-
For years Mrs Short has been d
familiar sight the streets of this city
where she was known to the later gen.
Grafton as the Mysterious Woman in
Black" 90 ..-.--
The appellation was given to her for
the reason that she always appeared
on the streets dressed in black and
wearing a heavy veil of the same color
which concealed her features from
those whom she happened to meet For
years a cancerous growth gnawed her
face until the sight was one which She
shielded from the eyes of the curious.
Mrs. Shorts Checkered Career.
To the older residents of the city she
was known as the widow of Sandy
Short. a notorious gambler of quar-
ter of a century ago who was killed by
DOC" Ward. a member of the police
force in a pistol duel. At that time
the disease which must have ultimately
caused her death had not fastened
itself upon her and she was known as
one of the really handsome women d
the state
She traced her ancestry to one of the
proud old families of the SOUTH her
mother emigrating north following the
death of her husband who was an Of
ficer in the southern army. The family
located in Kansas City and there Mary
]. Cox met and married Harry Short
who was then the auditor of one of the
railroads centering in that city Short
and his bride moved to Topeka and he
gave up his position as auditor ana
took up that of a professional gambler
and established luxurious quarters in
one of the best hotels in the city. For
a time he prospered but when he was
laid low by a ball from the revolver OF
policeman his finances were at low
ebb. Misfortune followed misfortune
and finally when her health was wreck
ed his widow was forced to appeal to
the charitable residents of the city for
funds with which to keep her soul and
body together. ~ s.as
Luxury to Poverty.
When her death occurred last week
an old friend of the family notified her
sister, Mrs. Fannie NJ. Rather of Seat
tie, Washington. of the fact, stating
that death was caused by heart failure
The same afternoon that the news was
received in that city Mrs. Mather
started for Topeka firmly believing that
her sister had been murdered. She tod
her beliefs to the officers who ignored
her until she produced conclusive evil
dence which prompted them to issue a
warrant for the arrest. of Fred Tanning
who is now in the county Jail the self
confessed slayer of Mrs. Short.
Sister Had Dreams.
For week before I received the
news of my sisters death I could not
Sleep" said Mrs. Mather, land I
walked the floor by day and tossed
in my dreams at night. Constantly
saw in my dreams a man who sought
to injure my sister and could not
forget the sight or get it off my mind.
My friends commented on my unset
tied condition of mind and to them I
confided the fact that 1 feared some
thing terrible was about TO happen to
my sister.
Il did everything possible to throw
the spell from me but sleeping or
awake the same nightmare was con-
stantly before me until l was q ner-
vous wreck. wrote letter after letter
to my sister and finally received a
postal card from her the day on which
received the telegram notifying me
of her death in which she stated that
she was all right.
"This message did not reassure me
and I wrote her again and enclosed her
a SIS bill and asked her to spend it for
warm clothing. I had Just mailed this
letter and was talking with my banker
when 1 was handed the telegram noti-
flying me of my sisters death and in
less than hour I was on MY way
to Topeka. 1 knew then that a muir
der had been committed though the tel
egram stated that my sister had died
of heart failure.
Called on Officers to Help.
when I arrived in Topeka 1 implor-
ed the officers to do something to as
sist me in ferreting out the SLAYER OF
my sister but they did not believe thai
murder had been committed 1 knew
that my sister had been murdered fol
] had witnessed the operations of tn.
murder in my mind for a week anc
more.
when went TO County Attorney
John Schenck and he promised to as,
slst me in case l could find evidence
which would justify him in issuing {
warrant. With Detective Ben. Jud Kin:
/ went to work on the case with the
result that Fred Tanning and two o
his accomp-ices. Elizabeth McCauley anC
her paramour, Edward English are il
jail.
flaming has confessed to his Grim,
end is pleading to be sent to the peni
tertiary while the woman in the cas-
whom he duplicates pleads that she i
innocent 1 shall stay right here il
Kansas until 1 see every one who wa
implicated in this terrible crime in tn
state penitentiary.
Believes She Was Inspired to Veneeanc,
Il have never been a believer il
dreams or premonitions but just a
sure as there is God in heaven
was he who directed me on this mis-
sion which has brought the murderer
of my sister to the prison doors. Had no
been supernaturally warned OF the enact
nent of the crime 1 would have accept
ed the verdict of the Topeka doctor VIII
issued a certificate that her death wa
caused by heart failure"
Following the death of Mrs. Short las
week the body was consigned to it
grave after a short funeral cerernon
at which there were but a few mourn
ers The passing of the "Mysteriou