The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-06-28
OF furniture. Eastman himself slept il
the place not infrequently.
Widow Absent From Funeral.

Widow Absent From Funeral.
In new made grave. not so feet
from the scene of the crime which led
him to his death. Eastman's body was
buried. No man of the church was
there to offer a last word and no friend
or relative came near. The undertakers
and their assistants. a little band of
newspaper men and a few idle persons
funeral procession were the only per-
sons at the grave. With barred heads
they repeated the familiar words of the
Lords Prayer. Mrs. Eastman, stopping
Il miles away at Easton. expressed no
desire TO attend the funeral.
1t was $50 in the morning when the
coffin containing Eastman's body was
placed in the roughly fashioned coun-
try hearse and the little funeral party
started from st. Michaels on the 7-nlile
trip to the bungalow. No church or
churchyard of the vicinity would open
its doors or gates to receive Eastman's
body. No more lonely spot could well
be imagined than where the isolated
bungalow stands. Scrub pines form a
background, while in front green
marsh leads away through the shore
grasses to the open waters of Broad
creek.
When the hearse had drawn up
alongside the grave four men lifted the
coffin from the vehicle and placed it
temporarily on two planks stretched
already had been lowered. There was
an awkward pause.
Someone Found to Pray.
Gentlemen" said the undertaken, cit
seems to me that some one should say
a little word of prayer. Won't one of
you -
His glance fell upon James Sutton, a
merchant of Bosseman.
you are a church member Mr.. SUIT
ton," said the undertaken, won't you
say it?'
Sutton hesitated, then asking all to
join with him, began to repeat the
Lords prayer with solemn earneStness.
When the last words of the prayer
were uttered. Sutton stepped forward
and filling his hands with newly turned
soil from beside the grave, thrice tossed
the sandy loan upon the caSket as he
said: Earth to earth, ashes to ashes,
dust to dust"
Following the funeral there was an
other thorough search of the bungalow
and concealed beneath the floor was
found the small drug bottle. At the
place where the head of the bed had
rested, part of the older flooring had
been ripped up and new planks laid
loosely down. Beneath these planks
the floor beam had been newly scraped
with a chiSel or some other sharp In
strument. But the efforts to remove all
blood stains had failed. They still were
there. Inc ground DSlOW HdQ dlSO du-
sorbed blood.
No Signs of Champagne.
Following the report that there
were evidences of other bodies buried
about the bungalow, the authorities
made a search. They pitchforked a
mound of hay, but found the ground
had not been disturbed underneath.
Particular search was made for any
possible fragments of a champagne
bottle which might tend to bear out
Eastman's claim that Mrs. Woodill
was murdered by another woman in
a jealous frenzy. Two whisky and
three wine glasses were discovered,
but there was no evidence of cham
payne bottles ever having been in or
around the shack.
1t is becoming more and more ap-
parent that Eastman was a prolific
letter writer. 1t is said that whenever
he left st. Michaels to go to Baltimore
or Washington he always mailed let
tiers back here addressed to himself
as Roberts. 1t is claimed that he also
wrote to Postmaster Taylor the letter
signed "E. B. wellington" telling the
postmaster what a fine fellow Roberts
was and how much he (We1lington)
an uncle living in Denver, was inter-
ested in him. The writer asked that
Roberts be considerably treated The
final inquest into the cause of and re-
sponsibility for Mrs. Woodill's death
will be held tomorrow. The state at
torney Mr.. Turner, after confer
ence with the foreman of the coron-
er's jury, has determined to summon
certain witnesses who have not been
heard before.
81 do not want to give the names
of these witnesses" said Mr.. Turner,
"aS some of them may get away if the
fact that they are wanted became
known. What we want to do" he
continued, lis to establish the facts,
and for this reason, 1 shall nave rig
id and most searching investigation.
Among the witnesses summoned we
wish to question closely the persons
who most intimately knew Roberts,
as they assert that Roberts could not
have killed the girl. So far, I have
been unable to get any tangible evil
dence whatever to show that any 9TH
err than Roberts committed the MUIR
der. All we have is his letter saying
the deed was committed by woman.
There is nothing to back this up I'M
less we can draw something from wit
nesses that has not yet been told"
That Mysterious Launch Party.
In the minds of many persons here
considerable Importance still attaches tic
the launch party consisting of two wo-
men and three men seen in the neigh
bcrhood of the bungalow last Sunday
morning a week ago. Detectives are us
ing every effort to trace this party in
the hope either of connecting it with
events at the bungalow or eliminating
it from further consideration.
There still exists strong belief
among several members of the coroner's
Jury that others than Eastman and Mrs
Woodill were in the bungalow at the
time of the murder, although they have
nothing definite to base their opinion
eli. 1t was even limited that one oil
more arrests may be made at any time
Il was further intimated that the arrest
would not be at st. Michael's or al
Baltimore.
Mrs. Eastman. widow of the suicide
and accused murderer. has not changed
fter opinion since coming to Easton tina
her husband did not kill Mrs. Woodill
She said shat Eastman had told her hi
was fugitive from justice and that III
would rather commit suicide than serve