The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-19

fIcers on whom rested the burden of
the prosecution. Following the sig
nature of the written confession, taken
by stenographer under the direction
of County Attorney John Schenck,
Thursday morning, in the JAIL there
was scurrying of police and deputy
shefiffs. This morning the object Of
their search, George Stova1l was r,laced
under arrest by Deputy Sheriff C. c.
Mcpherson at Rossville. The prisoner
will be brought to Topeka tonight and
returned to the cell in the county Jail
from which he was released Wednes-
day following the coroner's inquest
which fastened responsibility for the
murder upon Nan and Joe Ewing, hus-
band and wife. Now Stovall is charged
as an equal partner in the old mans
death with Nan Ewing, while the in
dications are that the husband, Joe
Ewing, will be exonerated.
Joseph Rice, a veteran of the civil
war, aged SO years, was found dying
from morphine poison on a couch in
the Ewing house on Monday afternoon
by DR.. J. M Amis who had answered
a telephone call for help. The testi-
mony in the inquest established only
the fact that Rice, the Ewings and
Stovall had been drunk over Sunday,
that Rice had recently been paid a
sum of pension money and that the
Ewing woman was a confirmed user
of morphine. She had been found in Il
stupor on a. bed in the same house with
the dying man but she was clutching A
pocketbook containing 81. said to have
been the property of Rice. The hus-
band and wife and StovalI were locked
up Monday After the inquest Stovail
was released.
Bayless Inserts Probe.
To the unofficial examination of the
prisoners by Under Sheriff Henry Bay
less Is due the prompt solution of what
appeared to be a fairly difficult task
of fastening the guilt upon the proper
persons. When first arrested the pris-
oners were yet all under the Influence
of the drugs or liquor which they had
taken Not until Thursday night had
Ewing and his wife recovered to any
degree from the nervous state which
succeeded their spree.
Bayless decided to talk to the hus-
band in the hope of getting a confes-
sion of some sort from him. He stout
lv maintained that he knew of moth
ing of morphine having been admins
tered to the old soldier but admitted
that his wife might be able to tel
something. He had not been allowed
to confer with her since their arrest
This morning the man and woman were
brought together in the presence of the
| county attorney and stenographer
After a little hesitancy Nan Ewine
| made her statement which implicated
herself with Stovall in a plan to drue
contrary to their expectation, in his
death.
Got Too Much of Drug.
Being morphine user of long ex
perience the woman is accustomed II
! large doses. sufficient to kill, so the doc
| tors say, four persons unaccustomed t
| the drug. 1t was such dose that she
administered to Rice. She said thai
during the day Monday Stovall had in
! formed her that Rice still had some
| of his pension money. He offered II
| take the money from the old mans
I pockets if she would administer to hin
a dose of morphine to render him un
| conscious. She gave the drug to the
| cid man with his food at dinner. Aftel
| the meal the victim laio down on {
couch, apparently overcome by slumber
\ When he was we'll under the drug:
| influence Stovall, says the woman
| reached in his pocket and extracted thu
| pocketbook.
| The money proved to consist of a 50
| note and four dollars il. change anC
| to divide this it became necessary fol
| Stovall to leave the house to have i
changed He went out but returned
| presently and it was then he discovered
/ that the old man was so overcome b,
\ the drug that he could not be reused
| Stovall became alarmed and haSteneG
| out to telephone for Dr. Amis. Mrs
! Ewing said she had fallen asleep from
| the dose of morphine which she, her
| self. had taken and that she never re
ceived from Stovall any more of TIL