The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-23
LHIk TUT UIOUIVu
officials Believe Benignus Au-
tOpsy Will Be Futile.
Still Believed That ChlOrOfOrm
Caused the Death.
ALL In A SOUND SLEEP
Whole Family May Have Been
Drugged.
Guy Walker Not Known by
Livingston.
ALL IN A SOUND SLEEP

Coroner of Dickinson county, who has
mad charge of the investigation of
the death of Bertha Benignus, left for
Lawrence, Kan, Monday evening with
the sealed jars containing portions of
Vlscera removed from the dead girls
stomach and throat when the body
was disinterred at the Abilene ceme-
terry earlier in the day yesterday.
Analyses for poisons by which the life
of the girl might have been ended will
be made by chemists at the Kansas
university.
once again the sessions of the coro-
ners jury which has been at work in
termittently since Monday of last
week, have been suspended awaiting
some development which might lead to
reasonable explanation of the girls
death. The doctors who examined the
body at the time of the removal of
specimens to be used in the poison
analyses, have little hope of finding
poisonous substances in the stomach
or throat. They are more than ever
convinced that chloroform, inhaled
either voluntarily or involuntarily by
the dead girl, was the direct cause of
her death.
The possibility that the entire
Benignus family had been drugged on
the night of Bertha's death has been
raised following the testimony of the
mother, Mrs. Charles A. Benignas who
said at her examination Monday, that
they all had slept unusually sound that
Saturday night and Sunday, August 3.
hattie, the younger girl, even after
she was called and told that her sister
was dead, could hardly open her eyes
and could not seem to realize what was
going on.
There is a possibility that the whole
family had been drugged so that the
murderer CnIIl6 lc ynr1r in
perfect safety. Other members of the
family say that they seemed to sleep
very heavily on the night of the girls
death and no one in the house heard
sound. Hattie was sleeping in the
room near Bertha's, the window of
which opened out on the same porch
over which the murderer is supposed
to have climbed in order to gain an
entrance to Bertha's room. She never
heard a sound all night long. Neither
did the father nor Albert Benignus
slept together in a room adjoining
that of the dead girl.
Surprise for Livingston.
Earl Livingston when asked if he
had known Guy Walker. an admirer
of Bertha's who lives at Junction City,
Kan, said that he did not know
Walker. Bertha had never told me
slightest idea who he was and have
never heard of him. It is a surprise
to me that Bertha had corresponded
with him and never let me know any
thing about it. She told me that she
had cut out every one six months
ago and I believed implicitly in what
she said. Now that 1 have learned
that she went to Junction City five
weeks ago, however, and told neither
her parents nor me, 1 don't know
what to say except that 1 doubt if
it is true
The note still continues to be the
puzzle. Although it rained hard
Saturday and the ground was muddy
and wet the note turned over to Coun-
| ty Attorney Rugh is not soiled. The
note was found by Roy Shearer
! brother-in-law of Bertha. Mrs. Roy
Shearer, sister of the dead girl was
standing at the window when he
picked it up from the ground; the
other half of the bill head on which
the note was written was found in q
little box where Bertha kept such
| things. There were many other bill
| heads from the same store in the
| box.
Scare ct Hutchinson.
Hutchinson, KAN, Aug. 23.-Sinc'
| Saturday Hutchinson has been threat
| ened with an epidemic of the terrol
| lene on account of the brutal and mys
| terious murder of Beta Benignus
Following the attack Friday morning
| on Mrs. w. S. Wear by an unknown
man who attempted to choke her int
| insensibility in much the same man
| ner that Miss Benignus is supposed t.
| have been attacked.
| Hutchinson gets another connection
1 with the Abilene enigma due to th'
| fact that H. ". Brooks, a telegraph op
| orator, who was here several months
| this summer, and is now being givel
| 0YinrV hHP1USh he int 9
| with the dead girl and was a gooC
| friend of Earl Livingston, the young
| man she was to have married. Whil'
here Brooks worked for Goffe & Cark
| ener. grain brokers, and later for TIL,
Scarritt- IIamiH people. He came her,
in April and left about two weeks ago
Booth Acted Queerly.
Junction City, Kan, Aug. 23-Cap.
! tain Bonney of company A from Wich
ita gave out a statement, today at tht
| camp of instruction in regard to Pri
| vate Booth who has been held n
| Hutchinson. Captain Bonney say.
Booth enlisted in his company on JULY
H. He claimed that he had been work
ing for a sewing machine company
and wanted to attend the maneuvers
He stated that he was a relative of tn.
Booths of oyster fame, and wanted Il
get a little army experience. He wa.
examined and came to the maneuvers
At times after his arrival at the CAM
he acted oueerly and asked many ques
tions of his comrades in regard to tn,
duties of a soldier. The day after h,
arrived he refused to go in the field
J saying that he was afraid of bein,
killed. He was detailed to cut WOO
and while at work was taken i'll an,
tsent to the hospital. He was examine;
and the surgeons said he was of un
sound mind Private Hudson of tn
same company was detailed to take TIL
man back to Wichita. They left TIL
camp on the night train, August II
going to Abilene, where Booth escape,