The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-10

O1nSCES IL
When arrested Thomas was going
by. the name of c. C. Kienningham,
said to be his real name. Thomas is
charged with the killing of Edwin
Fransen, and assault With intent to kill
on Gus Carlson, Carl Kinstrom, Lens
Anderson and Nellie Brand. The shoot
iSss. i2s occurred a. Niap'e i'' W
Tom Gristy one of the men who
worked with Thomas and into whose
bed Thomas fired five shots on the
night of the shooting, was called to
Texas to identify the suspect and he
declared the man was Thomas. H. Lee
Smith of Wichita also identified the
suspect at Wichita and Wednesday
afternoon when Sheriff Ericsson and
his prisoner left the train Henry Butte
fish, who boarded the train, said,
''Hello, Thomas" when he saw the
you go to -,'' was the cheerful
greeting of the prisoner. I'm not
Thomas"
Several of the men who knew and
worked with Thomas will go to Alma
today from Maple Hill, and will try
to identify him as the man who did
the shooting. There have been dozen
arrests made in the last IL years but
in each case it was quickly proven that
the suspect was not the man wanted.
All of the witnesses to the shooting
have left Maple Hill and this section
of the country and it will likely be a
difficult matter to prove that there
was such a shooting so far as eye wit
nesseS are concerned. 1t is not be-
lieved there Is one witness in Wabaun
see who saw the man who did the
shooting at the time it was done.
All About Girl.
The shooting for which Thomas is
wanted grew out of his love for
pretty Scotch girl. Nellie Brand.
ranch. near Maple Hill. The Brand
girl was employed as a maid By Mrs.
w. ]. Tod. and the ranch boarding
house is near the Tod residence.
Soon after the girl entered the en-
ploy Of Mrs. Tod. Thomas made her
acquaintance and they We're together
nearly every evening. Their meetings
were always clandestine because of the
rules OF the ranch that the men and
maids should not mix Two dozen
men are employed at the ranch and
they soon learned of the case of
Thomas and the girl. Thomas was
numerically twitted about the girl.
Added to this. Thomas was. with
perhaps one exception, the only Ameri-
can working on the ranch. The rest
of the employees were Swedish or
Scotch. The majority of them were
At last the girl and Thomas had
trouble and shortly afterward the
ranch superintendent learning of
what had occurred. DISCHARGED Thomas
and the girl was also discharged. The
girl went to what is known as the West
Fowler ranch. where her sister was
employed. and Thomas, swearing he
would kill every Swede on the ranch,
went to Kansas City.
A few days afterward Thomas re-
turned to Maple HILL That night he
secured a horse, rode to the West
ranch boarding house and called for
Nellie Brand. She came to the door
and he asked her to come outside and
talk to him. She declined. Drawing
his revolver, Thomas fired at her head.
The bullet inflicted an ugly scalp
wound on the top of her head and the
girl fell as if she were dead.
Then Thomas began firing into the
room in which sat a number of men.
Edward Fransen, who was to have
sailed for Sweden within a week, was
shot in the stomach. Carl Kinstrom
attempted to shut the door and shot
aimed at his stomach struck him in
the arm. and this fact probably saved
his life. At last someone in the room
eXtinguished the light; those who were
not wounded found hiding places and
Thomas, after firing several more
shots, left the place.
Telephones were not so plentiful
then as they are now and Thomas,