The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-16
Joe Ewing and Wife Mary, Held
by Police.
BOTH ARE IN STUPOR.
WOman's Cries for Murp hine
Awaken Prisoners.
Whether Murder Was Intended
Not Yet Known.

Lying dead on a bed of stencil in
filthy howell at 127 North Monroe street,
Joseph Rice, an old soldier SO years of
age, was found by Chief of Police Jen-
kins. Detective Voiles and DR.. J. M.
Amis shortly after O'Clock Monday
night.
TIE keepers OF the place, Joe Ewing
and his wife, Mary Ewing. the man in
a drunken stupor and the woman in a
dope dream, were in the house. The
Police, however, could learn nothing
conc erning the death of Rice from
them, being unable to rouse them from
their stupor. Both were taken to the
police station.
Notice of the illness of Rice was Civ
en- DIR. ]. NJ. Amis by a teamster named
George Stoval. The doctor visited the
man and notified the police. Suspect
ipg Stoval knew of the matter, he was
arrested about 9 o'clock and locked in
the county jail
County Attorney Schenck has given
the prisoner a thorough sweating but
without obtaiEing any information.
81 do not know anything about it.
1 just new the old man by sight. He
was at dinner at the Ewing place MON
day when ate there and after the meal
lay down on the bed saying he didn't
fell welI,'' Ewing said.
1t is the theorv of the sheriff force
that the Ewing woman gave the veteran
a large dose of morphine from her own
stock, when he complained. Whether
she gave it with murderous intent is
not known. Perhaps the morphine
f1end thought the old man could take
che same amount as she, the police sug-
gest.
Rice had had $40 of his persion mon
ey on mis- person and that was missing
when he was found. He has been liv-
ing with his son, Charles Rice. at 500
Paramore street, North Topeka, and
left Sunday morning saying he intend
ed to go to see another son. Harry, at
Burlingame. Instead of leaving town,
however Rice wandered around the
bottoms" district drinking as the pc
lice formerly have known him to do
Just when he lost his money can not
therefore, be satisfactorily answered.
That Joseph Rice died of morphine
poisoning is the conclusion Of DR..
AmiS who said of his visit:
Il found the old man on the bed,
and he was then breathing his last.
They wanted the coroner and as DR..
Keith is out of the city, went over to
see what 1 could do. Bottles found in
the pocket of Rice contained some
that he had been troubled with-lt
wasn't morphine or anything like that.
I didn't see any morphine right away,
but in a few minutes / caught Mrs
EWlilS Will d OOlllG OI IL H6TA 14f1u
She said she didn't know where il
came from. she just picked it up. The
condition of that house of three rooms
was something terrible. The bed on
which Rice lay was as dirty as tbs
earth itself, while the floor had fltt
piled up on it until you couldn't helT
slip and slide around. The stencil was
so nauseating that we could stay
in the house but few minutes and il
made some of the officers almost sick
The Ewing woman was raving around
in another room, doped so you couIdn
understand anything she was talking
about and the man was sitting out or
the front porch, drunk. Neither .
them seemed to know or understand
It seems to be an evident case of deatl
due to the administration of NOR
phine."
A coroner's jury has been summoned
and as soon as the Ewing people ar
able ito try to think" an inquest viii
be held At the police station Monica!
night the woman kept the prisoner
awake calling and crying for her bot
tie of morphine.