The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-17
DID He KILL FIVE.
Continued from Page one.1

/
removed some three or four hundred
feet from any other dwelling
| The coroner's jury is today investi-
eating the murder and may return a
verdict today or wait for further evil
dence before so doing. There is little
for them to do except view the bodies
and hear the story Of Mrs. Shook, who
discovered the crime
Story of the Crime.
Snowman and his entire family, wife
| Snowman. and his entire family, wife
and three children, two girls and a
boy, were murdered while they slept
Sunday night at their home here. The
murderer used an ak and crushed the
head of each. The bodies were found
| at o'clock Monday afternoon by Mrs.
o. W. Shook, a neiShbor. There is no
cleW to the murderer. The Showmans
were people in moderate circumstances
and it is believed the motive could not
have been robbery. 1t is not known
that the man or his wife had any
The names of the members of the
family slain are:
WILLIAM SNOWMAN, 27 years old.
MRS. SNOWMAN, 27 years old.
LESTER SNOWMAN, 6 years old.
FERN SNOWMAN, 4 years old.
FENTON SNOWMAN, 2 years old.
Worked at a Garage.
The Snowman home is a small two
room cottage on the outskirts of Ellis
worth and situated three or four hun
dred yards from the nearest neigh bor-
ing house. Snowman was employed as
a nachinist and chauffeur at an Ellis
worth garage.
The bodies of the five victims were
found in one room. All We're in bed,
the father, mother and baby in one
bed, and the two other children in a
second bed, which was in the room.
There was blood on the walls, ceiling
floor, beds and every other article in
the room. In this room also was the
bloody ak which the murderer had
used and which he had left.
Sunday night all the members of the
Snowman family visited at the home
Of Mrs. Shook, a friend living several
blocks distant. They left the Shook
home about o'clock. This was the
last time any of them was seen alive
SO far as has been learned.
Gave the Alarm.
It was Mrs. Sn6ok, upon whom the
family called Sunday night, who dis
covered the murder. Her knock was
unanswered, so she opened the door
and went into the house, entering the
room in which the bodies lay. She
quickly gave the alarm and the au-
thorities We're notified 1t was then
nearly dark and the officers were I'M
able to find anything which would fur
nish a clew to the slayer or give any
cause for the crime.
Showman's wages as chauffeur and
mechanic at the garage were small.
Consequently the authorities are great
ly puzzled to conceive what could have
been the motive for the crime
Because of the eighteen hours or
more which probably elapsed between
the time the crime was committed and
the finding of the bodies, it is believed
that the slayer had time to get long
distance away from Ellsworth, unless
the crime was committed by some one
living in the town.
Sheriff Can't Be Found.
William Snowman was reared in
Ellsworth and had always been hard
working man. The ShOWmans had
been married seven years.
Rufus Bradshaw, sheriff of Ellis
worth county, could not be found Mon
day night Samuel Bartlett, county at
torney, could not be found and his idea
of the cause of the murder is not
known.
John Snowman, a brother of the slain
man and an itinerant patent medicine
vendor, was notified of the tragedy.
John ShoWman's home is about two
blocks distant from the house where
the murder was committed.
Ellsworth is a town Of about $500 in
habitants, situated In an agricultural
community, with a police force consist
ing of one policeman and night
Waterman. Sheriff Bradshaw has sent
to Abilene for bloodhounds to be used
in an effort to track the slayer The
bloodhounds will arrive in the morning.
Like Three Other Gases.
Chicago Oct. 1.-THE murders of a
man. his wife and three small children
as they slept in Ellsworth, Kan, was
almost identical to the Staying of six
in Colorado Springs, Col, on September
II and more lately the killing of VIM
E. Dawson, his wife and daughter =
Monmouth, H., october L In each
case an ak was the instrument Of death
so in every case each person in the