The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-03-10
FINDING SUIT CASE.
Grip Found in Box Back of PIanin;
MIL

Another tangible clue to the Plat
murder was found at $3.50 p. m. Thurs
day but gives no light as to the ident
itv of the murderer.
The police were notified that blood
stained suit case had been found in a
dry goods box back of the Topeka
planning mill at 221 Kansas ave-
nue. Afterwards it was found to con-
tain clothing identified as belonging
to Benjamin Plat by his son-in-law,
Samuel Freidberg.
The contents of the grip included
two full suits and an extra pair of
trousers; the coats being SO and 40 size
and the trousers % inch waist and 80
inches long. Besides the clothing four
watch chains, a cheap watch, one
dozen bone collar buttons, four hand
kerchiefs, one white and one blue,
marked RI and ''K' and two white,
and a No. 10 pair of patent leather
shoes.
One of the coats had two stains in
the back which may be blood The lock
and handle of the grip also showed
blood marks. The grip itself showed
marks of having been exposed to the
rain. However, it was in a large dry
goods box and rather sheltered from
the rain and from view. The find was
made by w. H. Chamberlain of the
shawnee mills, who weas looking
for dry goods box. They notified
the police. DIR. H. H. Keith, the
coroner, was not notified of the dis
until about o'clock last night
when a State Journal reporter men
toned the matter to him had he heard
about it. He said then that he thought
he should have been notified and given
| a chance to examine the find
The police put City Detective Lon
Sauls to work on the clue. Just what
tValna it will have is now hard to de-
| termine. 1t is thought that the grip
| had been taken from the Platt store
| Immediately after the murder, either
| by the criminal or his accomplice. 1t
Platt store at $40 North Kansas ave-
nue. to the alley back of the planning
mill and hid in the box. A board had
been removed from the box just large
enough to admit the grip
| It is not improbable that this was
not the first place of concealmept.
man would run some risk of being re-
membered if he was seen carrying a
grip UP the street or alley. So it Is
not unlikely, according to a theory,
that the guilty persons remained in
hiding just after the murder, which
ernoon, until evening and then in the
| darkness carried the evidence of his
guilt to its hiding place.
1t will be remembered that a pain
| of NO. 10 SHOES, the same size d.
those in the grip, were found in the
rear of the Plat store on the evening
of February %, just after the body
of Platt was discovered. indications
were that one of them had been tried
on. Another grip was also found neaI
the rear door of the store, evidently
left by the murderer, who at first in
TENDED to take it with him, but had
become frightened and fed without it
This is the second tangible thing
| connected with the crime to come tC
light The first was pocketbook con
tanning part of the coins owned By
Platt which was received in the mai
by DIR. Keith Tuesday afternoon The
post mark on the envelope around the
package was SO dim as to be unde-
cipherable. but looked like Soldier
Later developments proved this to b.
the place from which the envelope wa:
Ioriginally sent A copy of the Soldier
spostmark sent to the police Thursday