The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-21

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TT was because she wouldn't obey
/ him-wouldn't do what he told her.
/ She sometimes came crying to me and
said her father did not talk right to
j her-that he would kill her if she
didn't obey. I told her to let him kill
her first, but not to yield: And she
said she would die first. Then I sent
| for Albert to come home. I told him
we were afraid to stay alone with
Rickels-that everything was not right
I between Clara and her father"
Then Mrs. Riekels told of the mad
infatuation of her husband for the
stepdaughter- She recalled the girls
taunts and the insane jealousy which
he exhibited on these occasions.
'At first I thought it was just
fatherly love- said the slain girls
mother. II wasn't jealous. 1 thought
it was all right, but Clara grew
older, I was worried and we grew to
fear the man."
No Indications of Trouble.
In the presence of her stepfather
the girl was usually jovial and only
when evading the mans forced atten-
tions, showed outburstS of temper.
The night before the killing the family
sat in the little dining room and joked
and gossiped until bed time. The next
morning, Clara Belle seemed as happy
and cheerful as usual.
She kissed me goodby, Just as she
always did" related the mother, land
there was nothing to indicate trouble
Mrs Rickels recalled that the same
week of the shooting, her husband
had renewed his advances toward her
daughter. She also told of the visit
OF n p Wolpert to the home, when
R1ckels had threatened to kill some
one.
The day of the killing, Mrs. Rickels
SAID she did not leave The house until
AFTER the return of her 7-year-Old son
from school. She also declared that
Albert Stickrey, her elder son, was sick
al day and cid not leave his bed until
his halfbrother announced that Clara
had not been to school that day.
In the little cfIice with his mother
HERBERT RIckels, the 7-year-o old son,
was use as a witness. His testimony
contradict his former story in sew
eral important details.
WheIE taken to the county attorneys
office Ut week, the boy said he heard
a shot IN the neighborhood of the kill
ing shortly after he arrived at the
FalrVleW school, This statement he de-
nled before the coroner's Jury and
he could not rernena Der hearing a shot
after he reached the school house
Girl Hated Stepfather.
The boy had earlier told of a whis-
pered conversation between Rickels
and the Stickney girl the morning of
the shooting. He said on the witness
stand that he did not remember such
a conversation and denied that his
father visited Clara Bellies room the
morning of the killing. Of one thing
the boy was positive. His halfsister did
not like his father She hated him, the
boy said and often showed her hatred
in conversations held in the nome
AS to his trip to school that morn
ing, Herbert's memory was clear. His
father took him through the alfalfa
field as far as the culvert a half mile
south of Rickels home. Sc said Here
the father left him and the bow did
not see where he went after that time
Then The hearing was again trans
I
Grace Wallace, teacher at the Sun
beam school, told of meeting Clara Belle
Stickney in the road near the scene of
the killing, While the two girls were
on their way to different schools They
chatted minute and each went their
way She was the last person, except
Rickels' to see the girl alive
d. H. Wallace, brother of the sun
beam teacher and himself teacher in
the Esitview school, said I5ernert Rick
els was the first pupil to arrive at school
THURSDAY morning. He new nothing
of the double tragedy until Mrs. Rick
els told him her husband and daughter
were missing. He then aided in the
search and was a sh 0rt distance from
n. P. Wo10ert when the latter found
the bodies in the lonely ravine. He cor
rohorated the testimony Of former wit
nesses when he described the position of
the bodies as they lay at the bottom of
the gulch.
Court Rom Packed.
The court room was packed almost
to the point of suffocation by the
crowd which began to assemble an
/ hour before time for the hearing to
| begin. School was dismissed in the
two districts near where the murder
occurred and children and their par
ents took the day off to attend the in
quest.
People stood on tiptoe and craned
their necks to get a glimpse of Mrs.
1 Rickels, the woman dOubly bereaved
! by the recent tragedy. Herbert Rick
/ els the young son of the dead man
was also an interesting parsonage to
the crowd. Second to him and his
mother, was Miss Wallace, the young
school teacher, who is believed to be
the last person who saw the girl alive
except Rickels.
Mrs. Rickels was in tears most of
the time. She has not yet recovered
from the nervous shock she received
when her s-year-old son told her
Clara Belle had not been at school
that day. She cried aloud several
times during the afternoon, complete
/ ly losin gcontrol of herself when the
shotgun with which the double killing
was committed was offered in evil
dence. She was also similarly de-
monstrative when Rickels' cap was
made an exhibit.
hearing would hardly be concluded to-
night The testimony dragged and
( there were IS witnesses to be exam
/ ined for the benefit Of the men who
are trying to sift the murder case to
7 the bottom.
According to the various officers
who first visited the scene the body
of Rickels was found lying across the
girls legs. The shotgun lay beneath
him. The girls lunch bucket was 20
/ feet from the bodies and tracks indi-
! Gated that both the man and girl had
gone to where it lay and returned to
where the bodies were found. The
4 cap of RickeIs lay IS feet in another
direction from where the bodies lay
! when found