The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-16

| Without a suspicion of trouble, the
girl started on her way to school She
kissed her mother goodbye and hoped
her brother would feel better when she
returned at night. Down the road q
4 q 'arter of a mile, she met Miss Wal
! lace, stopped and chatted a few min
utes and continued on her way That
/ was the last time she was seen alive
Mother Is Frustrated.
She's coming back, surely she
coming back. I just feel every minute
door" sObbed the hysterical mother
today, as a dozen kind hearted neigh
Dor women tried to comfort her in her
sorrow Il have tried to watch and
protect her. continued the mother as
she wrung her hands in her terror of
the tragedy that had entered the home.
I have done everything there was to
do. Surely. I'm not to blame"
Down in the field a dozen men were
tracing and retracing the details of
the double crime. Rickels' cap was
found 0 feet from where he took his
own life. It had been blow there by
the force of the heavy sharge of shot
At the COnwell undertaking parlors
today, grains of shot were found I'M
bedded in the mans skull. The top of
his head was literally torn away. Both
Rickels and the girl had apparently
been shot near the base Of the skull
and a little to the right side or the
head.
one barrel of the mans gun was
known to be out of commission After
taking the girls life and fearing the
consequ ences of his detection, Rickels
reloaded the good BARREL leaned over
the 30-inch barrel and with a stick
or the fingers of his hand, discharged
the gun that sent him to eternity with
his victim.
UnnerTed by the shock Of the crime
she almost witnessed school in the
Sunbeam district was dismissed today
by Miss Wallace. School was also dis
missed in the E'airview district for the
day and the one topic of conversation
ir the little country district is the :rag
edy of yesterday.
In the Fairview school. Clara Belle
Stickney was one of the brightest and
most popular pupils. She was strong
for one of her years and unusually at
tractive.
Bodies Brought to Topeka.
Nearly all night members Of the sher- !
ifs and corc ner's force worked at the
scene of the double killing. This morn
ing the bodies were brought to the Con- |
well undertaking rooms in North To- |
peka. Mrs Rickels was Frustrated and |
could not visit the undertaking estab-
llshment-
Rickels, according to Cowperthwait,
to commit suicide about a
year ago by swallowing chlorcform but |
was discovered and treatment revived |
him.
According to Cowperthwait, Kickels |
was IN honest workman and attempted /
to keep at WOTk CCHLIAuOuSIy I'LL 49,
manner which not as aggressive, often |
manner which was not prepossesslng'
cften resulted in him being out OF en-
Cowperthwait does not appear TO
have much respect for the man and
seems to think that he is responsible
for part of his troubles, more es-
eeciaIly his domestic troubles. Cowper-
Ehwait was at the undertaking rooms
Of F. R. Conwell this morning while
the bodies were being prepared for
burial He contended that Rickels com
nitted suicide from the very beginning
ana was deeply interested in the work
IF the embalmers while the work was
n progress and was constantly looking
for evidence of suicide.
H w. Bomgardner, county coroner,
will this afternoon summon a jury for
the inquest to be held at 2 o'clock Sat
urday afternoon. The hearing will be in
The Judge Garver's court room at the
court house.
Mrs. Ricl1eIs Divorced.
Mrs. Rickels, according to CARROTS
story. is divorced from her former
husband, the father of the girl whose
,ody was found beneath that of Rick
is. His name is Stickney but Carroll
avs he does not know of Stickney's
whereabouts or what their trouble
vas. The sister is Mrs. Lafayette Bar
,er and her husband is a truck farmer
rear Abilene. BARRIERS barn was
,urned some time ago and neighbor-
rood boy was convicted of setting fire
O it. This was done, it was declared,
because the Barber boy had Usurped
he lads place with one of the bellies
# the vicinity 1t is not known where
he barn burner is now.