The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-29

frame of mind but he asked for time
to think. Half an hour later he had
plan worked out and he and Robert
Miller took Bissell to another part of
the building, up on the third floor,
away from the crowd and away from
all prison noises
Made Him Own Court
The plan was to collect all the dam
aging evidence in the possession of the
OFFICERS, get together all of the cir
cumstances pointing to Bissell as the
guilty man and try another man,
charged with Bisselfs crime, before
B1ssell as judge. In other words he
proposed to try Bissell's case before
Bissell.
One by one Sheriff Kiene. Frank
Lindsey and another slipped into the
ROOM They did nothing to take Bis
sells mind off the case and the trial
proceeded. At o'clock some slight
progress had been made. Bissen had
become studious and apparently was
giving thought to the long chain of
evidence against him.
He Wanted a Cigarette
warden Codding first took the case
in hand, then followed Miller, Lindsey
ana k1ene, one after the other. Bissell
wanted a cigarette. He wanted a drink
OF water. He got neither He begged
Tor cigarette and k1ene favored Civ
ing MIN one but Warden Codding held
up his hand.
Warden Codding talked about the
injury BisseH sustained when a how
Mhen mule kicked him in the head
he laid before the court" the theory
that the dent in the skull and the re-
Sultant pressure upon the brain might
be responsible for a criminal tendency
on the part of his CLIENT
Not Responsible.
FRED, said Robert Miller, Il have
learned something today that puts
your case in an entirely different light
| never knew until now that you were
kicked up mule or that you had a
wound in your skull. If that is true,
and the warden says it is, have Sff-
ferent feeling towards you over this
crime. 1t is possible that you are not
responsible and that the state is to
blame for not having operated upon
you when you were in prison before
and requested it."
He Began to Cry,
Apparently it was Miles talk that
broke Bissell down. He began to cry
Tears ran down his face and fell on
the new prison shirt. He shook like a
leaf in the wind and his body sIouched
down into the big chair he occupied.
AT that particular moment he scarcely
looked like a human he did not look
like anything mans laws are made to
govern.
Sorrow for Poor Wreck.
For a moment the officials dropped
their questioning and looked away
| They admitted afterwards that they
experienced a brief spasm of sorrow
for the poor wreck. But twenty min
utes later all sorrow for him had been
swept away and these same officials
We're gripping their hands and biting
their lips to keep from doing personal
violence to self-confessed criminal of
the lowest order. Twenty minutes
later Bissen was going over step by
! -
Codding with his years of experience
ever listened to.
wait a minute, wait a minute, said
Bissell when the questioning began
again, Bring me a cigarette and a
pencil and 1 will tell you some things"
Wrote First Note.
Not a word was said while pencil,
| paper and the ''makins'' of a cigarette
were brought from another part of
| the building. Nothing was said when
they were handed to Bissell. He calm
| ly rolled a cigarette, lighted and uffed
| it, then began to write. And this is
what he wrote:
"FirSt-Have my mother meet
me tomorrow afternoon.
| "Secondz-Promise all the pro-
lection possible by having at least
25 armed guards for a body
guard
'~Third-Have my sister meet
me tomorrow afternoon.
"Fourth-Have Warden Cod
ding and F. P. Lindsay act as ad-
viSing friends
''Fifth-Have two physicians, if
possible DR.. McClintock and DR..
Carter, examine my mental con-
dition.
"Sixth-If my mental condition
is such as will rerequire an opera
ton have the operation performed
at the expense, either of the coun-
ty of Shawnee or the state of Kan
sas.
| 'Seventh-Have the above
meeting place far enough away
from Shawnee county to prevent
mob violence and l will make
statements that will clear up the
murder of Edna Dinsmore, daugh-
ter of Bessie Dinsmore.
(Signed).
FIRED H. BISSELL,
Witnesses:
Il. L. KIENE.
ROBERT Miller,
~. K. CODDING,
"F. P. LINDSAY"
Completed His Work.
When this note was completed Bis.
sell appeared to feel that he had com.
pleted his work. The officers tool
him in hand again. They proved t.
him that he did not want his mother
and sister to see him in his sorry
plight Eventually he agreed to tina
and after a time, asked for pencil and
paper again, meanwhile smoking in.
Vulnerable cigarettes.
1t was in the second note that Bis
sell made the first admission that ht
is the murderer of Edna Bissell. He
signed the note:
Signed as Murderer.
Fired H. BisseL, murderer of Ends
Dinsmore, daughter of Bessie Dins
more"
The second statement was unimpor
tant except for the manner in which i
? was signed, which in itself was a con
fession. This statement read:
"a. s. Bissell, father of Fred
, Bissell, and Mrs. A. S. Bissell,
mother, are not the mother and