The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-25

trolling the flames. In fighting the
fire it was necessary for them to cut
away the flooring and part of the in
! terror walls and in so doing they dis
covered the body of the child crumpled
up in the basement.
Chief of Police Harvey Parsons said
after making a partial investigation,
while waiting for the coroner to ar
rive: while / have made no careful
examination it looks to me, judging
from the general appearances of the
child and the condition of her clothing
! that it is case of assault
Body CrumpIcd Up.
One of the neighbors who entered
the cellar with the authorities and
viewed the body said: 1.-The pocr lit
tie child lay all crumpled up and
would judge from the general appear
ances of things that she had been dead
for hours. The smell of tar was
strong in the old burned building and
L am sure that her body was either
| brought to the house and deposited in
the cellar after the assault lad been
committed and the house then set on
fire in order to hide the crime, or that
the deed was performed some time
early this morning or last night
No one. according to neighbors, had
been seen lettering about the place last
night or before the fire was discovered
but it is known that on several coca
sions boys and girls had been seen
entering and leaving the deserted
house at late hours of the night.
Case of Assault.
The body of the child was brought
from the cellar at 11:3O and the fact
was definitely established that she
had been assaulted. She wore a little
blue checked gingham dress, white
stockings. shoes and carried her lunch
with her which denoted she was on
her way to school.
The body was still limp, denoting
that the deed had not been committed
long and her bloody clothing and torn
little body told all too plainly the vain
struggle that the little one had made.
| The opinion of those who viewed the
body was that the child was not over
eight or nine years of age.
She was a pretty, chubby faced lit
tie girl with auburn hair. One of her
little white stockings was pulled down
over the top of her shoe
The cellar was partly filled with
water so that the authorities were un-
able to make an investigation of the
grounds to determine whether or not
any cvid nee had been left by the
murderer.
An Air of Mystery.
One of the strange features which
surround the murder is the absolute
! lack of information in the neiShbor-
hood. The authorities are of the
opinion that the child was murdered
sometime between and 9 O'Clock this
morning. That she was on her wy to
school, the little bag of lunch would
indicate, but persons living near the
house in which the body was found
We're all busy about their homes A
careful canvass of all of them fails to
uncover a single instance of where
any of them either heard a sound or
saw anyone enter or leave the vacant
house.
At Another Point?
1t is possible. the authorities admit.
that the child could have been at
tackled at another point and brought
to the deserted house in an automo-
bile but it being daylight this theory
was secuted after a careful investiga-
ton revealed the fact that the cid
had not been dead many hours before
the house was discovered to be on fire.
Her little body was discovered by
the firemen at the foot of the stairway
| leading to the cellar when they en-
tered it to fight the fire but rot be-
| fore several of them had tramped
about the dark cellar.
No Clue Yet.
Sheriff Kiene made an investigation
and found the little checked coat, a
soiled handkerchief used by the as
sailant and her underwear. and
brought them to the rear of the house
and made a critical examination of
them but there was no mark on the
clothing or handkerchief, which had
been torn in two, which would lead
| to a clue.
The coat which the child wore was
! old and the left pocket was torn and
| judging from the general appearance
| it had been worn for a considerable
time White checks of about one
/ quarter inch covered the coat which
was of dark brown material
Dress to Her Knees.
] Her blue gingham dress reached to