The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-05-18
Gives In AT LAST
Hazel Estes COnfesses She
Knew About Robbery.
Knew Sweetheart Was Safe
Blower All the Time.
She TELLS ALL SHE KNOWS
Tried to Protect Accomplish OF
Bill Butler.
Heard Men Plan Crime; Tried
to Stop Them.
She TELLS ALL SHE KNOWS

After standing on her rights as 4
woman and sweetheart for nearly
twenty-four hours, Hazel Estes finally
broke down under questioning and
told all she knew about the burglary
and safe-blowing at the Triton
grocery the night of April s.
Hazel Estes may be older, but she
looks like a seventeen-year-o girl.
She was dressed like a schoolgirl with
long braid of hair hanging down her
back. Y ct she admitted she cOnsorted
with safe-blowers and knew it. She is
| William Buffers sweetheart and it was
| through her return to Topeka last Sat
/ urday that the police were tipped off
| that Butler was in town.
| Nelson Arrested.
In her statement. signed and sworn
| to, she says Earl Simms and Butler
| discussed blowing some safe in her
presence that night; that Butler was
| drunk and that she and Mrs. Nelson
| tried to persuade him to drop it, to
no avail.
| Bonnie Nelson has been arrested in
| connection with the crime and the
| confession made by Earl Si1nms and
printed by The State Journal Wednes-
| day tells of his part in the robbery.
| But all through the statement made
| by Hazel Estes is an evident attempt
| to protect Nelson.
| How do you account for the effort
| to protect Nelson when it is Butler
| who is her sweetheart" was asked OF
Harvey Parsons, chief of police.
II think it is because Mrs. Nelson
| has been good to her. he said. Mrs
| Nelson, I understand, is a good wo-
| man and while she must have known
| the kind of gifl Hazel Estes is, she has
been kind to her That is the only
| reason I can see for her attempt to
| shield Nelson"
| Left to Blow a Safe.
| In her statement the Estes girl says
| that when Butler and Simms left the
| Butler house to blow the safe Nelson
went to another room for the purpose
of retiring, but she admits she does
not know whether or not he went to
| bed. The police maintain that Mel
son was on the ground and took part
! in the burglary.
| Hazel Estes disappeared from To-
| peka soon after the burglary and by
way of Kansas City went to Lincoln,
| Neb., to visit sister, Mrs. Cramer.
| She admits that Butler and Simrns Wis
tied at the Cramer home while she
was there.
Simms has not yet been placed in
jail. Butler is in the county Jail and
| Nelson is still in the city Jail Butler
| has indicated that before his case
comes to trial he will plead guilty.
Il want to talk to Simms," he told
; an officer, land 1 think you ought to
| do that much for me since 1 don't in
| tend to make my case cost the county
1 anything"
i That is as near as he has come to
saying he will enter plea of guilty.
The confession of Hazel Estes,
which makes the case against Butler
still stronger. reads as follows:
The Confession.
"Hazel z. Estes, of lawful age, be-
| ing first duly sworn, upon oath de-
That on Saturday evening the
| eighth day of April, 1916, some time
| before midnight, Earl Simms came to
| Bill Buffers house at 127 Adams
street. Soon after Simms came they
| began to talk about blowing some
| safe, no safe was mentioned but it
was some safe. Bill Butler was drunk
| and they (Hazel Estes and Mrs Nei-
SOM tried to persuade them not to
go. Butler was drunk and would not
! listen to them.
About an hour after Simms came,
they (Butler and Simms) went away.
Soon after the men left, she (Hazel
Estes) retired and Mrs. Nelson also
retired, they being in the same room
and Mr.. Nelson went into another
room to retire-she does not know
whether he retired or not, but he
went into the room for the purpose OF
| retiring.
She (Hazel Estes) went to sleel
| duu Sle uoeS NOT KNOW now long Sne
slept before the men came back
When they returned to the house the
commotion and noise they made woke
her up and she and Mrs. Nelson got
up and dressed soon after they came
in and they went into the room where
the men were.
. NELSON was IN the room and fully
dressed when she entered the room
: When she went into the room where
, the men were she saw the money in
nd nf RrIf 1or md 70,
: they had evenly divided it. Soon after
that Simms left the house and the res
of them, Nelson and his wife ant
, Butler and herself. retired. She go
up about seven o'clock that Sunda,
l. morning and after taking breakfast
she went over to her mothers nous,
on Saywe1 street in North Topeka.
t Went to Kansas City.
'She (HazeI Estes) stayed at he
mothers house for two or three day
and then went to Kansas City. Sh'
e stayed in Kansas City over night ant
: left for Lincoln, Nebraska, the mex
| day to visit her relatives. She was il
Lincoln two or three days when But
Ter came to Mrs Cramer's Cher sis
4 teri house. Simms came with him
:, | They stayed there one day and wen
away that night and she has not seel
:. either of the men until she returne,
: to Topeka last Saturday morning, tn
= 1 4th of May, 1916.
:: She arrived here and stayed wit
her sister Sunday night and Monda
I she went over to Buffers house an
! | Tuesday she saw Butler. Tuesda
: afternoon two men in firemen's uni
forms came to Buffers house to in
spect for gas or bad hues or some
; thing and they found Butler in tn
bedroom She does not know whethe
= he was hiding or not. Further, affiar
= sayeth not.
| "HAZEL ESTES.
v Subscribed and sworn to before m
this 18th day of May. 1915.
l. "A. c. BARTEL,
Il Justice of the peace in and for
= the ely of Topeka, Kan
Il Now, when you carve the turke!