The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-26
How Firemen Discovered Edna
DinsmOre in Cellar.
Dragging Hose Out of Base
ment When They Saw Her.
ACTUAL DISCOVERY AT 1885
Police Were Notified at IL
O'clock, Five Minutes Later.
Facts and Time Will Play an
Important Role in Trial.

An interesting story. and one which
will play an important part in the trial
of Fred Bissell, if he is brought to
trial for the murder of little Edna
Dinsmore, lies behind the discovery
of the little dead body and the exact
time the police and county officials
were notified of the crime, for records
in the fire department headquarters
will doubtless be brought to the atten-
ton of the court to establish the exact
time the fire was discovered and the
officials notified.
The telephone alarm was received
at fire headquarters at exactly 1O:15
yesterday morning, and the water
gauge shows that the water pressure
was on just rs minutes This brings
the exact time to 10:4O and the body
had not yet been discovered.
Fifteen minutes later, Frank Cum
ningham, a fireman of No. engine
house, who had been sent into the
basement with three other men and
line of hose to put out the fire in the
dragging the hose out of the cellar
Hold on there, 1 believe there is a
body down there
Discovery at 1855.
Fire Chief Hanlon and Assistant
Chief Waidelich at once entered the
cellar and the discovery was made
that the little body lay at the foot OF
the stairs about six or eight feet away
from the fire. This brings the actual
time of discovery to 1885. Chief Han
| lon Immediately rushed to a telephone
and called Chief of Police Harvey Par
sons and attempted to get the coro-
ner. This occupied fully five minutes
so that it was eleven O'Clock actual
time before the police were notified of
the crime.
The story of the murder appeared
| in full in the noon edition of the State
Journal out shortly before noon.
According to Assistant Chief Valid
elich the fire was hard to handle for
it was in so many different places and
all were burning fiercely when the de-
partment arrived and they would first
turn their attention to one place, ther
| to another to save the house and II
order that it might not gain such
Roadway that it would endanger sur
rounding property.
Men Were Leaving.
hole had been chopped in the
floor of the rear room over the eel
lar in which the little body lay, IL
order that water could be poured into
g the cellar to flood the fire. Captain
Lucas of headquarters put on smoke
1 helmet and entered the cellar ant
found that the fire still was burning
lfierceIy and ordered men to brlns
4 down a line of hose. The body, at thii
time. had not been discovered. anC
was not discovered till the fire was GU
= in the cellar and the men were with
drawing.
The facts as to time may play al
important feature in any trial tina
NAV result for it definitely establishes
first when the discovery was made O.
the fire; second, the time that elapsed
between the discovery of the fire ant
the body. and third, when the Officials
were notified
Bissell returned to the bakery close u
11:15. Any one who set the hous'
Ion fire must have left the building
Immediately after. The firse was dis
covered and the alarm turned in a
1O:15. This gave him exactly on
hour to make the trip from the nous,
to the bakery which are about L
blocks apart.