The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-16
Fred BisseH Convicted of Muir
dering Edna Dinsmore.
At Last Death of Topeka Girl
Has Been Avenged.
He LEFT ROOM IN DESPAIR
BisseIl Had Hoped for More
"LiberaI" Verdict.
Motion for New Trial May Be
Filed by Attorney.

! Kansas City, May 16.-The last
chapter but one in the notorious Bis
sell murder case was written by the
| jury in the Wyandotte district court
/ at $500 o'clock Tuesday afternoon
! when a verdict of murder in the first
degree was brought in. The final
chapter will be written by Judge w.
H. MECHANISM within the next two
weeks when he sentences Fred Bissel1,
arch fiend, to the Kansas state peni-
tertiary for life. When that is done
the murder of innocent little Edna
Dinsmore in Topeka more than a year
ago will have been avenged.
Contrary to expectations the jury
held out for more than four hours.
But it was not discussing the question
as to Bissell's guilt or innocence A
juryman said today that there was
no doubt expressed by any OF the
twelve men as to whether Bis
sell murdered Edna Dinsmore. That
had been proven beyond Il question
of a doubt with the evidence intro
duced by Robert Carver, county at
torney of Shawnee county, " no prose-
cuted. But two jurors held that Bis
sell was insane at the time he COM
mitted the act and under the liberal
instructions given by Judge Mccain
ish that was good for four hours Of
argument in the jury room.
The final arguments in the case
were completed at noon Tuesday Rob-
ert Carver made the opening and clos
ing addresses for the state. The case
was of a character to lend itself to
plea to the passions of the jurors
Carver knew it and so stated but he
avoided that. Instead he summed up
the case in a clear, concise manner,
based wholly upon the evidence. leav-
ing no opportunity for a juror to
doubt Bissel1s guilt.
Courts Wide Instruction.
Under the courts instructions the
| Jury could find BisseH guilty of muir
| der in the first degree, murder IN the
second degree or bring in an acqulttat
on the ground that Bissel was insane
| at the time of the crime against the
little girl Had he been acquitted and
| found insane it would have awaited
| him little. Under the law he would
| be sentenced to the insane ward OF
the state penitentiary automatically by
Judge MECHANISM. Some time in the
| future he would have had an oppor-
tunity to prove that he was sane. But
| the law states specifically that the
| board examining n prisoner held UNI
| der such circumstances must flnd that
| sit is now safe for him to be at large
With the long string of crimes credited
to Bisse1I and the climax in the muir
der of Edna Dinsmore, it would have
taken a board of unusual hardwood
to have released him at any future
date.
All thru the afternoon while the
| iurv was out Bissell sat in the court
room waiting. He reused from the
Iethargy into which he had fallen the
last few days of the trial. When the
| iurv had been out an hour he became
hopeful. -,
"Havin' a little row, amt they?"
| he Ventured.
From that time on he conversed
with people who sat down in his v1c1n-
ity. AS the hour heightened to three
and four hours he became more hope
full.
81 think they'll either find me guilty
of second degree or insane" he said
! about 4:30 O'Clock. '"They wouldn't
stay out so long if it was first degree"
Wanted an Operation.
Even while the jury was celebrating
over his case BisseI reiterated his de-
| NAL of the confession made at the
state penitentiary.
But Fred some one said, you
told things in that confession that no
one else knew about and they were
afterwards verified.
Sure, after Warden Codding and
II Judge Lindsey promised to operate on
my head I told them everything. God
knows 1 wanted that operation
BisselPs aged father and mother
were at the hearing Monday as wit
nesses for the defense but Bissell was
all alone when the jury announced it
had reached a verdict. He had not a
friend or a relative in the court room.
He sat up straight as the jury filed
into the room.
The written verdict was handed tC
the bailiff and by him to Judge Nc
Camish. Then the clerk read it. Strip
ped of its legal verbiage it read:
we the jury find the defendant
guilty of murder in the first degree
A Picture of Despair.
Bissell slipped Gown in his chair
A moment later a guard tapped him
on the shoulder ard he followed him
! out, his head and shoulders slumpeC
forward, a picture of despair.
In an adjoining room was another
picture. Mrs. Bessie Dinsmore, moth
er of the murdered girl, sat there lis
tening to the reading of the verdic
thru an open door. For more than 6
year she had waited Cor that moment
THAT verdict will not bring bacl
little Edna" she said, but it will pu
that fiend where he will do harm t.
| no one else
Bissell's attorneys, W. A. Shook ant
| v. c. Carson. will probably file a mo
ton for a new trial Exceptions wer,
noted all thru the hearing, but it il
| extremely doubtful if new trial will
1 he era MT