The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-10
Mother of Murdered Girl Gre
ates Scene During Trial.
BisSeH Case Heard in Kansas
City Courts Today.
FEAR BRINGING HIM TO TOPEKA
Lawyers Stated That There
Was Danger of Mob Violence.
Divorce May Be Set Aside as
Result of Conditions.

Kansas City. Kan, May 1O--F'red
Bissell, Topeka degenerate. confessed
murderer and abuser of Edna Dins-
more, 9 year old Topeka girl is on
trial today in the third division of the
Wyandotte district court for the brutal
murder of the little girl in vacant
house near Fifth and Taylor streets.
Topeka. Not friend, not even rel
alive of the fellow has rallied to his
defense and Judge w. H. Mechanism
was forced to draft two attorneys to
defend the man against whom so
much public feeling has been aroused
that Shawnee county officers were
afraid to place him on trial in Shaw
nee county.
The memory of the murdered girl,
which once before united Earl and
Bessie Dinsmore, father and mother of
Edna DinSmore, may once again unite
the couple. Mrs. Dinsmore recently
filed a petition for divorce against her
husband in the Shawnee district court.
Both at Trial.
Both Earl Dinsmore and his wife
are sitting in the Wyandotte district
court this morning with eyes carefully
turned from the confessed murderer
of their daughter. Bissell's eyes are
constantly rowing over the room and
always alight on Mrs. DinSmore. anger
against whom he claims caused him to
attack the little girl, gag and bind her
hand and foot and then start a fire in
several places in the vacant house
while the child was still alive.
As Bissell entered the court room
under a heavy guard this morning, he
started as his eyes fell on the mother
of the tortured and murdered girl
The mother turned pale and glanced
away. 1t was the first time that Mrs.
Dinsmore had seen the fellow since he
rode to the undertaker's parlor with
her the day of the murder so the
mother might identify the dead body
of her daughter, whom she had kissed
goodby in the Bissel bakery a few
hours before as the girl was leaving
for school.
Bissell has been confined in the
Wyandotte county Jail for several days
He is outwardly calm and is wearing
a suit, such as is given to discharged
convicts from the state prison.
Get No Continuance.
The trial is just beginning. A mo-
ton by w. A. Shook and w. E. Car
son, attorneys drafted to defend him.
to have the case continued on account
of their unfamiliarity with it. was
overruled by Judge MECHANISM. Then
they offered a plea for abatement de-
claring that all acts of waiving pre-
liminaries by Bissell had been invol-
untary and forced on account of feel
ing against him caused by newspaper
articles.
Argument over the plea brought
Bissell and several others to the stand.
The accused man declared he had not
waived preliminary hearing and re-
fused to answer whether or not he
desired trial at Topeka. Others prin-
cipally Robert D. Carver, prosecuting
attorney of Shawnee county. testified
he did not believe it would be safe to
take Bissell to the Kansas capital.
Mother Breaks Down.
The course of the trial was brought
to a dramatic climax during Bissell's
testimony. The little girls moth
err heavily yelled and seemingly in
firm. was seated in the court room.
She broke down sohbing, and Bissell's
testimony was broken while she was
taken out of the room and permitted
to regain her composure.
The state, in opposing the abate-
ment plea. introduced in addition 20
Prosecutor Carver the warden of the
Kansas prison, J. X. Codding. and +.
p. Lindsay, assistant attorney general.
Their testimony was to the effect that
BisseIl had offered at one time to
waive preliminary hearing. The state
endeavored to ascertain from Carver
whether or not Governor Capper
should be taken to Topeka for trial.
He answered that he did not know
what the governor would do.
Bissell was brought to Kansas City
Kan. from Lansing under heavy guard
several days ago.
He had been held there almost con-
tinuously since a few days after his ar
rest. when he had been rushed to
Lansing from Lawrence where a mob
from Topeka had sought to take him
from the county Jail.
State journal Evidence
=,
ing in reading articles from the To-
peka State Journal to impress on the
trial judge their argument that public
sentiment and fear had caused the
fellow to waive the ordinary prelimi-
naries accorded a man charged with
such a crime. If the jucge doesn't
overrule their motion, the case will be
thrown out of court and Shawnee
county officials will be obliged to go
thru a long legal propaganda to get
The Judge had the consideration of
the defense's plea under consideration
at noon today
Should the judge override the mo-
ton of the defense, attorneys this
afternoon will begin examining Jurors
There are sixty Wyandotte county
veniremen from which to draw a jury
Select Jury.
Judge Mechanism at o'clock this
afternoon overruled a plea in abate
ment made by Bissells attorneys and
the work of selecting a jury bega n
Immediately. If the judge had sus-
tanned the plea of the defense. Bis
sell would have been taken TO To-
CONTINUED Cd Page TwoI