Meade County news., 1918-01-24
SLAYER A KANSAN
Lewis Whistler, Who Murdered
Four Men at Funston, Was
Raised Near Colby.
WAS READSTRONG AS A BOY
Old Playmate Tells Of Early Life OF
the Army Murderer and Bank
Robber.

Lewis Whistler, who killed four
men at Camp Funston after robbing
the bank there, was born in Guthrie
county, Iowa, and came to Thomas
company, Kansas, in 1892, with his
parents, Mr.. and Mrs. j. NJ. Whistler.
The father filed ON a claim three
miles south of Colby and built lit
tie sodhouse there. Lewis was the
next to the oldest of eight children,
four boys and four girls. Each day
Lewis and his elder brothers pilotef
the smaller children to school, three
miles away. They walked. In the
late COS the family moved to Achilles,
a town in southeastern Rawlins coun-
ty, where the father lives with his
second wife, Lewis mother having
died several years ago.
"As a boy Whistler was a stubborn
fellow and rather headstrong," said
E. A. Versen of Colby, who went to
school with Whistler. However, he
had no bad habits. He was always
good to his brothers and sisters, a
hard working and rather poor pupil,
because it was apparently difficult for
him to learn. He worked for his
father and, when he was old enough
he worked for other farmers in the
neighborhood and turned his earnings
over to his father to help support the
family during the hard years in 1893
and 1894.
81 remember he was never afraid Of
anything. We killed rattlesnakes to-
gether and caught ground squirrels
and did the things most of the coun-
try boys did together.
"Whisler was ambitious to have an
education, and when he could not at
tend district school during the winter
he came to Colby and studied the COM
mon branches at the normal institute
in the summer when work was slack
on the farm. He wasn't quarrel
some boy and was liked very much"
Whisler's former wife last March
told relatives here she was obtaining
the divorce because he was losing his
mind.
X X X
Milk Condensary Closed.-The Hell
vetia pet" milk condensary, which
has been in operation at Mulvane for
several years, has been closed in
definitely. Poor freight facilities and
the inability to get containers for the
milk are given as the cause. The
company has built up a big business
there, and nine hundred dairy farmers
sold milk to it. The aggregate in
come to farmers there was $2,400 a
day, and the idle mandatory will
be hard blow to them.
X X X
Snow Caused Mans Death.-Snow
packed on the heels of James r. Chap
ms shoes caused him to fall backward
from the porch Of his farmhouse near
Winfield causing death, when his head
struck the frozen ground. He was "a
years old and left many relatives
there.
* X X
Secretary to Aid Corps.-Ross Clay
ton, secretary of the department of
journalism at X. u, has resigned to
enter the aviation service. Clayton
has handled all accounts in the de-
partment of journalism for two years.
x X 4
Train Killed Railroad Man.-Forrest
Reed, AZ years old, signal maintainer
for the Frisco, was struck and killed
by northbound Missouri, Kansas &
Texas passenger than two miles south
of Olathe recently.
Dynamite In Schools Coal.-A pint
of blasting powder with fuse attached
was found in each of two large Jumps
of coal at a district school five miles
west of Wichita the other day.
X X X
Shot Son by Accidental. M. Cush'
man, a farmer ner Portland, shot al
a rabbit under a shed. At the same
time his 9-year-old son was peekine
at the animal from the other side ol
the shed. The bullet missed the rab
bit but struck the boy in the shoulder
and caused a wound that may be
dangerous.
X X X
Used Gasoline on Flre.-To heat
water for q sick husband, Mrs. j. II
Branham of Wichita used what she
believed was kerosene to replenish the
fire. 1t was gasoline and exploded II
her hands. She cannot live.
X X X
Gets Military Home Job.-Frank G
Kibbey of Olathe was appointed ad
jutant of the National Military Home
at Leavenworth to succeed Captain M
e. Drew. Captain Drew succeeded
George c. Vogelsong as quartermastel
of the home.
X X x
Drop German In Wchita.-ThG
Wichita Board of Education has adopt
ed a resolution abolishing German
from the high schools there. The rule
will not go into effect until next term
Students have shown a tendency tC
drop German and the board decided
to aid them.