The Topeka state journal., 1919-08-15
RUFE KING TELLS
STORY OF HIS LIFE
AT MAPLE HILL
Alleged Murder Farm Operator
in Good Spirits.
He Denies EmphaticalIy That
He Killed Amy One.
WAS LAST To SEE GUTSHALL
He Repeats Farewell Words OF
the Missing Man.
He Is Unafraid and Appears
To Be Indifferent.

Tell mother goodbye and tell the
old man to go to hell"
Those were the farewell words of
Reuben Gutshall to Rufe King the
night of GutshalPs disappearance, ac-
cording to a statement by King today
in the Shawnee county Jail where he
was brought late Thursday night by
officers who feared mob violence.
They were standing under the caves
Of Kings barn at midnight, the man
accused of the murder of GutshaIl de-
clared this morning.
Charlie Miller and Gutshall moved
away in the darkness to catch an
early morning train for California,
was forced to leave Maple Hill on ac-
count of the condition of a girl living
there.
King awakened from an apparently
good sleep in the Jail early this morn
| ing, was good natured and verbose. He
rubbed his eyes, pushed back a heavy
shock of hair. sat down on an old box
and answered every question fired at
him. King stands more than six feet
in his bare feet. is powerful, a good,
tho illiterate talker. He had removed
none Of his clothing excepting his
shoes and sox for his slumbers over
night.
He Is Not Afraid.
"Sure they might get me-" he said
when asked II there were really any
danger of trouble at Alma, from where
| he was removed Thursday night. But
amt bit scared of it."
II they really found human bones
in the shed near his home and outside
his old livery barn they were buried
by some one else or it is all a frame
up, King declared.
Just about the time GutshalI left
Maple Hill was a bad town." said
| King. There was lots of drinking
and lots Of fights. I was some fighter
myself but I never did away with a
man. But with things as wild as they
were them days I'll bet there's more
bones buried around there.
| Yep, drank some. whisky
wasn't poison to me like to a heap of
fellows. 1 was just drunk once in my
life. And all the drunks gathered
around my livery barn. I've stopped
dozens of fights there"
King claims he knew Gutshall Just
as he knew all the boys around the
countryside. A few days before Gut
shall disappeared the young fellow ap-
preached him and wanted to sell a
team in order to get money to get out
| of town and escape from the trouble
with the girl, according to King s
story told today.
Bought Gutshalrs Team.
/ ) 'T bought the team" said King. IL
paid part one day and Gutshall wen-
to Topeka where he bought some
clothes and a new suit case He came
back that night and came to my house
for the money.
| Il paid him every -- -- cent
owed him. 1 sent him over to town
to get a check cashed. He and Charlie
Miller and Ed Frost were all planning
on leaving. One of the boys, Frost, /
think, went over to a hotel to get a
suit case and beat a board bill. II !
1 remember right it was Miller's suit
case he went after. Miller had got In
trouble for selling booze, think.
Anyhow, Gutshall left his old grip
with old clothes in 1t with me and
Miller came over. We stood out by
the barn and taxed. About train
time they left. 1 guess Miller and
Frost still live at Maple Hill.
"I told his mother where he had
gone. She wrote to him but never got
reply"
King said he is about 40 years of age
He has been married twelve years, he
, said, and left his wife in Colorado
He has no children.
Tells of His Work.
i've Just been working from one
place to another" he said.
King was asked IL he wanted a trial
| in Shawnee county in order to gel
away from any prejudice against him
which might exist in Wabaunsee
county.
'It don't make any difference tc
me-" he replied.
King said nothing about burying q
horse near where the last bones were
found. He seemed unconcerned over
the fact that the coroner's jury Thurs
day night found the bones were those
of man.