The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-02-05
DRAGGING RIVER
FOR The BODY OF
MISSING GROCER
Police in Final Effort to Locate
w. S. Eskridge Here.
Meanwhile TOpekan's Heavy
Debts Bring New Trails.
SUITS FILED IN COURTS TODAY
. warrants, Foreclosures and
Bankruptcy Petitions Arrive.
Heavy Life Insurance Policies
Bring Out RumOrs.
MYSTERY DEVELOPMENT

Kaw river Is dragged and dynamited
this afternoon. in effort to locate body.
Warrant Is sworn to by the PoehIer Mer-
camille company charging 9 EskridEe with
Suit is filed by Rehkopf Bros. to collect
S275 repair bill.
Suit filed by ZIeEIer q Son to collect
S23O.1O for butter and OleO.
Mortgages on grocery stock, car and de-
livery truck, and other debts are revealed.
Petition asking Eskridge be declared
bankrupt IL filed by POehler Mercantile
company. Fleming Wilson company and
Central Topeka Paper company.
Police and sheriffs force continue search
for elcws leading to the grocer's disap-
pcarnnce.
Warrants, foreclosures and bank
ruptcy petitions marked the events of
today in the mysterious disappearance
of w. S. Eskrldge, Topeka grocer,
whose sedan car was found bottom
up in the Kaw river near the Sardou
bridge wednesday morning.
warrant charging him with OBJ
tanning money under false pretenses
was to be sworn to in the court of
Topeka by the Poehler Mercantile
company late this afternoon. A petit
tion asking that he be declared bank
rupt was to be filed in the district
Mercantile company, the Topeka
Paper company and the Fleming
Wilson Mercantile company late to-
day. Zeigler & Son brought suit this
morning TO collect $230.10 the grocer
is alleged to owe than for butter and
oleo. and Rehkopf Brothers filed a
suit to collect S275 for mechanical
work done on the Dodge sedan.
The Item Biscuit company has filed
suit for s132.64 alleged to be due on
account.
Records in the register of deeds Of
flee revealed four mortgages this
morning. One was to the Oakland
and fixtures in the store he formerly
operated in Oakland. Another was to
T. ]. Norman for $422 on a Ford de-
livery truck. sorrel horse and a de-
livery wagon. Another was to the
Oakland State bank for 1892 on the
Dodge sedan found in the river. A
fourth was to e. j. Slocum for S175
Jon the Ford truck.
1t was stated by attorneys that the
bankruptcy suit will render invalid all
four months prior to the filing of the
bankruptcy petition.
Hunt for Body in River.
Even among the police opinion to-
day appeared to vary as to the solu-
tion of the mystery. Chief G. G.
Hannah adopted as plausible the con-
clusion that Eskridge is in the river
and at l o'clock this afternoon the
police, fire department and the equip
ment of the King Brothers humane
agency were taken to the scene of the
accident to search for the body. Chief
Hannah decided upon this step. he
said. after examining the Dodge sedan
which was dragged from the water
and brought to the Taft Motor COM
pany garage on Jackson street.
All the windows on the right side
of the car were broken and the front
glass on the left side was out. 1t was
possible, the chief believes, that Esk-
ridge may have fallen out of one OF
these windows or had been sucked out
by the current. The fact that his fur
cap was found in-tbe car lends plausi-
bility to this theory,
No Facts on woman" Rumor.
Efforts of Clyde Tresner. chief OF
detectives, today to run down rumors
and gossip about a woman being inn
plicated in Eskridge's disappearance
failed to disclose any reason whatever
to believe the reports were based upon
fac's IN fact. rossin and widely vary
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