Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-01-09
IT BORE THE USUAL FRUIT
DR.. Kniffen Attempts Suicide But 1T IS
a Failure.
Investigations Prove Another Woman
Was Concerned.
Facts Make a Bad Showing for Miss
Purcell.

TRENTON, N. J., Jan. 6.-Dr. Kniffen
made an unsuccessful attempt upon his
life this morning. With his pocketknife
he made a cash in the right side Of his
throat from which he bled proflsely. Be
fore cutting himself he took large dose of
poison, but he is still alive and 1t IS
thought he will recover.
He swallowed one of tincture Of
a~conite, cut his throat and gashed his
wrist. His stomach refused to retain the
a~conite, and it is due to this fact that he
is still alive. lie was discovered by David
Purcell, brother of Miss Purcell, who
stopped the flow of blood. The knife
wounds, it is said, are not serious.
The c%oroner's jury met this morning,
and after an hours conference decided to
postpone the inquest until Wednesday, IN
order, it was stated, that no legal proceed
ings might mar the solemnity of the dead
woman's funeral which takes place tomor-
row.
It will be remembered that DR.. Kniffen's
wife was found dead Friday morning. A
handkerchief saturated with chloroform
told the cause but not the story OF her
death. Another young woman was found
In an adjoining room unconscious from
the effects of the same drug. Burglary
was at once suggested as the
solution of the mystery, but sub
sequent developments seem to destroy
the burglary theory entirely and to
indicate a cruel murder wherein
the unfortunate young woman may have
been the victim of a carefully planned
scheme to get her out of the way. A cor
ner of the bed quilt, which appeared to
have been saturated with the anasthetic,
1890. a-o-x101 ,-oIa. 1o- Y,pgn Hnr hands
were tightly clenched, giving evidence Of
a terrible struggle before she lost con-
seriousness. There were no marks of VIC
lence on her person, but this only invested
the affair in vet deeper mystery. There
were only two persons in the house on the
night of the murder-Mrs. Kniffen and
Miss Emma Purcell-the latter being
found, as before stated, lying unconscious
on the floor near where her dead compan-
ion lay cold in death.
On Tuesday morning DR.. knitfen left
this city for Broadway, a village IN Warren
county, N. J.. 1t may be mentioned here
that Miss Purcell is said to have returned
late Thursday evening from somewhere In
the region to which DR.. Kniffen went.
Officers tried to find out Miss Purcell's
exact relations in the Knitfen household,
but with little satisfaction. She appeared
to have been a typewriter and a cousin
of Mrs. Kniffen, Some say that
Mr.. Kniffen was the one
claiming kinship. Be this as il
may, Miss Purcell is arobust young woman
of about 25 years. Rumor came In here
and said that Mrs. Kniffen was not over,
ioyed at Miss Purcell's presence In hel
family circle, and that Dr.. Kniffen and his
wife were not on the best of terms.
Later it was learned that DR.. Knitfer
and Miss Purcell were seen in Phillips
burg, N. j., together on New Years day
aud that they have been seen much togeth
er at various points of late. DR.. Knitfer
said tonight hat he met her at Phillips.
burg by accident.