The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-07-31
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
DETECTIVES AND POLICE SWARM
DOWN ON MRS. GERHARD.
The $500 Reward Brings Out q Horde
of Detectives-Hair Found by
a Well.

Mrs Gerhard, mother of the three-year-
old child murdered in West Indianapolis,
arrived in the city yesterday afternoon,
and for many hours she was pursued and
followed by detectives and officers, each
thinking the first to get a talk With her
would learn something of Importance in the
case. The town marshal Of West Indianapo-
lis was anxious to see her first The police
force of the suburb worked equally hard to
get the first interview. Coroner Castor
wished to get her testimony in the case
as the beginning of the investigation. The
city detectives were seeking Mrs. Gerhard.
and Chief Splan was at the Union Station
when the train arrived. Mrs. Parry, wife
of the West Indianapolis marshal, baffied
them all, for she boarded the train at
Brightwood and drove with Mrs. Gerhard
distance OF ten miles. TO her own home.
The West Indianapolis police heard of this.
and at a late hour last night they were
searching wildly for any information which
the marshal might have. for the marshars
force and the police force are not on speak
ing terms, and each Is jealous of the other.
Neighborhood gossip is sometimes a cruel
thing, and that of the neighborhood of the
Gerhard case home is heartless. Because
Mrs. Gerhard did not go to see the mutt
lated and worm-eaten body of her little
child some people think 1t strange. Because
she wished to leave her new home among
strangers to go where her relatives and
old friends live. some expressed amazement
and because she did leave, taking the body
OF her child for burial among her friends,
some shake their heads in a knowing way
and the gossip passes from one to the other
Chief Splan found Mrs. Gerhard last night
about O'Clock; He questioned her. and the
story she tolds in broken English was
straignt l with no contradiction. It
the circumstances of her child's disappear
ance.
West Indianapolis was simply OVERLOOKING
with detectives yesterday because of the
500 reward offered for the child murderer
The city detectives. private detectives and
members of the suburbs two police forces
ual lines. The city detectives, who are
simply working to aid in the capture of
the murderer, understood that Mrs. Geb-
hard was to be taken before Coroner Cas-
tor upon her arrival and. consequently,
they were surprised when she failed to APP
pear at the Union Station, Mr.. Gerhard
was there and after he learned that Mrs.
Parry had headed off his wife at Bright
wood. he was justly indignant, for Ii was
his desire that she be taken Immediately
before the coroner and given an early OPP
portunity to refute some gossip. Mrs. Geb-
hard brought her babe with her. She was
found by her husband at the home of
Marshal Parry and taken away. She is an
intelligent-looking German woman, prob
ably twenty-slx years OF age, and her face
shows the marks of her grief.
1t was told in the suburb, last night
that during a search OF the we'll on the
Gerhard property. several tufts of golden
hair were found. An old sack was also dis
covered, which contained a few stray
hairs. The well is a driven one. but around
the pump there is hole probably four feet
deep and three feet in diameter. In this
place are two shelves reached by raising a
board In the platform around the pump.
Caught In the splinters OF one OF the
boards OF this shelf, were a few golden
hairs. seeming to be a child's. hair. They
might have been ''combings," however
which were brushed through the cracks in
sweeping.
The young man OF the Gerhard neighbor-
hood who Is missing has not yet been found.
On the night the child's body was found
he was delegated to keep the crowd back,
but he only remained in the neighborhood
a few minutes. and some have not seen
him since that night. He is known to
have been there later. however, but why
he departed Is unknown. 1t is estimated
that six private detectives are after him.
The excitement over the case has not
died down by great deal. Crowds or
men or women can be seen talking togetn-
err at most any time OF the day, and IL is
pretty safe 10 venture that they are dis
GUESSING the Ida Gerhard case. Yesterday
a drunken man called all the people on
River avenue from their homes. He claimed
10 be a private detective with an fmpor-
tant cleW In the case, ana asked many
questions and talked as IL he knew great
deal Finally what he knew or what he
carried got the better of HIM and he fell
policemen came along and placed him I'M
Aar