New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-02-26
SLAIN IN HIS SHOP.
UNDERTAKEN FOUND GAGGED AND
MURDERED
uAD BEEN STRUCK on THE HEAD. PROBABLY
WITH = HAMMER-A COLoRED
MAN ARRESTED

The body OF Henry Knaus forty-two years old.
an undertaken. was found in the workroom Of his
shop in the basement Of No 1890 Old Broadway
yesterday morning. The man had a long cash on
the top Of his head and was lying in the middle 81
the floor Two empty pocketbooks were found IN
The yard the door leading to which was open. and
Mrs Knaus says her husband collected 500 on
Friday night. No money was found IN the mans
clothing
Knaus lived with his wife and his brother-in-law.
Charles Dempeldorf, in a three-story frame house
His shop was in the basement. in which he had
two rooms. an Office and a workroom. Knaus had
been used 20 being gu, In the night he
often suddenly called TO attend TO cases. HIS wife
did 70, worry about him when she retired. be
tween 1890 and il O'Clock. He had been IN the
office up 10 O'Clock. and he about the
neighborhood according TO several persons. up 70
midnight.
When Mrs Knaus awoke and saw that her hus-
band had not been home she dressed herself and
looked into the other rooms. She did not find him.
II about $50 O'Clock when she descended
through the house 70 the Office Of the shop She
remembers that the door Of the big safe IN the
Office open when she passed through that
room She went TO the workroom in the rear and
there saw her husband dead the floor. The
turned and ran upstairs. where she told
her brother Both went to the Office again. and
then went into the yard. There they saw two
pocketbooks. which Mrs. Knaus recognized "a her
:
Captain Stainkamp and his men. 10 whom the
case reported. found that many papers which
had been taken from the safe were s;rewn about
the floor. The safe was opened with the regular
key which Knaus had In his possession. II was
not known whether not any money or valuables
taken from the safe one knows what
Il contained
There appeared TO be no sign OF any struggle
Mr.. Knaus was Of such a physique that he could
have made effectual struggle against a des-
perate man. Not the slightest trace Of burglar
other than the evidence produced could Be found
There were no footprints In the yard. because OF
the absence OF snow and the hardness OF the earth
The police after an investigation arrested Thorn
Wetherford. thirty-hve years old. A colored FUR
niture-rnover. The police say he was seen drink
ing with Knaus at midnight IN the saloon Of d.
Walsh directly opposite the undertaker's shop
The man says NJ Knows nothing about the death
OF Knaus He told the detectives that he lived
with John Harris of hundred-a nd hirty-first
81 and the Boulevard. The detectives took Harris
20 the police station where he denied tina; We,her-
ford lived with him
Coroner Hart made an examination Z the body
Of Knaus He found that the man had been
gagged. he SAID. by piece Of linen cloth which
was drawn across the mouth lightly that his
lips were cut. he found that the wound IN the
mans skull was an inch and a half long and TWO
inches deep Il penetrated the skull. and the
Coroner said he believed il touched the brain.
The blow he thinks was made by d hammer
The dead man had three dogs one large 3.
Bernard and TWO terriers. These dogs were IN the
room when Knaus was murdered The fact that
the dogs made no noise. the police say shows that
the person who committed the murder well
known by the dogs.