The Washington times., 1901-12-14
STILL CROPPING
IN THE DARK.
No SOlutiOnOf the Assault
On Mrs. Dennis.
VICTIM HIS A CHANCE FOR LIFE.
Au Hope of Clearing Up the Mys-
terry Centred on Her Recovery
Theories of Detectives Fail to
Produce Results.

"No theory appeals TO me in the
mystery OF the assault upon Mrs. Ada
Gilbert Dennis. Nothing yet done
brings us a plausible clue. ! have eX-
amined the promises; have taken part
in the investigation. a motive for the
crime is not found. 1t must be dis
covered. If the case is to be cleared
up. No human reasoning fits this
mystery. A solution may only lie in
| the recovery of Mrs. Dennis. All
manner of suggestions have failed, as
have efforts by those interested in
the investigation - assistant United
States District Attorney Taggart, on
the famous assault case.)
Thus is stated the position of the au-
thorities, after days of enquiry into the
knotty problem, as to the porpetrGtOr Of
the crime. No arrest has been made, no
one is under suspicion.
A Fighting Chance for Life.
The victim of the assault. which may
prove tragedy. lies at Garfield Hospital.
Her condition is slightly improved. She
now has fighting chance for life. Her
| physicians and nurses alone see her. Yes
terday her sister. Mrs. Dunn, of 112 d
| Street northwest, stood at the door OF the
| sick room, but was not allowed to enter.
She was not recognized by the patient.
Yesterday at noon Judge W. b. Flem-
ing. personal friend Of Mrs. Dennis. Chi
| cago lawyer. and resident OF Louisville.
| Ky. departed from this city. He took a
| Pennsylvania train for the West. Busi-
| ness Of a pressing nature called him away.
He had come to Washington on receipt of
! news OF the mystery which involved his
| friend. He was more than interested in
the crime. yet nothing that he could say
has enlightened the police. To Judge
Fleming, as to everyone the assault pre-
sents phases almost impossible Of solu-
| tion.
Judge FIeming's Statement.
At the railway station Judge Fleming
said:
4 am going away because Of necessity
Mrs Dennis may recover to clear up this
mystery. If she does not 1t may never be
solved. I have known the woman for
twelve years. have advised her on busi-
ness matters. that is all. What little
know about her past have told to the au-
thorities'
With no clue. 40 plausible theory, the
detectives grope in the dark For want
OF other lines to follow they again turn
sadly to the overcoat and apron found
Thursday in the sewer corner OF Thir-
teenth and y Streets northwest These
rarments have been examined aud no
| blood stains found upon them. Neverthc-
| less the owner OF each article IS TO be
hunted down By the detectives. At has
/ been ascertained that a merchant on Sew
enth street, not far from II Street. sold
the coat II was one cf lot of twenty
1 FIVE coats Of like pattern II was manu-
| factured by a Baltimore iirm. The mer-
| chant In question has been appealed TO,
hut h, is uncertain as TO the purchaser OF
the particular coat found in the sewer
Captnin Rourdrnan Has Theory.
1t is argued by Captain Boardman, who
directs the investigation into the mystery
of the coat. that If the owner is discoy-
cred and it is found also that such person
knows or formerly had any dealings
with Mrs. Dennis, of whatever Laturc.
| cine may be obtained from the particu-
! lar individual thus pointed out. II Is
vague theory at best, as is admitted by
all.
In the game Of chance. the detectives
olayed Yesterday at random. Ned Weedon.
a veteran. and his partner, Browne,
visited a score OF people to clear varied
I
| other men did too. Detective Helan spent
much time at the hospital Detective No
| Nance waited for something to turn up.
| He said he had no new theory for news
pauer men. Tis theories had not panncd
| out very well. He was willing TO receive
| SUGGESTIONS If they were good ones lie
regretted much that one of his ideas
somehow got into print.
| Defective Ned Horne. veteran Of the
u#H1 frfu nm
Dennis assault case. He is at Garfield
uospital many hours each day. Every
| chance ruraor he follows to earth. He
works hard. as he has done for many
/ wear. to the advancement of the local
| police force. At midnight last night he
said:
working Hard on the Cnsc.
There IS nothing doing on this case
| vet. It will come out. however. ! am
confident it will. All we want is a start.
on which we can hunt out the solution of
this mystery. We may get this at any
time. We are seeing hundreds Of people
| daily"
| the detectives was a negro named Curry,
| emploved al an uptown club. Curry once
| worked for Mrs. Dennis He has known
her about four years. He says he knows
| of no possible clue which might bring
| about solution Of the mystery. 4 milk
| man who is said TO have passed tne home
| 81 Mrs. Dennis at o'clock Tuesday morn
! ing last is wanted for talk by the de-
tectives. They think he may tell some
| hing Of interest in the case.
| pinno STOOL Not the Weapon.
More than one detective doubts whether
| The piano stool top was really the weapon
with which Mrs. Dennis was murderoualy
assaulted. It is quite likely. such men
say. that the assailant used another
.eapon. taking 1t away with him. In such
] case he might have stained the top Of
| the piano stool with blood merely as a
| trick to throw the police of the track.
| These detectives sim hold to the belief
that a woman committed the assault. one
| officer puts IL in this way:
| "A blow with such an instrument as the
| piano stool. especially IL 81 was welded by
| a man. would have crushed in the skuil OF
| the victim 4 lighter instrument, on thu
| other hand. however blunt would likely
| have caused such wounds as Mrs. Dennis
| suffered. This would be especially proba-
| bic If a woman struck the blows"
In the parlor of the Dennis residence
was gathered the usual family party last
| night. Mrs. Jane A. Dennis. mother-in-
| law Of the wounded woman, had as a
visitor Mrs Kelly, wife of the druggist.
| corner OF Twelfth and II Streets north
| west Smith Winchell a lodger in the
! house, and others were also there.
The UusInc-s to Rc Continued.