The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-12-18
KILLED BY A BURGLAR
PROMINENT PITTSBURG WOMAN
MURDERED IN HER ROOM.
AssaiIant Was After Money Held by
Her as Treasurer of n Benevolent
Fund-A Theory of Suicide.

P1TTSBURG, Dec. 17.-Harriet p Muir
ply, prominent in church and society cir
cles and treasurer of the Kingsley house
fund, was murdered at her home No 6221
Howe street. East End, by a burglar about
o'clock this morning. The murderer
made his escape, and although the whole
detective and police force of that vicinity
was called the man has not been captured
Miss Murphy was the only sister OF Select
Councilman John A. Murphy, from the
Twentieth ward. and was thirty years Old
She. with her brother and two servants
women, lived alone in the house, Miss Muir
ply sleeping on the second floor She was
an expert with the revolver having prac-
ticed many years for the purpose of pro-
tecting herself in the event of such an
attack happened this morning and she
always had a pistol either under her pill
low within easy reach.
About o'clock this morning her brother
was awakened by two shots In the house.
and, Fastening to his sisters ROOM found
her lying dead on the floor with a bullet
wound in the head.
The burglar was a porch climber He
scaled the porch posts and entered the
window of Miss Murphy's room by break
of the crashing glass awakened her, and
as she jumped from the bed with her re-
voIver in her hand the man fired. Marks
in the snow on the porch roof indicate
that only one man entered the room Miss
Murphy usually kept the collections for
the Kingsley House fund in her room until
it reached a sum large enough to be placed
in the bank and it is thought the burglar
was after this money.
When the police raised Miss Murphy
they found the revolver within a few
inches of her right hand. under the folds
OF her nightdress The room in which the
duel took place was pitch dark. and the
police think that the burglar aimed at the
fash OF Miss Murphy 5 revolver The fall
ing OF Miss Murphys body Is thought 10
have scared the thief away before he had
time to think about stealing anything. A
careful investigation was made OF the
room, and not thing OF value was miss
ing. The police are inclined 10 think the
I burglar was a negro.
Developments tonight in the case deep
\ en the air of mystery surrounding II. At
Y the preliminary corOnerS inquest IL was
\ shown that two bullets were missing from
\ Miss Murphy's revolver One was ac-
\ counted for by tracing II 10 the window
/ ledge where IL lodged. No trace of the
other has been found. Miss Murphy 5
\ physician stated that his patient had not
I slept for fifteen nights. The physician
/ who examined the body for the coroner
I said that the hair around the wound in the
\ head was scorched, showing that the shot
+ was fired at close range. Bloody tracks on
the snow outside OF the house, supposed
TO have been made by the murderer. are
+ shown 10 have been made by officers who
arrived early on the scene and after being
I In the room tracked blood 10 the outside
during their investigation OF the case.
/ While many are inclined 10 believe il a
case OF suicide while temporarily de-
ranged through insomnia. the police au-
thorities will make statement. and the
+ friends OF the family are positive that this
theory Is entirely wrong The hunt for a
! POSSIBLE murderer Is still kept up.