Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-12-12

Clues TO Work Upon-A Woman Ma, M
Have Committed the Deed-The yietI,s
Unable or Unwilling 10 Tell Who liz,
Assai1ant Was.
Washington, Dec. IL. While IN,
Kenmore murder mystery is still nm,
solved and tho trial of Mrs. Bopu. IS
drags its slow length along, Wash' 10.
ton is again startled by horr n,
crime, committed in a most bruh ,$H
manner. This time the victim i,
woman-Mrs. Ada Gilbert Dennis
fashionable dressmaker, whose HON. e
/ is at lll7 X street northwest Thsrs
at o 90 ock yesterday morning, sh,g -
was found in her room 10 dying con s
dition. Her skull had been fractuIea
her jawbone broken and her left ea 81
almost severed from her head. Her e
arm bore a number OF bruises such al
would be received in struggle. Then s
we're other bruises about her, and hsl ~
clothing and bedding were saturated Is
with God, Robbery could not hass +
been the motive, for On table at ths s5
foot OF the he'd was a small box ID ~
which there was porketbook we'll ~
filled with greenbacks. There was asJ 5
other money ia the box, and nothIue
to hide it from view.
AS soon as the discovery was mads
Drs. Wade Ii. Atkinson and A. B.
Hoos were called, and after dressing
her wounds summoned an ambulance h
take her to the Garfield Hospital. Shs
was consc .ous, and as they were placiul
her on tho stretcher DR.. Atkinson
leaning over hAr, asked:
Mrs. Dennis, did somebody hur
your W
Yes, somebady," she answered.
"Who was itY''
Never mind, - responded the woman
WheE the police began their 10 81
vestigation they found that mem ers
the household had been in the room
and relatives of ths injured woman ha
been ass sting in the care OF her
Articles of furniture in the room had
been moved abuut, and the place pre
sented an appearance entirely differeD
from the situation at the time the
ghastly discovery was made. The policeS
al Q satisfied that the seat of the pianoA
stool was the weapon used, for it wasS
smeared with bio d to such an extent
that they believe it came in contact
with the woman several times after tbeI
+. first blow was delivered. 1t must hnve9
! been welded with considerable forced
| for the victim, seemingly, hardly madeI
an outcry. Had there teen loud out3
| cry made, someb dy 10 the house WOULD
no doubt, have2heard it, Tor her RroansI
were heard by roomer on the third
floor, as we'll as by people in the adioin Y
| ing house. The piano stool was found
/ IN the front pHrlor near the window
and directly in front of the piano. On7
the lid Of the piano was what appeared
to be the bloody imprint OF a hapdl
and tbs imprint may play an i'm
portant part in the tragedy. Thes
window in the east, the one through
which Mrs Dennis assailant, is sup4
posed to have gone when leaving ths|
house, was open and growing plant
in the window sill had been knocked
out. The piano was near this parlorI
window. as was the stool, the weaponI
supposed to have been used. \
lie is the general belief that Mrs.l
Dennis was attacked while asleep, and
that the first blow ON her head rendered.
| her unc luscious. She was dressed onlys'
in her sleeping garments, and was inI
bed under cover when found. It is be
lieved that the effect Of the first blow
was such that an outory on the part of
the victim was impossible. Certainly
there was no struggle and the oondil
tion OF the bed and surroundings indi
Gated that an attempt ut a more hsinousl
crime had not heen made.
Major Sylvester conferred with Captt
Boardman several times during the dayA
and 10 the afternoon no said that he field
satisfied chat the guilty person will nd
caught Information was received all
headquarters from Detective Hartigau|
that Mrs Dennis had mentioned the|
name of man, although she did noa
say that he had committed the deed j
Shortly. after the hospital was reached
the patient said something about find
ing it in book, and it is believed thafj
she referred to the name of her assail <
ant.
Afterwari she said "Ralr," and
later mentioned nams which sounded
to those about her as il it were "Ferj
gueon. 1t may be that she was|
anxious to see some friend and that tbs
name had no connection whatever withl
her assailant.
In the afternoon friends of the yictini1
advanced the theory that her assailant|
entered the house early In the evening
and was eecreted in the room duripu|
the night. While most of the detectiyss|
are of the opinion that the deed wa5]
committed by man, some of then1
suggest the possibility OF woman hay !
ing committed the crime. A man who
/, would commit such deed, one Of theI
detectives remarked, would have TO havd
been an extremely cold blooded crimi
nal, and man who was far worse thauS
the average murderer. Then, too, thd2
weapon. he thought, might suggest thatS
a man did not commit the crime. Thd
i detectives are at a loss to know how an
entrance to the rooms could have beeuI
etfected from the outside il the fastep 1
| ing on the window was secure, as il III
said it was. The only way in which1
the window could have been ouened.X
the detectives say, was by breaking theX
window, and there was no such break. II
1t was stated by one OF tho officers thau
y knife inserted between the upper andt
lover sash could not possibly hayd
opened the fastening.
Mrs. Dennis is about AZ years Odd
and Is probably one of the best knowri2
women in bus ness circles in this city.
a number OF years ago she was M
p.oyed in the dressmaking establish
ment of Mrs. Washington, on Pennsyl-
yania avenue, near Thirteenth street.
Later she went in business for herself,
and up to about three years ago She
was located on Thirteenth street north
west, between G and II streets. Her
husband, Waiter Dennis, an actor, diedl
nbnut i've years o, and his mo'herV
has since kept house for the daughter
n-law.
PENINSULA PIR1GR1PHS.