The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-05
Was Ethel Dingle Left Handed :?


ROCHESTER,, N Y, Oct. An a
room in the Whitcomb house in this
city on last Sunday afternoon was
found the dead body of beautiful
Ethel Dingle.
She lay across the bed, smiling as
though in sleep.
BY her side lay young medical stu
dent, gasping and unconscious. 1t was
DR.. Leland Dorr Kent.
Here was a tragic stage setting in
drama of passion and death, and here
is the cast of it:
A young woman-desperate and fren-
zied-in the shadow of peril she could
not avoid, a peril in which her life
would be at stake.
A young mana popular medical
student, leader in his class, sup
posedly model young husband.
Miss Ethel Dingle, beautiful, faScin-
ating, besieged by admirers, among
whom We're some of the wealthiest and
most exclusive society men of Buffalo.
These two had their secret-a dead
ly blasting secret, suspected by none.
Few even knew that the two We're ac-
quainted, and nobody in the world but
themselves ever dreamed that the
beautiful girl was living as Mrs.
Crosby at secret address.
This secret compact-the linking of
TWO lives III a JShylI anu I1yu6 COulpdCI
led directly down the broad road to
death.
But was that death suicide or muir
der? Did the dead girl attempt to Stay
her lover and then turn the keen blade
of the razor against her own throat?
For in her open left hand a razor was
found.
Nobody acquainted with Ethel Din
gle appears willing to swear that she
was left handed. If the razor was
placed in her hand by her murderer,
it was certainly fatal oversight to
place it in her left hand, if, as the au-
thorities claim, she was right handed.
The sharp eyed detectives who
swarmed into the room noted several
hand was scarcely stained with blood.
What the Experts Say.
She could not have committed either
murder or suicide without gripping the
handle with all her strength, said the
experts.
On the theory of murder Coroner's
Physician Johnson went to work
He found that the right bicep of the
dead girl measured 10R inches and the
left 91S, which indicated that she was
right-handed
What then, was the motive for muir
der, if murder it was?
The detectives began to look back
along the path of the dead girls life.
The entire history of their findings
will come out at the trial of DR.. Lee
land Dorr Kent for her murder.
For DR.. Kent has been duly ar
raigned and has entered plea of mot
guilty."
And behind the veil of death that
hung over the room where the tragedy
took place there is yet another mys-
terry. 1t is the death Of DR.. Jacob e.
Meyer, in Buffalo, on Sept. II. 1t is
suspected that he was murdered.
The young medical student Kent,
and his beautiful companion. Ethel
falo few days after DR.. Meyers death,
and DR.. Kent says entered into sui
eide compact.
That DR.. Kent is still alive is due to
the weak thrust of the razor in the
hand of either Miss Dingle or himself.
1t is certain that while in Buffalo
Miss Dingle met Dr. Meyer at the
Riverside hospital, where he sent many
cases for treatment, and that Miss Din
gle acted as nurse for many of his pa
tients. He regarded her ability as
nurse with so much favor that his
friends accused him of being fond of
her.
Engaged to Miss DineIe.
1t is now stated that DR.. George
Grant the partner Of DIR. Meyer, was
engaged to Miss Dingle, but that the
engagement was broken off just pre-
Vious to DR.. Meyers mysterious death.
A few days after DR.. Meyers death
Or. Grant was assaulted by unknown
persons, and on the following day left
the city.
On the next afternoon Miss Dingle
and DR.. Kent left Buffalo for Rochester
and registered at the Whitcomb house,
where Miss Dingle's death occurred.
The Buffalo police believe that they
can connect the death of DR.. Meyer
and the assault upon his partner, DR..
Grant, in Buffalo, with the death of
Miss Dingle in Rochester.
This, however, does not throw light
on the great problem which may never
be solved.
Was Miss Ethel Dingle left-handed?
Did she attempt to murder DR.. Kent,
the young medical student, who ac-
companied her from Buffalo to the
Whitcomb house?
What were her reasons for murder?
What were her reasons for commit
ting suicide?
Has Made No Statement.
AS before stated, DR.. Kent has been
arra1gned for the murder of Miss Din
gle. Beyond his plea of mot guilty"
he has made no definite statement re-
garding the tragedy.
Kent, when found, was almost a raw
ing maniac. His appearance and ae-
tons were those Of a drugged man.
lie talked incoherently. He raised his
hands and swore that he was limo
cent Of the girls murder. AS he was
being taken from the room by the hos
pital sergeants he turned back with his
hand on his heart and cast a last look
u}4sn the corpse of the girl.
L thought I saw her SMILE" he said;