The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-07-03
DEEPENS kINNAN MYSTERY.
Mrs. Shippo Declares Victim, Dying
Accused Lawyer of the Crime.


Accused Lawyer of the Crime.
NEW YORK, July BIN secrecy as
deep as Assistant District Attorney Mi
chael H. Cardozo, Jr, was able to main
tain, Coroner Mcdonald has conducted
a preliminary inquiry into the death OF
Mrs. Alice d. C. Kinnan, murdered or
the porch of the old Stenton mansion
in the Bronx two weeks ago. Mr.. Car
dozo insisted that the public and the
press be excluded, but the widest pub
licity was permitted to be given to the
testimony of Mrs. Mary Shippo, a ten
ant in the basement of the Stenton
home.
Mrs. Shippo today declared that Mrs
Kinnan, as she lay dying on the porch
told her that that devil of a lawyer
killed her. The police and the coroner
do not believe her story, because it
differs from every other. one she has
believe that any lawyer was in the
StentOn house that night, or that any
man ran away from the porch
Think 1t "Inside Job"
Their confidence in the original theo-
ry of IAN inside job has been
strengthened by their discovery last
Sunday of the weapon with which the
murder was done.
This weapon, a lather's Ratchet, they
have carefully guarded, but today it lay
before the coroner on his desk in the
private office, and with it was a piece
of bone from the skull of the murder
the back of Mrs. Kinnan's head was
unusually deep and showed that the
weapon, while having blunt surface,
also had an edge of irregular surface
which made this one wound so different
from the others. The Ratchet, which
has hammer head, slopes to a wedge
shaped blade. This was fitted into the
bit of bone preserved from the au-
topsy and the fit is perfect.
The weapon, stained with the fresh
blood, was discovered by Captain Sam
Prices detectives between the wall and
a large bureau in the bedroom of Mrs.
Louise Stenton.
Had Been Hidden.
Its position showed that it had not
fallen there, but had been hidden. The
police and the coroner have said moth
ing about this weapon because tomor-
row they will take the testimony of
Mrs. Stenton under OATH She will be
confronted with the Ratchet and asked
to explain why it was hidden.
Other witnesses who have been sub
poenaed to appear are: Burton w.
Gibson, the lawyer; William Aston, a
lawyer who was associated with Glib
son in the Stenton property litigation
on contingent fee; Robert Flaherty,
who held a power of attorney from
Mrs. Stenton for few days, and who
has taken a great interest in Mr.. Glib
sons connection with the case ever
since Mrs. Stenton revoked the Flah-
erty power of attorney and issued a
new one to Gibson and Mrs. Sidney
Lund, the latter a daughter of Mrs.
kinnan's husband.
With the discovery of the weapon
and much evidence not yet made public
Captain Price and the coroner agreed
last Monday that the mystery was in
a fair way of being cleared up. They
hesitate to make an arrest, as their
suspect cannot possibly escape, and can
scarcely expect worse punishment than
incarceration in an asylum. Now comes
Mrs. Mary Shippo with her positive
story Of the dying woman's practical
accusation, and now coroner and police
are fretting over what they believe to
be a confusing and needless prolonga-
ton of the mystery.