The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-03-19

New York, March 1S.-On the statement
OF Coroner schwanneeke. of the Bronx.
that he had found a motive for murder.
Capt Brennan. of tie Morrisania police
station, and plain-ciothes men from the
detective bureau began an investigation
to-day into the death of Hermait
Knewitz. who was found dead on SatuT
day night at his home, at s6i East l6sth
street, with a bullet hole in his temple
knewitz was a retired merchant, with
wife and three daughters.
1t is said that ne Inherited some years
ago a fortune Of $4,000. Coroner Schwan-
neeke refused to disclose the motive, and,
IN fact. would give little information
about the case. saying that it would de-
feat the ends Of justice TO do so. The
theory is now held that Knewitz was
killed in a dispute over a prospective
division of his estate.
From the shroud of mystery which sur
rounds the case at present it has been
learned that the death was first reported
to the coroner as due to hemorrhage, and
that It was not until the body was taken
to the undertaker's shop of n. G. Sullivan,
at 1923 Franklin avenue, the Bronx. that
the coroner learned that the man had
been shot At least, this is what the
police say. According to the police. a
physician, in reporting the death 10 the
coroner. said the cause was hemorrhage,
and Coroner's Physician Reideiman, who
made an examination at the house sub
sequently. gave 1t as his opinion that
death was due 10 tuberculosis. II was
Sullivan. the undertaken. they say, who
first found the bullet hole.
Daughters Find Corpse.
According to Lena and Minna Knewitz
they went on a shopping tour on Saturday
afternoon and returned home about
O'Clock. Mrs. Knewitz was at that time
they said. visiting friends, but was ex.
/ pected TO regu urn IN time for the evening
meal, which the girls expected to prepare
Lena and Nina walked through the par
/ Tor. and. after chatting awhile, removed
their wraps and entered the dining-room
The mouent the door swung back. they
said. they. saw their father stretched out
on the couch. When they tried 10 arouse
/ him they found that he was dead
/ They rushed out Of the house for ply
sician. they said. and al the foot Of tbs
steps met Mrs Knewitz and their elder
sister When they told them that theii
father was dead they said Mrs Knewiti
remarked:
us he?" and made no further comment
The mother and Marguerite told Cor
oner Schwanuecke that they discovered
the body before Lena and Minna eam'
home They said they found him lying
on the couch with his nose bleeding an,
| supposed that he he'd died natura
death.
House Not BurgIarized.
When Coroner schwannecke went to th'
Knewitz house yesterday. after Sullivan
had told him Of the bullet hole he eoul,
lind no evidences that would indicate tha
lany one had forcibiy entered the house. o
of a struggle of any kind. Neither, il
lransac.Iing the house from cellar to gar
ret. could a revolver be found. Sullivan
saws that he found no marks OF pOwde
labout the wound. and thought from TIA
lcourse Of the bullet that It could not hav
Ibeen fired by Knewitz himself
Capt. Brennan said that he was no
called into the case until 1880 oeloc
this morning.
The police learned to-day that Knewit
left an insurance policy for $3.50. q
which his daughters were the beneh
ciaries One of its provisions was tha
it should be void in case of suicide With
five years. There was still a month lef
before the provision would become inef
Il fectiVe