Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-09-29
WHO KILLED MRS. KNAPP?
CONTINUED from Page One.)


F. P. Adams, upon instructions of
County Attorney Blanchard, will take
4 jury of six men to the grave u,
Nerna Leadbetter Knapp at Wayne TO-
day for the purpose of examining her
body. Mrs. Knapp it will be recalled.
! died at Phillips on Sept. 10 at 1890
o'clock in the morning. A verdict of
| probable suicide" was returned.
| After viewing the revolver wound
! in the head which when through the
| left temple, the coroner's jury will ad-
| journ till after the term of court now
progressing, when the jury will be as
sembled at the home of the husband,
Carroll Knapp, in Phillips, to view the
| surroundings where the body was
| found that morning.
The husband and the father of the
| deceased have induced the county at
torney to have more thorough in
| vestigation than at first was given the
| case.
| Carroll Knapp. the husband, said to
! Lewiston Journal man today that from
, the first he could not reconcile his
wife's death with suicide.
| Later came word from the father at
| Monmouth who averred that his
daughter had not died a natural death
| There are many circumstances which
point to mysterious case.
Mr. Knapp was in consultation with
the county attorney recently and what
| he said was taken seriously, County
| Attorney Blanchard told a Journal re-
porter this morning.
There will be thorough investiga
ton of the case according to the county
attorney and the inquest at Phillips
may disclose many undiscovered things
pertinent to the case.
Mrs Carroll Knapp was found dying
by little Hortense Butler who had cali
ed to play with Doris, the year-oid
babe OF the household There was a
bullet hole through the wOman's head
and the pistol was almost concealed
beneath her skirts.
At 1905 c. W. Toothaker and son
had called at the Knapp home to pick
apples and Mrs. Knapp, her baby be-
side her, greeted them cheerily, direct
ing where the fruit may be picked.
Ten minutes later on leaving Mr.
| Toothaker when in reply to question
said he was going down town. was
sent away with the request: If you
call at the store, please tell Carroll not
to delay sending the meat up for din
ner"
About 10 minutes later Mr.. Tooth
aker reached McKenzie's store where
on entrance, he was about to deliver
his message when the telephone sum-
moned Carroll from his desk to his
| home There he found his wife
Il stretched on the floor near the door
between the dining room and kitchen,
the baby cooling on the floor near. She
was unconscious and died within two
hours, watched by Dr. E. r. Currier,
the family physician, Charles r.
| Chandler, first selectman, and few
neighbOrs
-Four feet away lay her head-coinb lii
the kitchen. The sheath which con-
tanned the revolver, which was recog'
nized as her husbands, was on the
| floor near the cupboard. Fingers of
both hands We're scorched and powder
| blackencd. There were no signs of
| struggle On the hardwood floor. where
her body lay. The bullet evidently had
| entered the left temple and emerged
an inch below it's point Of entrance on
the right side.
| Mr.. Chambers commission as cor
oner having recently expired the facts
We're 'plloned Coroner +. p. Adams of
Pennington the details including the
finding of the revolver beside her. a
bullet wound in the temple with no
sign of struggle.
Coroner Adams from these facts an
nounced that no inquest was necessary,
in which the others acquesced ana DR..
Currier made out death certificate of
Improbable suicide
The remains We're taken to Mon
mouth, the home of her father,
c. *. Leadbetter week ago Satul day
and inferred.
The home life of the dead woman had
been very happy.
| Mr. and Mrs Knapp had been mar
ried over year ago in Madrid, where
| Verna Leadbetter was an extremely
popular teacher and where Mr.. Knapp
was station agent of the Phillips d
Kangeley Road.
The utter absence of motive for self
destruction puzzled people who knew
| the family. The day before Mrs. Knapp
had been over to her neighbor's, w r.
Buffers, whose house is one of three
on Pleasant street, whose background
is dense woods, and had expressed
great happiness.
After the remains We're taken from
] the home, an examination of the scene
of the shooting revealed the folio wing
which has set on foot an investiga ton
demanded by the father and relatives
OF the dead young woman:
In the door of cupboard which
| stands close to the door where the wo-
| nan was found dying We're imhcd,ied
| three bullets, waist high. The wood
was scCrched. Another bullet was
found to have been fired through the
| window Of the kitchen Cher body was
| found on the threshold of the lining
room door leading to the kitchen), and
was imbedded on the clapboards of an
ell. The fatal bullet, slightly imbedded
in the opened door at whose base the
body was found and which is opposite
the cupboard, measured 5 feet | inch
from the floor, the exact height Of Mrs.
Knapp. 1t was then recalled that the
clothes had been smoothed out when