The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-25
WOMAN'S DEATH
REMAINS MYSTERY
No Light on Motive That
Led to Murder of DIR.
Knabe

- . . . .
Indianapolis. Oct. 25.-Detec- =
tlves today took to police head =
quarters for examination Angus :
Ia knabe, q cousin and Katherine .
McPherson, assistant to DR.. Helen .
knabe, the former bacteriologist =
who was found dead with her =
throat slashed in her apartment .
early yesterday. .
. . . q
Indianapolis, Oct. 25.-Detectiyes
today are investigating the life Of Dr..
Helen knabe. former state basterio.
logist, found dead with her throat
gasned yesterday. The detectives will
question her personal friends who are
mostly interested in scientific SUBJ
jects and don't expect to find any
scandal attached to her life. She fire.
quently lectured to the members of
the Young Women's Christian asso-
citation and the students of the high
school hygiene, impressing the neces-
sity OF social purity.
In the kitchen is a dumb waiter
with a shaft large enough to permit
man climbing into the kitchen by
means Of a ladder. This shaft opens
at the bottom into the basement near
the room Of Haynes. His daughter
slept IN room next to his and his
housekeeper In nearby room.
It was s:15 o'clock Tuesday morn.
Ing when Katherine Mcpherson, DR..
knabe's assistant, entered the apart
ment and found her dead. The body
lay prone on its back. the arms out
stretched. The night dress was dis
arranged, and across the breast was
pillow. There were only slight signs
OF struggle. Miss Mcpherson CALL
ed physicians. After an examination
they agreed DR.. Knabe had been
dead ABOUT six hours. The coroner
stated that he could find no evidence
she had been assaulted. The police.
summoned an hour after the dead
body was found, were unable to dis
cover that there had been a violent
struggle in any Of the rooms or that
they had been robbed.
Motive for the murder puzzled de.
tecttves. DR.. Knabe spent much time
In study. She had told Miss McPher-
son the evening before her death she
intended to read until late that night.
She had wide acquaintance but no
one was found that said she had an
intimate man friend: Her resignation
from the position Of state bacteriolo-
gist was caused by the pressure of her
private practice and her desire to
study hygiene. said DR.. ]. N. Hurry,
secretary of the Indiana board Of
health. under whom she worked in
the state laboratory.
The theory of suicide. put aside
early yesterday. was revived last
night. but the police declared the evi-
dence tended to indicate a murder.
The knife which DR.. Knabe was kill
ed has not been found and the coron.
er and the police were Of the opin.
ion that II she herself gashed her
throat she would not have had
strength carefully to have hidden the
knife and then returned to her bed.
Further there were no blood stains
on the floor Of her bedroom, save
where blood had trickled from the
wound. across the bed and dripped on
the floor. The blow dealt was a pow
erful one: for the knife passed
through the muscular tissue and was
only stopped by the upper vertebrae.
On one Of DR.. Knabe's arms was
slight wound and blood was smeared
on her left leg.
Haynes. the janitor. who had
known DIR. Knabe for years, told the
police that he went to bed in his
room in the basement of the apart.
ment house at II o'clock the night
Of the murder. DR.. Knabe's apart
mont was just above. on the first floor
of the building. He was awakened
in the night. he said. by three screams
apparently in DR.. Knabe's fiat, but he
went to sleep again without investi-
eating.