Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-10-26
REPUTATION UNTARNISHED
OFFICIAL BELIEF SEEMS TO BE
THAT WOMAN PHYSICIAN
WAS MURDERED.
She knew HER Slayer?
Owed Cousin Several Hundred Dollars
If she Killed Herself, Friends
Hid kLifc From Public.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. oct. 25.-"If
DR.. Knabe was murdered, as appears,
| am satisfied she was murdered by IA
person with whom she was acquainted
and that she voluntarily let this per
son into her apartments. But the
theory of suicide still Will not let it,
self be neglected"
With this statement, Captain VIII
liam Holtz. chief OF the detective de-
partment, to night summoned up the
day detectives in the investigation
Of circumstances in the death of DR..
knabc, former state bacteriologist,
whose throat was cut while she lay
on her bed at an undetermined hour
last Monday night.
Sees Nothing But Murder.
81 cannot see anything but murder
in this case" said DR.. Doterham. who
began his inquest today. The instru-
ment of death was not found and cir
cumstances indicating suicide appear
to me negligible"
Captain Holtz declared he did not
intend TO reflect upon the character
of DR.. Knabe In saying he believed
she knew her murderer. if she was
murdered.
"Dr. knabe's reputation was un-
blemished." said he, but there is a
number of possible motives for her
murder. 1t is certain that robbery
was not one of them, and physicians
have decided that criminal assault
was not committed"
She Knew Who Did H.
"Our calculations lead me to be-
lieve she knew the person that killed
her. IL indeed she did not commit
suicide. But we are working on the
murder theory"
Some of DR. Knabes friends today
she ended her own life suddenly. be.
cause the knife with which she was
killed had disappeared. They said
she recently had been despondent
over her debts. that even her furni-
ture and instruments were the prop
erty of her cousin, Miss Augusta
Knabe.
Along this line, Miss Knabe and
Katherine Mcpherson, DR.. Knabe's
assistant, who found her dead. were
questioned at length today. Both in
sistently denied that they had seen
knife in the bed or that they had
covered up the evidence to show the
physician had killed herself.
Forgot to Call Police.
Miss Mcpherson said she had pulled
Or. Knabe's night dress down over
her body; Miss Knabe said that she
had laid a pillow across the body.
Then she said that they were 30 anx-
ious to get physicians into the flat
that they forgot to call the police un-
covery of the body.
Miss Knabe admitted DR.. Knabs
owed her several hundred dollars and
had other debts. But, poor girl. she
would have paid them If she had
not been killed." she declared.
Two cigars were found today In
the apartment where Dr. Knabe lived
alone Miss Mcpherson told detec-
tives that she distinctly remembered
DR.. Knabe had brought the cigars
hume from a banquet of a medical
society as joke.
There is this to be said for the
suicide theory" said Captain Holtz
after the examination of Miss Knabe
and Miss Mcpherson. ''Dr. Knabe
was trained gymnast and she could
have put powerful resistance to an
assailant There were no signs of a
struggle. As for the wound, one ia
miliar with anatomy as she was, and
with a sharp knift could have cut
the throat with a strong right handed
slash such as killed DR. Knabe.
This does not account for the knife
being missing, but there have been
many cases In which the friends OF a
suicide have sought. by removing the
evidence, TO prevent the fact of sui
eide appearing. And many of DR..
Knabe's friends were In the flat be-
fore the police arrived.
so far, we have not discovered q
motive for murder. and there is only
a slight opinion on which 10 base the
suicide theory"