The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-08-30
BEATRICE KN|PF| INC
IS STILL MISSING
Officers Have Only Slight Clews
to Work on in Battling
Case.

Following the many complications
and divers stories which have sur.
rounded the disappearance Of Beatrice
Knipfing. the l7-yoar,old girl who, aft
or dressing herself in her brother s
clothes and clipping her curls, left her
home, 253 South Fourth East street,
last Friday evening. a ray of light
was east upon the mysterious circum-
stances yesterday. when John Mann,
with offices at 20s-9 Mcintyre build
ing. reported that he had seen the girl
in the Southern Pacific railroad yards
at Ogden last Saturday afternoon.
Another development in the case
came yesterday. when a friend of the
missing girl, whose name is suppressed
in the interests of the case. stated that
she had seen and talked with Beatrice
Knipfing Saturday morning while the
latter was on the way TO the north
yards of the Oregon Short Line rail
road. The friend Of the missing girl
said that the Knipfing girl told her
she intended beating her way TO San
Francisco or some other coast town,
and that she promised to write her
when she reached her destination. The
knipfing girl was alone at this time
The police believe the case to be
the most mystifying which has arisen
in Salt Lake in recent years. In the
light of the most recent developments,
following is summary of the case:
Beatrice Knipfing was of q modest
and retiring temperament. She played
with the boys and was often heard TO
remark that she wished she was boy.
1t is not known by her mother that she
had any girl friends which might be
termed as intimate. It is said that her
home life was not happy. 1t is not
known that she premeditated leaving
home.
Last Friday evening she took a COM
plete outfit of clothes, the property of
her brother Cornelius, and, retiring to
vacant house in the rear of her
home. clipped off her curls and dressed
herself in her brothers. clothes. Her
clothes were found where the change
had been made the following morning.
She was seen by two men Saturday
morning in the north yards
Although she is n girl of tender
years and during her life has never
travelled out Of Salt Lake county, the
police believe the theory is justified by
the developments that she beat her
way out of Salt Lake; that is. that she
left Salt Lake dressed as a man, rid
ing on and under freight trains and as
sociating with that element Of va
grants which travel in that way.
An astounding feature of the case is
that she has been missing four days;
that she had probably been travelling
among this lawless element, sleeping
and eating where she might. and that
no one has discovered her sex and re-
ported the matter TO the proper au-
thorities,
The police of dozen Utah cities
have been furnished with her descrip-
tion; however, their search has proven
fruitless.
Mr. Mann said last night that he had
seen what appeared to be boy of
slender build and effeminate features
whose dress corresponded with that in
which Beatrice Knipfing was last seen.
He said that his attention was drawn
to this person on account Of the slen-
der build and forlorn expression in the
eyes. However. at the time. it did not
occur TO him that it might be girl.
The authorities in Pacific coast
towns have been sent descriptions Of
the girl.