Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-10-26
HANDSOME WOMAN
DOCTOR IS SLAIN
Knife with Which Helene Knabe
Was Killed Has Not Been
Discovered.
BODY FOUND IN APARTMENT
Negro Janitor Released by Police
after Withstanding for Hours
All Attempts to Incrim-
mate Him.
BODY FOUND IN APARTMENT

Indianapolis, Ind. oct. "a Allow Or.
Helene Nnabc, former State bacteriolo-
eist, found in bed to-day with her head al
most severed by the slash Of a knife,
came to her death remained tonight a
mystery to the police Jefferson Haynes
the ncsro ianitor OF the apartment house
where Dr. knabe lived. was detained on
suspicion that he knew something OF the
the detectives let him go atter he had
withstood for hours their at,emp,s to
draw out discriminating information
The theory of suicide, put aside earlier
III the day, was revived tonight but the
police declared the evidence tended to In
dictate murder The knife with which Dr.
Knahe was killed has no. been found AMI
the coroner and the police We're Of the
opinion tn.. if she herself g. shed her
throat she would not have had strength
enough to hide the knife and then return
to her bed. Neither were there any blood
stains on the moor Of her bedroom. save
where the blood had trickled from the
wound across the bed and drippcd on the
floor. The blow dealt WAS a powerful
one for the knife passed through the mus
culal tissue and was only stopped by the
upper vertebrae ON one of Or. Knabe's
arms was slight wound and blood was
smeared on hor left leg.
JANITOR HEARD SCREAMS
Haynes, the janitor. who had known Or.
Knahe for years, told the police that he
went to bed in his room In the basement
of the apartment house at eleven O'Clock
last night Dr. Enahc's apartment vas
Just above, on the first floor OF the build
ing He was awakened in the night he
said. by three screams. apparently in Or.
knahe's flat. but he went to sleep again
without investigating.
At i've o'clock this morning, he con-
tinued. he heard footsteps in the room
above him.
DR. Knabe's Nat was in corner of the
building and its windows opened on two
streets. y No If these windows was
locked and several Of them were open
last niEht. There Is but one door and 4
leads into the front hall. In the kitchen
is n dumb waiter with a shaft large
enough to permit man climbing into the
Kitchen by means of a ladder This shaft
opens ut the bottom into the basement
near the room Of Haynes His daughter
slept in room next to his and his
housekeeper in a nearby room. The
women said they heard no noise over
head last night. The family living In
the apartment above DR. Knabe's also
said they heard no sound from Or.
Knabes rooms.
NO STRUGGLE OR ROBBERY.
1t was s:15 o'clock this morning when
Katherine Mcpherson. Or. Knabe's
4
found her dead. Miss Mcpherson called
physicians They agreed DR.. Knahe
had been dead about six hours. Tho
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
discover that there had been violent
struggle in any of the rooms or that
they had been robbed.
Motive for tho murder puzzled de-
tectivcs Tonight. DR. knabe spent
much time In study. She had told Miss
Mcpherson last evening oh" intended
to read until late last night She had
a wide acquaintance. but no one was
found to-day that eaid she had an in
innate man friend.
Or Knabe was 35 wears old and Of
strikinEly attractive appearance she
had never been married. AS haCteriolo-
gist and pathologist, she was highly
respected. She was n member Of the
American Medical associations commit
tee on the education Of women in hy-
giene and tho pathology of child birth
and she was devoted to physical cul-
ture progress among women. she was
born in Germany, the daughter II a
civil engineer in the German army.