New-York tribune., 1911-10-25
WOMAN PHYSICIAN SLAIN
Head Almost Severed by SLASH
of the Knife.
TRAGEDY MYSTIFIES POLICE
DR.. Helen Knabe, Formerly state
Bacteriologist, Found Dead IN
indianapolis Apartments.

indianapolis. oct 2i-IIow Or Helene
Knabe former state bacteriologIst' io""'
in bed to-day with her head almost se'ereu
by the slash Of knife. came TO her dea'n
| remained tonight mystery to the ponce
Jefferson Haynes. the negro jantor OF the
apartment house where DR.. knabe hNe"'
was detained on suspicion that lie knew
something of the circumstances of her
death, but tonight the detectives lot nm
go after he had withstood for hours their
attempts 10 draw discriminating inforina-
tion They were I'm the dark. they SAID,
as to last nights tragic incidents In Dr'
Knabe's fiat.
The theory Of suicide. put aside earlier
in the day, was revived tonight but the
police declared tho evidence tended to III
dicste murder. The knife with which Df'
Knahe was killed has not been found
and the Coroner and the police were OF the
opinion that If she herself gashed nor
throat she would not have had strength
enough 70 have carefully hidden the knife
and then returned To bed. Neither were
there any blood stains on the moor ~ hcr
bedroom. save where the blood had trek
led from tho wound. across the bed ana
dripped on the floor The blow dealt was
powerful one for the knife passed
through the muscular tissue, and was only
stopped by the upper vertebrs. on one OF
DR. Knabe's arms " as slight wound, and
blood was smeared on her left lrg
Janitor Heard Screams.
HAYNES. the ianltor. who had known Or.
Knabe for years told the police that he
went 10 bed in his room in the basement
Of the apartment house AZ II o'clock last
night. DR.. Knabe's apartment was just
above, on the first floor Of the building.
lie was awakened in the night. he said,
by three screams. apparently in DR..
Knahe's fat. but he slipped off TO sleep
again without investigating.
At O'Clock this morning, he continued,
he heard footsteps in the room above him.
Or Knabe's fat was I'm a corner Of the
building and It's windows opened on two
streets None OF these windows was locked,
and several of them were open last night.
There IS but one door, and Il leads into the
front hall. I'm the kitchen is dumt-
waiter with a shaft large enough 10 per
nit man climbing into the kitchen by
means Of a ladder This shaft opens at
the bottom into tho 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 10 noise overhead last night. The
family living in the apartment above DR..
Knabe's also said they heard neither
screams nor any other sound from DR..
Knabe's rooms.
II was S:l5 o'clock this morning when
Katherine Mcpherson, Dr. Nhabe's as
sistant, entered tho apartment and found
her employer dead. Tho body lay prone
on its back. the arms outstretched. The
nichtdress was dsarranged. and across the
breast was a pillow. There were only
slight signs Of a struggle. Miss Mcpherson
called physicians. They, after All exam
inatlon. agreed Dr. Knaho had been dead
about six hours. The coroner stated that
he could find no evidence she had been
assaulted. The police, summond an hour
after the dead body was found, were un-
able 10 discover that there had been a
violent struggle in any of the rooms or
that they had been robbed