The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-25
MYSTERY SHROUDS MURDER 0F WOMAN Indiana State BacteriOlOgist
 Found Dead NO MOTIVE IS KNOWN Woman Was Not Robbed Nor Mis- treated-Screams Heard Dur
 ing Night-Head Almost
 Severed From Body
NO MOTIVE IS KNOWN

Indianapolis, Ind. october 24.-llow pr Helen 1<nabe, former state bacterioloslst' found in bed today with her head almost severed by the slash of knife, came to Ter death remained tonight mystery to tie police.
 Jefferson Haynes. q neSlo ]anltor or tue apartment house where pr. Knabe died was detained on suspicion that he knew something of Ter death. hut tonight de- teatives releasoa hiui afi6r he had With stood for hours their attempts to ara" discriminating information.
 They were in the cark they said as to last nights tragedy in DI. knabe's apart ment
 The theory of suicide pat aside carrier in the day was iev.vifec tonight, but tic police declared the evidence tended to indicate murder. The knife With whi''h pr Knabe was hineo has not been found and the ccrcHer and the police were of an opinion that If she herseH gashe1 her throat. she would not nave had strength enough to have earetully hidden the knife aIld then returned 10 her bed. There were no bloodstains on the floor Of her bedroom, save where blood had triclSl.c from the wound over tho bed and 5Iipped CT the floor.
 The blow dealt was powerful one. The knife blade passed through the museu- lar tissue and was only stopped by the upper vetebrae. On enc of Dr. hnaoes arrs was a slight wound and blood was found cn her left ieg
 1ao1 Dr. Knabe fer years. told the police he went to bed 1t Il o'clock last night. pr. Knabe's apartment was Just above his rcorI. He was awakened in the night, he said, by three sCreAlns apparently In pr. l<nahes apartment, but he went to sleep again without in'r 'rstigadng.
 At o'clock this morning, he said, he heard footsteps in the room above him.
 Dr. knabcs apa, tTnent was in cor ner of the building. anc its windows opened on two streets. Ntne of these windows was locked and several of them were onen ltsr night. Haynes daughter slert in q room next to bis and the house. keeper in a nearby room.
 The woman said they heard no noise overhead last night A family living In the apartment above pr. Knabe also said they heard neither screams nor any other sound from pr. Knabes rooms.
 II WAS S.lO 0 ClUCk tllS IlO1UlllB WutH Katherine McPhersons, pr. Knabes as sistant, entered the apartment and found her dead. The body lay prone on its back, the arms outstretched. The night dress was dsarranged and over the breast was a pillow. There were only slight signs of a struggle and none of robbery.
 Miss McPherson called physicians in They agreed pr. Knabe had been dead about six hours. The coroner stated that 1,,, nd I1r Iy ia bad been assaulted.
 Motive for the murder puzzled detec- tives tonight Dr. Knabe spent much time in study. She told Miss McPherson last night she intended to read until late She had a wide acquaintance, but no one was found today that said that she had an intimate male friend. Her resignation from the position of state bacteriologist was caused by the pressure of her pri- vate practice and her desire to study hy- gene said pr. J. N Hurty, secretary of the Indiana board of health, under whom she worked in the state laboratory.
 She was a brilliant woman. of a beauti- ful turn of character said Dr. Hurty, "and we regretted to lose her from the state service"
 pr. Knabe was 8 years of age and Of strikingly attractive appearance. She had never been married. AS bacteriologst and pathologist she was highly respected in het profession. She was member of the American Medical association's committee on the education of women in hygiene and the pathology of child birth. She had been devoted to physical culture progress arong women. She was born in Germany and was the daughter of a civil engineer In the German army.
 Coming to this country as a girl. by her own efforts she paid the expense of her tuitions.