The Sentinel=record. (Hot Springs, Ark.) 1900-current, 1911-10-26
MYSTERY IN
MURDER CASE
KNIFE WHICH CUT THROAT OF
WOMAN DOCTOR STILL uN-
ACCOUNTED FOR.
Everything Points 10 Murder Yelled
in Mysterious Motive Except That
Physician Could Have
Killed Herself.

indianapolis, md, Oct. 25.---"If Or.
Knabe was murdered. as appears. /
am satisfied she was murdered by
person with whom she was ac-
quainted and that she voluntarily
let this person into her apartment.
BAIT the theory of suicide still viii
not let itself be neglected.
With this statement, Captain VIM.
fIoltz chief OF the detective depart
ment, tonight summed up the result
of the days activity of the police In
The investigstlonof the circumstances
of the death OF DR.. Helen Knane.
former bacteriologst, whose throat
was cut while she lay on her bed
at an undetermined hour last Monday
might.
y can't see anything but murder
i'm this case said Dr. G. y. Deter
ham, coroner Of the county. who be-
gan his inquest today.
"The instrument of death was not
found and circumstances Indicating
suicide appear to me negligible"
Captain fioltz declared re did nnl
intend to reflect Upon the character
of Dr.. Knabe in saying he beleyea
she knew her murderer, II she was
murdered "Dr. Knabe's reputation
Twas unblemlshedv. said he, but there
Is number OF possible motives for
her murder. II Is certain that fob
berry was not one of them. and ply
sicians have decided that personal
Iassauit was not committed
Our calculations lead ME To be-
lieye she knew the person that Killed
Iher; indeed she did not commit slii-
eide. But we are working on the
murder theory"
Some OF DR. Knabe'g friends today
suggested to the police the idea that
Ishe ended her own life should nor
be cast aside, though the knife with
which she was killed had disappear.
led. They said she recently had been
despondent over her debts, that esef
her furniture and instruments wore
the property OF her cousim Miss
Augusta Knabe.
| Along this line Miss Knabe and
Katherine McPhearson, Dr. Knabe's
assistant, who found her dead. were
questioned at length today. Both IN
sistertly denied chat they h6d seen
knife in the bedroom or that they
had covered up any evidence tendinE
to SHOW the physician had killed her
| lself
Miss Mcpherson said she had pull
edDr. Knabe's night dress down ov-
led DR. Knabe's night dress down ov-
she had laid pillow case across the
body. Then she said that they were
so anxious to get physicians into the
flat fflIaist that they forget to cali tiis Do-
lice until more than an hour after
he discovery OF the body.
Miss Knabe admitted Dr. Kuabe
owed her several hundred dollars and
had other debts. But poor girl, she
would have paid them II she had not
been killed. she declared.
Two cigars were found today in
the apartment, where Dr. Knabe live
ed alone. Miss McPhearson told
detectives she distinctly remembers
ed DR.. Knabe had brought the cl-
gars home from banquet Of a med
lcal society as joke.
There is this to be said for Tho
suicide theory, said Captain Holtz
after the examination of Miss Knabe.
| and Miss McPheargon. DIR Knabe
was trained gymnast and she could
have put up powerful resistance,
e an assaiIant Thera were no
signs OF struggle. AS for the
wound. one familiar with anatomy
as she was. and with sharp knife
could have cut the throat with a
strong right handed slash such as
killed Or. Knabe.
"This does not account for the
knise's being missing. bat there have
been many cases in which friends
of suicide have sought by removing
evIdence to prevent the fact OF sui
eide appearing. And many Of DR.
Knabes friends we're in the fiat be
fore the police arrived.
so far we have not discovered
a motive for murder and there IS on
lly a slight one upon which to base
1.-THE suicide theory