Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-25
WOMEN UNDER GRILL.
Police Question Relatives of
Dr.. Helene Knabe.
TAKE UP SUICIDE THEORY
Woman Physician May Have Taken
Her Own Life.
NOT KNOWN TO HAVE ENEMY
Lived Alone in Apartment. Where
She Died, and Was Devoted
to Science.

lNDlANAPoLlS. Ind. October 2..-lie-
tectives today took To police headquar-
ters for examination Augusta Knabe.
cousin. and katherine Nc, nerson. assist
ant, to DR. Helene llnahe, former state
bacteriologist. who was found dead with
her throat slashed i'm her apartment early
yesterday.
Why there was delay of over an hour
In summoning the police after DR.
Knabe's body was found by Miss Nc
Pherson. and what were the conditions
in detail were questions put to the two
women.
After Miss Mcpherson er .ered Dr.
knabe's fiat and saw her body, with a
gaping wound in the throat. she stated
she first called by telephone Augusta
Knabe from her home in a distant part
of the city.
The dead woman, Miss Mcpherson said.
was lying on the bed on her back, with
out cover. Her night dress was wadded
under her arms. Miss Mcpherson added
that she pulled the night dress down over
DR.. Knabe's body before the arrival of
physicians, whom she summoned befoi
the police We're notified. This action. the
detectives said would explain the pres
ence OF blood on DIR. Knabe's left ,eg. for
the night dress was soaked full of blood
as 1t lay crumpled under her chin
Alone With Body for Hour.
Miss Mcpherson and Miss Knabe were
with the body OF DIR. Knabe for nearly
an hour before the arrival OF DIR. Ernest
Reyer, who was the first of DIR. Knabe' s
other friends to enter the apartment.
Miss Mcpherson called Miss Knabe
and DIR. I,eyer and other physicians by
a telephone situated at the foot OF the
bed upon which DIR. knabe's body lay
She denied emphatically, as did Miss
have been used in killing the physician
Turn to Suicide Theory.
The detectives today turned to inves-
| tigation of a theory that DR.. Knabe
may have ended her own life and tina,
some Of the group Of her friends gath.
cred in the fat before the police in
auiry got under way may have sough
to take away evidence of suicide. 4
| number of persons, it was said. wouls
| be interrogated along this line of spec
ulation.
That it should be discovered that any
scandal attached to the death OF Ut
Knabe would be inconsistent with her
life it was pointed out today She
! lived alone in the comfortably fur
nished apartment In Whlch sne Vas
killed because she ueNoteu al Ici
snare time to study and experimental
tion She was a member of the Young
Women.s Christian Association, and
frequently lectured to its membership
and to the students of the high schools
on social Hygiene" attempting to I'M
press upon them the necessity OF purity
in all social relations.
She was deeply interested IN pnysica.
and mental culture among women ana
was to have taken an examinat on as an
instructor in the North American Gym
nast.c Union at its normal school at the
German house in this city.
Search for Hidden Motive.
The police last night having released
Jefferson Haynes. the negro janitor OF
the building in which DR.. Knabe lived.
after satisfying themselves he could tell
nothing of the circumstances of her death.
search was taken up today for hidden
motive for her murder. Handsome and
of brilliant intellectual attainments as she
was the police after a nights work were
unable to discover that she had either an
enemy or an intimate man friend The
theory of suicide seemed untenable be-
cause the knife with which DR. Knabe
was killed was not found and the coroner
assured that the heavy slash that almost
Sc, cred her head was struck she lay
in bed. There was no trail Of blood on the
floor. DIR. Knabe's assistant, Miss katil-
crime Mcpherson, said that her practice
was increasing daily and that she was in
cheerful humor.