New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-04
DEAD WOMAN IN TUB,
CORONER INVESTIGATES
Bruised Body of Stenographer
Found in Half-Filled Re-
CeptaCIe in Bathroom. =,

Coroner Wipterbottom characterized as
very suspicious" the finding. late last
night, Of the bruised body of Miss Anna
NJ. Vanauken, a stenographeF, thirty
two years old. In half-llled bath tub In
her apartment in No. 52l West 18th
street, which was surcharged with gas
fumes The body had been in the tuo
for twenty-four hours, In the Coroners
opinion.
Declaring that he believed death was
not due TO asphyxiation, adding that, In
that event, the flesh would have become
red whereas II was not discolored, the
Coroner at once began a thorough In
vestigation. e..
From the agent of the apartment house
it was learned that an aged man, thought
to have been the father of Miss Van
auken, lived with her. His Whereabouts
was unknown to the police.
The body was in half-sitting posi-
ton, the head above the water in the tub.
Gas escaped from the bathroom chande-
Her. The windows and doors of the
apartment had been secured. No cloth
ing, with the exception OF a torn bath
robe, pair of stockings and a pair of
stays, was found.
In a pocketbook, the property OF Miss
Vanauken, were several letters, written
by relatives living In Schenectady and
Gated from 1910 until a month ago. On
the table in the dining room were three
empty beer bottles. a quart size bottle
half filed with whiskey, and partly
smoked cigar.
-. Iaft 10
OF the body, one below the knee, the other
on the thigh. The bruises, in the Coro-
ners opinion, were caused by Miss Van
auken coming in contact with hard sub
stance.
From Miss Helen Freeh, of No. 81 West
18th street, who was a close friend OF
Miss Vanauken, Coroner Winterbottom
learned that she came TO New York City
a month ago accompanied by her father,
from Hackensack, n. ]. A brother OF
Miss Yanauken, Miss Freeh said. was en-;
gagged in the stationery business in Pas
sale, n. j. and another was in business
In Schenectady.
The body was found by the agent Of the
apartment house. Henry Bowrie, Of No.
sos West l3ith street, who when turning
down the gas in the Railways Of the house,
shortly before eleven o'clock, detected gas
Issuing from Miss Vanauken's apartment.
Failing to get a response after rappih8
repeatedly, Bowrie obtained pass-key
and entered the fiat. 1t was in darkness.
Allowing the fumes to escape, he lit the
gas and went 10 the bathroom, where he
discovered the body which was unciothed.
The tanitor Of the building recalled that
he had not seen Miss Vanauken or the
aged man who lived in her apartment for
week. Saturday she had made two
telephone calls, the numbers Of which he
could not remember.
Coroner Winterbottom, who appeared
in the apartment half an houI after the
finding Of the body, paid special atten-
ton to the few articles Of clothing found
in the fiat He infinitely examined the
torn bathrobe, which was OF thin. mate
nal. The sleeves, he found. had been
ripped at the srmplts.
Miss Freeh also declared 10 the Coroner
that Mrs. Vanauken, mother Of the dead
woman, had attempted 70 take her life
by allowing gas to escape In the bath
room Of her home in Hackensack and re-
clinina in q partly filed bath tub. Mrs.
Eanauken, she said, was now In an IN
stttutlon on Wards Island
The Coroner later ordered the body re-
moved to the Morgue and directed that
an autopsy be held.