Omaha daily bee., 1912-09-02
FOUND KNoTTED INTO ROPE
Envelope Bears Name of Business
Man of Yankton, s. D.
SPENT WEEK HERE SHOPPING
Prominent at Home and Accident or
Robbery Suggested.
MYSTERY STILL SURROUNDS CASE
Woman's shopping List and Hat
May Have Been Thrown
Into River.

Little occurred yesterday to clear the
mystery Of the articles found Saturday
morning on the east end Of the Douglas
street bridge that indicated possible
murder of a woman. A message was re-
'ceived by The Bee from Yankton, S, D.,
explaining the identity of the parties
supposed to have been concerned in the
incident or or possible tragedy.
Among the loose papers found on the
bridge was an empty envelope addressed
from Kansas City to w. H. Luebke Of
Yankton. Information from Yankton is
that Henry Luebke, who Is a prominent
hide and fur dealer of that city, left
there with his wife and son week ago
on an automobile trip for Omaha. His
own automobile was out OF commission
he borrowed the machine of Dr. E.
M. Doyle for the trip. The dispatch sug-
gested that Mr.. Luegke wash so Well
known at his home and his standing was
such that If anything untoward had taken
place 1t was either an accident or through
robbery.
Mr.. Luebke, wife and son while in
Omaha roomed for week at the home
Of Mrs. Maud Wheeler, 2O2 North Eigh-
!teenth street, which they left Saturday
morning presumably for Yankton.
Unquestionable evidences Of a struggle
woman's hat apparently of good quality
and beehive" shape, scattered papers
and a tuft of woman's hair Indicate that
another murder or suicide may have been
done on the street railway bridge and
the body thrown into the river as was
that Of the murdered Horace Fallers,
bridge tolltaker, year ago last July.
Saturday morning when Motorman Gus
: Williams reached the east end of the
bridge on his first trip for the day he
noticed the hat lying by the side of the
south railing at the siding switch on the
bridge, which Is, about sixty. feet from the
east bank Of the river, where the water
is about ten feet deep and moves with
sluggish current In the cab with him
was Claim Agent Fred Clausen. They
were on the point Of stopping the car and
gathering up the hat and papers, but de-
cided not to do so until the return trip
about twenty minutes later. When the
car returned the hat was gone, but the
scattered papers were undisturbed
Looking over the side of the bridge
they observed one Of the swinging plat
forms used by llnemen for cable work.
1t had been suspended several feet below
the level Of the bridge floor by two ropes.
One Of the ropes had been broken and
the platform was suspended at a sharp
angle. Clinging to the broken rope was
a tuft of long brown hair.
The men Immediately telephoned the
facts to the police station and Detective
Callaghan made an investigation. He
gathered up all of the papers that re-
mained, although some had apparently
blown away. The hanging rope was pulled
up and the wisp of hair recovered. 1t
had unnistakably been torn, not cut
from a womans head. 1t Is Of light
brown color and had apparently come
from the head Of woman who had not
reached middle age.
Rope Entangled Hair.
The rope is of unusually rough texture
and appeared to have entangled and held
the wisp Of hair. Among the papers was
an empty envelope that had been ad-
dressed to W. H. Luebke, Yankton. S. D.,
and had been sent out by the Western
Auto Supply company at Kansas City.
On the back of circular evidently con-
tanned in the envelope had been written
with pencil a shopping list comprising
women's articles. A number Of tags
taken from articles corresponding to the
memorandum list, all purchased at the
Brandeis stores in Omaha, were also
found.