South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-11-28
DR.. CRAIG GOES ON
TRIAL FOR KILLING
DIR. HELEN KNABE
Mysterious Death May at Last
Be Solved in Coming Trial of
Veterinary Who Had Been
Friendly With Woman.

sHELBRVILLE, Ind, Nov. Is
DR.. William b. Craig, head Of the In
dianapOlis veterinary college. under
Indictment charged with the murder
on Or. Helen Knabe, who was found
dead in her apartments in IndianaD-
oils oct. "a, 1911, entered a formal
plea Of not guilty when arraigned in
the Shelby county court here Friday.
DR.. Craig. who was accompanied
by his 15-year-old daughter, was ap-
parently cool and unconcerned. He
chatted cheerfully with friends and
posed for the photographers.
ollie Harrell, 81. farmer. OF Hend-
ricks township, was temporarily pass
ed as a juror after he had denied
having any opinion; said he never
read any Indianapolis newspapers and
had no prejudice against circumstan.
tial evidence.
In November, 1896. German i'm
migrant girl landed at New York Her
name was Helene Knabe and she came
from eastern Prussia. In 10 years,
through the progressive steps of
kitchen work, business school and
medical college, this girl, with no
more start than thousands Of other
immigrant women, had become a prac-
ticing physician Of Indianapolis, and
a bacteriolOgist Of more than local
fame.
On the morning Of Oct. %, 1911,
this brilliant young woman doctor was
found dead in her apartment-her
throat cut almost TO the spinal cord.
No traces Of the murderer, if murder
IL was, were visible.
ON the morning in question DIR.
Knabe's assistant, Katherine McPher-
son, went as usual to her work. Until
she stepped across the threshold, but
one thing occurred TO vary her ordi-
nary routine. But that one thing
suddenly assumed great import.
on the evening before, at o'clock,
DIT. Knabe asked her to call, on her
way to the office the next morning
for a pair of shoes she had ordered.
She brought the shoes with her
would a woman, intending suicide, or
der shoes brought to her?
Miss Mcpherson, not finding DR..
Knabe I'm the office, stepped to the
adjoining bedroom. or the top of
the bed, which had not been slept in,
lay her employers body, half naked.
Her first impression was that DR..
Knabe was in pain. She rushed to-
ward her-thensprang back in terror
or. Knsbe lay in a pool of blood, her
throat cut. her knee and thigh smear
ed with blood and her head pressed
beneath the brass rail Of the bed
head?
on screams heard coming from DR..
Knabe's fiat the night of the tragedy,
will the prosecution build its case
that and the fact that a man was seen
leaving the apartment soon after the
screaming subsidized.
Was this man DR.. Craig?
To discover this the personal rela-
tionship of DR. Craig and DR.. Knabe
will be subjected to the calcium. And
the crux OF this examination will come
when the prosecution attempts to
show that Craig tried to end 81 per-
sOnal relationship with DR.. knabe
which had become Objectionable to
him-a thing which had caused bitter
duarrels between the two. Craig will
be charged with breaking a promise
10 marry DR.. Knabe, intending to
marry Katherine Agnes Fleming Of
Avon, Ind.
Or. Craig is a fne-looking Scotch
man. big of frame, and with a pOise
likely TO win women. He is one Of
the founders of the Indiana School Of
Veterinary Medicine at Indianapolis
cpd has a host OF friends among the
professional and business men in In
d1napOls.