The Calumet news., 1913-11-17
Evidence Points to Relationship
Between Defendant and
the Victim
SAY ESTRANGEMENT EXISTED

Indianapolis, Ind, Nov l1.-Dr. VIII
liam B. Craig, president Of the In
uiana Veterinary college, will be
placed on trial at Shelbyville next Fri
day for the murder of Or. Helen
knabc, who was one of the most
prominent women in Indiana.
on the morning Of October -. 1911
Dr Knabe was found dead in her
apartments with a deep wound i'm her
throat. Life apparently had been eX-
tinct for several hours when the doc
tors Office girl, Miss Katherine Nc
Pherson. made the discovery.
The police made a number of ar
rests, but i'm the absence Of any known
motive for the crime, all the suspects
were released. The public wes not
stislied with the police theory of sui
eide and the case was presented to
two Marion county grand iuries, both
of which failed to take action. In the
meantime, Coroner Durham had been
conducting an investigation of his
own, and he reached decision that
DR.. knabe had been murdered "by
unknown persons"
Various rewards were offered for in
formation leading to the arrest of
slayer or slayers, but these failed tv
bring results. Friends of the WOMAN
finally induced the local council Of
women of indianapolis To raise fuud
with which 10 conduct a further in
vestigation of the mysterious case.
Harry &. Webster, a private deteC-
tive employed by the council worked
for nearly a year on the case and IN
December, 1912, he presented before
the grand jury information ON which
the indictment against Or. Craig was
based. a. M Ragsdale, an undertaken,
also was indicted as an accessory aft-
er the fact.
Evidence Is Ciroumstant,al,
Craig's attorneys asked a change of
venue, and the case was sent 20 shell
10y county. where the trial was set for
November Is. The date for Bagsdlles
trial has not beet set.
After the indictments were returned,
Webster admitted that the case hc had
constructed was entirely circumstau-
tial and that he had not witnesses 10
testify that either Or Craig or Rags
dale were in Dr Knabc's apartment
during the night on which the woman
met her death. In the alleged r"la-
tions of Dr. Kuabe and Or Crlii',
however. he claimed 10 have found q
motive for the crime.
I'm his report to the Council of \Vo-
men. Webster reviewed the friendship
between the two physicians, whicn
began i'm 1908. when Dr Knabe was
assistant pathologist iu the laboratory
Of the state board of health. I'm SUP
port of his lesser circumstantial oyi-
dence, Webster made the following
disclosures;
a bitter quarrel is alleged 10 have
followed alleged attempts of Or Craig
to end relationship which had be-
come Objectionable to him
DR.. Craig is alleged to have lren
positively identified by Harrs " Has
kett as a man he met comiug cut of
the arcaway between the Neudone
flats and the Delaware apartments,
where Or. knabe lived, shortly after,
II o'clock on the night of october 20.
DR.. Craig is alleged to have known
of the death of DR.. Knabe on tic
of October %, before anyone
outside the apartment had been ia
formed of the finding of the body
Late on the night of October % Dr
Craig is said to have returned to his
home and to have made complete
change of clothing. Webster said tais
Information was furnished him 10y pr
Eva u. Templeton, who claimed toI
have been told by Mrs. Lydia Tcunau',
for DIR. Craig.
The wound In DIR. knabes throat
could have been inflicted only 10y a
person familiar with the human anat-
omy and with wound known TO
butchers as the sheep nick" and de-
scribed medically as being IAN incision
in the throat which insures death 10y
Continued on End Page, 7th Column.