The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-11-20
FAILURE OF FINGER
PRINTS TO FURNISH
CLEWS TO MURDER
From Tuesdays Daily.

on the sword with which Leaning
Sharpless was slain failed today,
leaving the mystery of the death as
deep as ever. The finger prints
failed to show clearly the delta and
the circle, two essential points in
finger print identification.
DIR. Gilbert Seashore. the coroner,
filed a death certificate which stated
that Mr.. Sharpless had been MUIR
dered by a person or persons I'M
known. He said that evidence upon
which to charge any one with the
crime was lacking.
For the first time since her arrest
Mrs. Sharpless was nervous and wor-
ried last night She paced the floor
of the girls ward I'm the city Jail,
where she is confined, and asked for
her brother-in+aw. Louis A. Sharp
less, several times. She repeatedly
asked Mrs. Sarah Schaeffer, police
matron, IL she would be allowed TO
attend the funeral services of her
husband 1t was the first time she
bad mentioned the name Of the dead
man.
I don't see why I can't cry" she
repeated over and over again. Il
want to but tears won't come"
Paced the Ward.
Once she asked when the grand
jury would be i'm session, and then
continued her dry eyed pacing OF
the ward. She turned as II to talk
TO the police matron several times,
but checked herself when the matron
smoke to her.
The matron has been worried at
Mrs. Sharpless' refusal of food. She
has eaten but little since her arrest
and has slept but short time. She
appeared TO be on the brink of a
physical breakdown last night.
The police will present their case
against Mrs. Sharpless to the grand
Jury TODAY. She was still held last
night without formal charge.
Sticks to Her Story.
Mrs. Sharpless stuck to her origi-
nal story through a three-hour exami-
nation by Police Captain Calvin and
detectives. and again in an interview
with an old friend, whose name the
police refused to give, and who was
closeted with her for an hour at
police headquarters.
In no material point did the woman
vary from the account she gave Sat
urday night She insists that she
was lying on the bed while her hus-
band reclined on the couch few
feet away; that she knew OF no
other person entering the room. and
that 1t was scarcely possible that
anyone should have entered without
her being aware of the fact. No
charge has been laid against Mrs.
Sharpless, but she is still held.
Captain Calvin said yesterday that
he had learned that Mr.. Sharpless
was preparing TO sue for divorce. A
diary found in the apartments adds
20 this intimation of domestic dis
cord. Entries by Mr.. Sharpless tell
of a series of domestic spats.
Sounds as Of Quarrel.
Mrs. A. w. Wright, wife of DIR. A.
w Wright. who occupies that fat
above the Sharpless apartment, said
yesterday. according to Captain Gal
win. that she heard loud voices, ap-
parently raised in quarrel. for sew
eral minutes on Saturday night, and
sounds as of furniture being over
turned. This. she said, was about
twenty minutes before Mrs. Chris
man. wife of the janitor, called for
DIR. Wrights assistance.
Mrs. Sharpless has denied quar-
rel with her husband that night.
Louis Sharpless. a brother of the
slain man. Yesterday denied that he
had said his brothers wife was an
actress i'm Mankato before her mar
rage or that he had said his brother
gave most IF his wages to his wife.
Facts For Grand Jury.
Last evenings Minneapolis Journal
said:
4 second examination OF Mrs.
Leaning Shorpless, detained by the
police when they found her husband
slain by sword thrusts In their
home, fiat 1. 1929 Yale place, Satur-
day night, an attempt to obtain
finger prints from the Knights Temp
lar sword found i'm the room and
the discovery of diary written by
Sharpless and recording domestic
troubles. comprised today's develop
ments In the efforts to get at the
bottom Of the case. Facts obtained
today will be given to the grand
Jury tomorrow.
The ATTEMPT TO get finger prints
from the sword failed.
A rigid examination Of the prison.
er likewise failed. Mrs. Sharpless an
swered all questions readily, but
usually with the same reply OF IL
really don't know"
The police, in searching for mo
tive for the murder. today investi-
gated a rumor that Sharpless had
employed private detectives to trace
the movements of his wife.
Mrs. Sharpless said she was lying
on her bed reading and her husband
was on the couch in an adjoining
room when she heard him groan and
went out to find him wounded.
The Troubles Recorded.
The troubles recorded in the diary
were I'm part corroborated by neigh
bore. though they said they had
never heard serious quarrels.
An autopsy showed. according to
Coroner Gilbert Seashore, that the
murdered OF Sharpless' was In a.
frenzy, for he was stabbed three
times when any one of the wounds
would have caused death.
The dairy recorded series OF do
nestle quarrels In the Sharpless
family from Sept. IS to Oct. 5. It
was written by Sharpless. Some OF
the entries in the diary are:
September 1S-Refused to get my