Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-05-23
MURDER
OF SERVANT GIRL
STILL MYSTERY
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60 leave at o'clock In the afternoon in
order to keep a O'Clock appointment
with DR.. Ransom, a dentist The ap-
pointment was not kept She was fully
clothed in a street gown, apparently ready
20 leave the house. when attacked,
though she wore no hat
About the house could be found no
sign Of a struggle or other violence
! INVESTIGATION tends to indicate that the
girl might have been taken unawares
and choked into silence while upstairs,
and then carried into the coal bin in the
cellar. where the murder occurred.
Mrr. sykes Makes Discovery.
Mrs. Sykes. a prominent worker in
| Presby terrain church circles, returned
! from a sewing circle meeting about
o'clock and after attending to her flow
ers. outside, unlocked the front door and
entered.
She noted the absence Of the domestic,
but did not think II strange. When Mr..
Sykes came home from his office shortly
after 6 o'clock. and the girl was stlll
missing. Mrs. Sykes prepared the evening
meal herself During the meal Miss
swansons hardness was discussed. II
was the first time she had ever failed
On her duties.
I Mr.. Sykes Is assistant to General Man
ager Ware OF the Union Pacific.
IL VIVA at T:i5 O'Clock that Mrs. Sykes
suddenly thought the girl might possibly
have fallen down the cellar steps
With Some nhsgivings, she lighted the
cellar lights and went down.
A pool Of blood greeted her eyes and
she cried ont and swooned. Mr.. Sykes
ran downstairs and opened the coal-bln
door, from whence emRnated the stream
Of blood. ami disclosed the body.
It had apparently been lifeless for sew
eral hours.
Tho Ratchet with which the crime was
committed has been In the Sykes cellar
FOR some time II was found nearby.
No Clue IL Found.
Police canvass or the neighborhood
failed to develop any description OF per-
sons leaving The sykes home. Captain
Dempsey and Chief OF Detectives Maloney
kept squad of police ard detectives at
work all night running TO earth possible
brought to light.
Of tho girl were brought TO headquarters
and questioned. but each was released in
turn. the authorities being satisfied they
knew nothing of the affair
The accepted theory Is that a moral
pcrvert murdered Mics Swanson.
The girls limbs, which were protected
by a thin pair OF Isle hose. were each
marked by the bloody imprint OF a
81. 81
the stocking.
Her rings and other articles OF jewelfy.
worth about $50, were undisturbed. and
examination of the torso with the naked
eye seems to show that a violation had
been committed. ''a"
Tho dead girf'a' sister. Mrs. RIva Olsen.
wife of Fritz Olsen. carpenter living at
a;io Dewey avenue. said she had teie-
phoned 10 the girl about Il D. nj, but
had received nslrsgponse. r
work OF MoraA Pervert.
Or. Stuart McDairmid. who was present
at the examination made before the
microscopic tests were accomplished. de-
elared also that in his opinion the MUIR
der was the work OF a degenerate.
II am at loss to know the
motive for the crime" declared Mr..
Sykes. IAN of the coors Of the house.
and all Of the windows were tightly
closed and locked when Mrs Sykes eamo
home. The murderer probably entered
through the front door. which was open
in the morning. and went out the same
way, locking II as he left. The front
door il equipped with a spring lock,
which secured II automatically. Not n
80 4 Al y. g.
nothing even was disturbed.
Ada was a straight, honest Girl She
had only been In this country about
three years. and had been In our employ
as q domestic for eight months During
that time. we knew that she was a
straight honest girl. She never went out
nights. save in company beyond re-
proach."
Mrs. Sykes. who made the discovery
was so upset that she insisted upon re-
naming overnight at the home OF a
neighbor. and accordingly, after the au-
thorities completed their investigation
there. tho house was closed up.
sister end Brother Here.
Besides the sister, Mrs Olsen. the vic
tim IL survived by another sister living
at Gothenburg. Neb.. and a brother Carl
swanson. q carpenter. living near Twen-
ty-third and California streets. The girl
was born In Sweden and had been in
America only three years. She spoke
broken English. was quite pretty and is
said TO have been very popular with
young men OF her nationality. She had
been working at the sykes residence since
last October. prior to which time her
sister. Elva, worked there before gettirg
married.