New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-27
SAY AGED WOMAN
DIED OF FRIGHT
Police Believe IntruderS
Who Bound Victim
Gave Fatal Scare.

Mrs. Caroline Tiarks, seventy three
years old, who was believed to have
been tied to her bed and murdered by
burglars early yesterday morning in
her sons apartment. at 535 West 11Sth
Street, may have died of fright, accord
ing to Inspector John j. Cray and other
police officials.
Probable assault is the cause of
death assigned by DR.. Benjamin
Schwartz, coroner's physician, VINO per-
formed an autopsy. He found that Mrs.
Tiarks suffered from pulmonary edema
and dilation of the heart. No marks of
violence were found except a slight
scratch on the right side Of the neck.
Rope Proves a Mystery.
One of the most puzzling aspects of
the mystery concerns the piece Of
clothes line which was found dangling
from Mrs. Tiarks's right wrist. 1--WE
have been unable to get any definite in
formation about this rope" Inspector
Cray said last night. "Her son Herman
thinks he may have united the loop
around the left wrist in his excitement
after discovering his mothers body. lie
does not remember just how the knots
were tied.
We found no abrasions on the skin
no congestion Of blood in the veins,
/ such as would indicate that the wom-
j ans assailant had tied her wrists
tightly"
A gold watch and silver chain Of in
significant value are the only articles
missing from the apartment. The the
DRY of a robbery motive was weakened,
in the opinion of a score Of detectives
assigned to the mystery, by the finding
of Mrs. Tiarks's handbag containing Sll
in a chilfonier drawer near her bed.
Chief Inspector Joseph A. Faurot
and Inspector Cray recalled yesterday
that the Harlem mystery resembled IN
many respects the murder of Mrs.
Elizabeth Grggs Nichols in her home,
4 East Seventy-ninth Street, on the
night Of September 3, 1915 Mrs. Mich
OILS was found dead after a struggle
with three masked burglars admitted
to the house by her hallboy. Onni
Talas. Her assailants were never APP
/ pretended. Talas was saved from the
electric chair when Governor Whit
man committed his sentence to life i'm
prisonment.
Clew to Burglars.
One clew has been discovered by the
police to substautiate the theory that
a thief gained entrance to the Tiarks'
apartment. II. Rosen. who lives in
fat adjoining the one where the wom-
an died, entered the house at 9:30 FRI
day night He says that he noticed
tall, well dressed young man ringing
the doorbell of the Tiarks' apart
ment. Rosen told the stranger that he
did not think any of the family were
home.
"Oh. the old lady is always in" tho
man replied. Roscn heard no noise in
the adjoining apartment. He did not
see the stranger enter. Inspector Cray
said that Rosen's description Of the
man was so incomplete that a genera.
alarm for his apprehension would Of
fer small hope of success.
Mrs. Tarks lived with her son. Her
mann. who has a store at 1857 Broad
way. The other occupants Of the
/ apartment are young Tiarks's wife and
a clerk in the store, Hans Hoelmrcich
The BODY Of the elder Mrs. Tiarks was
discovered BY her son when he and
his wife returned from their store
/ shortly after ! a. n. Hoelmrelch. who
. ad preceded them by an hour. told
the police that he went to bed without
knowledge that his employers mother
was dead. He explained the disorder
Of his bed and dresser by saying that
he supposed the aged woman had been
searching for something in his room.
Bureau drawers were open and
clothing had been scattered about his
mothers room. the son discovered
Her body lay fully dressed on her bed
On the dining-room table was a box
of old photographs and letters from
Germany. II is supposed Mrs. Tiarks
spent the evening examining these
. documents. which linked her to the
! Fatherland she had left three years
/ ago Her constant wish was to return
to Germany as soon as the war was
/ over.