Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-01-06
DEATH MYSTERY CLEARED
BY SUICIDE OF LEWIS
Philadelphia Detectives Convinced
That He Was Responsible for
Murder OF Mazie Colbert
STILL SEARCH FOR MOTIVE
Think He May Have Been Tempo
rarily Embarrassed Financially,
and Strangled Young Woman to
Secure Funds.
lnA 4 ..n,.iaich rrcss. |

iBy Associated Press.
IlADl;LPHIA. PA, January g.
The motive for the murder is all that
remains Tonight to clear up the mys-
terry surrounding the killing Of Maize
Colbert. an artists model. in her apart :
men' here last week. in the opinion OF
the local police The suicide OF Ber-
hard w. Lewis. son Of wealthy re
tired coal operator OF Pittsburgh. at
Atlantic city last night has convinced
Philadelphia detectives that the young
man was responsible for the girls
death
While tho general belief of the de-
tectiNes Is that Lewis was tcmporarily
embarrassed financially and may have
been driven to strangle the young
woman 10 secure funds. the supnosi-
ton tina, his mind was temporarily
unba lanccd is also given credence :,
costly diamond ring belonging TO the
slain girl, the gift of another admfrer.
who had been under surveillance. is
still missing
\ theory that Lewis. prompted by
his alleged financial embarrass mcnt.
may have killed the girl in desperation
because she would not become a party
to plot to blackmail one of her rich
admirers. * also occupying inc attcn-
ton Of the police.
Had Lewis hcon innocent and
bounded I" suicide hy disgrace Incl
dent to tho linking Of his name with
the murder Of Miss Colbert, hc would
certainly have left note Of explana
ton" said Captain Tate tonight
SOME or CIRCl INSTANCES
THAT POINT no LEWIS
some Of the circumstances pointing
To Lewis IS the SLAYER as indicated
nF inc police. wer" his possession of a
bloodsiaincd handkerchief: strands of
hair clutchcd in the dead girls hand
matched tina, of Lewis: he wore a
woman's silk undershirt. said to bo ;.
dupiicaf" Of others found in Miss
'olocrts room: his hands were
scratched as II struggle had pre-
ccdcd the crime: his shirt and collar
were the same size As tho bloodstaincsl
4 shirt and collar found in the girls
apartment: curtain cord similar to
on" torn from her apartment was
found among T.ewis's effects: in a
memorandum book in his pocket was
card bearing Miss Colbcrt's telephone
number. and he was identified by FL
wood Powell as tho man he had driven
IN a taHicah 10 Miss Coibert's apart-
inent Tho night the murder is believed
10 have occurred
i-c"iss presence at the victims fu
neral Yesterday was reported by two
women mouruors, who declared thcy
recognized tho picture and description
OF inc snicide. The nervousness OF the
man impressed them. They said
hloodstained undcrgarmeu; be
loved to have belonged to Lewis. was
F OF he
room ~ a.hotcl occupied by Lewis last
Wednesday. The body was clad in /,
"onan's underEarmcnt. The kew Ia
this room was found among his effects
AT an Atlantic city hotel where lie
shot himself as detectives rapped on
: the door to arrest him
MISS toLBEUTS pEtTU
DUE TIC STANDARDIZATION
The results OF ,,hc autopsy by Will
liam Wadsworth. cernncr's physician.
made public to-day showed that Miss
'olberts death, was due to strangula
! ton.
! IL developed to-day that after tho
Colbert girl had been killed. Lewis
took Misses Ethel and Mabel KYLE.
acknowledgements OF Gcrmantown, to teas
ana dances ut downtown hotels on
rrida! |and Saturday and to theaters
on bolh nights. On last Sunday Lewis
accompanied the sisters to church. the
sa,di today. All this time. the police
clafh. the Colbert girl lay dead in her
/ horne
i l.ewis's body had been prepared for
I burial II Atlantic City to-day. and was
I neinE held there awaiting the arrival
\ OF relatives from Pittsburgh. No in
4 quest was held. tn" coroner believing
that the case was one clearly OF sui
! eide
! MISSES KYLE MAINTAIN
lie rs INNOCENT
! The Misses Kyle. through whom the
I police learned of Lewis's identity.
maintain that he is innocent of the
/ murder. and that h committed suicide
4 because he believed his reputation had
becn ruined. Mr. Lewis was the vic
! tim Of a CHASTITY blunder" said one of
tn" school-teachcrs. Il still believe he
! was innocent. know that he was
I an honorable man. He read that he
7 had been drawn into the mystery and
/ ended his life. because he had lost hone
| of cStricatins himself and because he
thought his reputation had been ruined.
/ lie had tcicphoned us every day since
| the murder occurred. but il was not
! until late yesterday that he showed any
/ signs of beng worried about tho air
] He called us three times Yesterday,
and at O'clock. the hour Of his last
! call hec Ieemed excited. but protest ed
i his ina Fence. Isn't this horrible" he
.ainedI