The Washington times., 1917-01-01
SEEK WOMAN RIVAL
IN MODELS DEATH
Police Now Think MRdereSS
Tried to Shift Blame to
Rich Admirer.
Continued from First Page)

CONTINUED from First Page.)
ing it or, and furthermore, the collar
is said to have been rumpled' as the
wearer had been in a struggle.
No Necktie or Buttons.
No necktie was found, however, and
the collar buttons and cuff buttons
were missing, raising question as to
whether a murderer would spend so
much tibe taking away buttons and
necktie when he was leaving the
shirt, which ultimately must be
traced to him.
Robbery was not the motive, de-
tectives are sure. A valuable laval
lier was uRdisturbed and money, in
bureau drawer. was intact. One
piece of jewelry-a handsome diamond
ring of four and a half karats, was
missing.
The day the girl was murdered is
unknown. She was last heard of Fri
day morning when a friend talked to
her on the telephone. The same morn
ing a taxicab brought a caller"
Saturday night Mrs. Bessie Colbert,
q sister of Mrs. Roberts, called. When
she failed to get an answer to re-
peated knocks, 1anitor Gravel
through a window and found the
body.
Discount Theory.
When they took up the theory that
the crime might have been the work
of a woman, the detectives said that
the blood-covered shirt, after all,
night not be as important as it first
had appeared.
they pointed out that the shirt and
collar might have been in the closet,
and the murderer might have covered
the shirt with blood and rumpled and
the collar in order to
raise up a false pursuit.
They found basis for this theory in
the fact that palpable evidence of the
creation of false conditions had been
attempted to cover up the real cause
of death.
Suicide Evidence.
tat first appeared that the woman
had committed suicide by gas when
the body was found Saturday night
after the negro janitor had broken
into Mrs. Roberts apartments.
A rubber hose had been attached
to a gas Jet and placed near Mrs.
Roberts mouth, but it soon became
apparent INC gas JSI Aao hSNSA SSS
turned on.
Then the real conditions OF death
had been revealed. These showed that
the murderer had beaten the dead
woman with an electric iron, break
ing the bridge of her nose and frac-
turing her skull, and then, finding
that death might ensue, had com
pleted the crime by drawing a silk
stocking around Mrs. Roberts neck
until she had strangled.
But, even though the murderer had
nit upon the expedient of manufac-
turing 4 death by gas. the usual
murderer's mistake had occurred and
he or she had forgotten to rearrange
the room to cover up the evidence Of
a struggle and finally had forgotten,
before leaving, to turn on the gas
that was such a necessary factor In
a "gas suicide"
Detectives Theory.
Nevertheless, the detectives believe
that the mind that in the midst Of
causing a violent death. under such cir
cumstances, would think Of framing
up" evidence, would also have consid-
cred the feasibility OF creating the i'm
preston that the mans shirt and COL
lar had been worn by the murderer,
especially II the slayer were a woman.
AS for the probable motive of a wom-
an killing Mrs. Roberts, it is pointed
out by the detectives that the slain
woman may have drawn into her
meshes a man whom the murderess
loved dearly, perhaps her husband. and
that after she had appealed to Mrs.
Roberts to have no more to do with
this man, and meeting refusal. had in
a rage lifted the electric iron, a logical
womap's weapon. and smashed at her