New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-11
ARREST NEAR
In ROBERTS CASE
Coroner to Submit Evi-
dence to Warrant Deten-
ton on Saturday
ryrom a stan Correspondent, o, The Tribune ]

fFrom a stan Correspondent OF Inc inoih''I
Philadelphia, Jan. 10-An arrest in
the Grace Roberts murder case IS
looked for by Saturday night. Evi-
dence deemed sufficient TO warrant the
detention Of a man as material VIII
ness will be submitted to Coroner's
Jury on Saturday, which has been hxed
tentatively as the date for the inquest
according to report from Coroner
Knights Office to-day.
The Coroner's investigation IS IN full
swing. 1t precludes the guilt oil Der
nard w. Lewis, and is based on the
theory that Grace met her death as
the consequence of blackmail plot
at the hands OF men who sought TO
silence her. According to the story
which, in all probability, will be pre-
sented to the Coroner's jury, Lewis
was in tne room with Grace when the
SLAYER and the witness to the staying
entered but left before he was aware
that the model had been killed.
On the other hand, District Attorney
Rotan after n new quiz of witnesses
which lasted until after o'clock to-
night, stated the net result Of the days
testimony az strengthening the case
against Lewis. q.
"What | regard as the most sgnit-
cant development" he said, was the
testimony Of Edith and Mabel Kyle,
who testified that Lewis had no cuts
or scars on his hands on Thursday be-
fore he went TO Grace Roberts's house
On Friday night after the murder wnen
Lewis saw the girls one OF them re
marked at the way his fingers were
scratched up. Yes she says Lewis re-
Piled. Il look like | had been working
around an automobile. Well, the
chauffeur did shut the door on my
fingers last night
Denial by the Chauffeur
Now, Elmer Powell, the chauffeur,
denies this. He says that Lewis rode
nearly all the way on the box with the
driver. o.,
The District Attorney was asked if
ne intended ordering the arrest Of the
man who, it is believed, the Coroner
may seek to have detained as mate
rial witness.
"Wo have no such thought he re-
piled.
"The evidence so far all points to
one man-to Lewis"
The phase of the District Attorneys
examination which interested the cor
oner's investigators most was the sec
ond questioning of Magistrate Harry
Imber. his constables, Edward Abrams,
together with Marie Collins, and her
younger sister, Ruth McSorley.
Both the magistrate and Miss Col
Inns, however, apparently convinced the
District Attorney Of the soundness Of
their reasons for the strangely coinci-
dent revision of their former stories
as TO the time OF their last telephone
communications with the dead girl.
Shifted the Time Back
At first both said they had talked
with Grace between IL and 1880 Fri
day morning. But along came Edward
Bass, the haberdasher's clerk, with the
story that Lewis had bought his shirt
and collar ut 10:40 a. m.-and to-day
Bass said it must have been earlier,
about f0:l5. Then at 1918 the girl
was dead, if Lewis killed her. Magis-
: trate Imber at once shifted the hour
of his phone call to Grace TO 1910
a. M, and brought his constables in 20
verify it, Marie selected the same hour
and minute-ten minutes after l0-as
the new time for her call, and brought
her twelve-year-ol sister along to bear
the statement out.
i Magistrate Imber's account of his
movements on the night before the
murder and the morning of the murder
b also were satisfactory to Mr.. Rotan.
I The magistrate told of his visit TO