Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-08
VOMAN'S DEATH
PUZZLES POLICE
Murder Was Committed,
Is Belief, but Motive
Is Missing
EVIDENCE OF STRUGGLE
House Thoroughly Ransacked,
Although Nothing was Taken
So Far as known

A mystery approximating that o.
y Edgar Allan Poe's story of the Ru.
Horgue murders confronted the police
today in their investigation of the
stranse death Of Mrs. Serena Conard.
5ssventy-nine years old, who was found
Gead in the hallway OF her home. 1855
a North Fifteenth street, last night.
s Belief that murder was committed
b shared by virtually every official In:
'fvestigating the case. But the murderer
and the motive are unknown
A piece of tape wound around the
aged woman's neck did not cause her
Death This is all that police know.
they say.
The house was ransac cked from ton to
< bottom but nothing Is missing. so far
- Is known. Jewelry and money
Z more than $1,000 in bills-were found in
the home. An open pocketbook. empty.
was lying beside the crumpled body on
the floor.
sa Evidence of a struggle with the sup
posed murderer was found on the first
hoor. Disarranged furniture told OF a
battle put up by Mrs. Conard. who was
very active despite her advanced age.
the battle with the intruder. whose
s means Of ingress and egress are shroud-
"a In the same veil Of mystery that sur
grounds the crime. All doors and win
dows of the home were locked
" we have every indication OF a mur-
der." said Lieutenant OF Detectives Wood.
lf'But beyond that we know nothing
How the murderer entered thhe house or
bow he escaped we cannot say"
~ lieutenant Zinn. of the Twenty-second
street and Hunting Park avenue police
y station. In whose district the puzzling
4 6eath occurred, expressed the same opn-
Ion.
Y Chief Deputy Coroner Sellers and
Coroner's Detective Frank Paul said
&<1at the tape, which at first was be-
lieved to have been used in strangling
the woman. did not cause her death.
The report of Coroners Physician Wads-
worth, who performed an autopsy,
would reveal what killed Mrs. Conard.
they said.
HUSBAND FINDS BODY
The body of Mrs Conard. whose death
occurred sometime during the day, was
found at Z p. m. yesterday by her hus-
band. Edwin Conard. seventy-seven
years old. on his return from the bed
company. Inc. Seventeenth street and
Indiana avenue, where he is employed.
He telephoned to the family physician.
Or Joseph Reeves, 1916 Spruce street.
who fastened to the house and pro-
pounced Mrs Conard dead. She had
been dead several hours.
Mr.. Conard had left the house at
gix o'clock in the morning, going to the
Bedding factory. An hour later. neigh
bors said, mail was delivered at the
house. Nothing Is known about what
happened behind the closed doors.
The tape found around Mrs. Conard's
y nock Is like that used to tie candy pack
ages II Is red and green. OF silk COM
4 position. and about quarter of an inch
vide. 1t is hardly strong enough to
tcause death by strangulation. according
10 Chief Deputy Coroner Sellers. who
aid that II was possible that Mrs.
Conard had died of fright. He discounted
+ dc suggestion OF suicide.
The theory that some one searched
q for something. caused by the dis
i.ordered appearance of the interior of the
Epu6e. was heightened when sl050 in s5.
no, $50 and $50 bills and a pair of dia-
1noud earrings worth $500 were found
\ zNnoer a mattress in front room.
3 Dareau drawers were pulled out aud the
4 D9ntents scattered over the floor.
GOT MONEY FROM ESTATE
lE Mr.. and Mrs. Conard We're married
41fht years ago celebrating their we'd
& ding anniversary last December \. lie
'<pas her second husband. her first hus-
2 band having been j. Wilbur Arthur. a
milk dealer, who left an estate valued
ii4t more than $4,000. A SOD. J. w.
Arthur. Jr., continued the business for
~ time. but after his mothers marriage
WITH Mr. Conard the business was sold
Z Eo1 the estate divided. Mrs. Conard re-
o1yed $17.652 and her two children, j.
Arthur, Jr. and Mrs. Ida Aver, re-
lyed like-shares:
I(eport OF the death was SLOW I'm an.
4{4ug at the police station, causnh
- comment and adding TO the mys-
rumor that he had asked that
ming be made public about the death
- denied today by Mr.. conard.
.<Qf course. | want u known so that
Ser u responsible may be brought
5ustice." he said.
ojtce officials also denied that there
been any attempt at concealment.
r. conard explained that he called
1poctor Reeves who lives great
lance from the house. BECAUSE the
~ a the family physicians, and he
nof think to summon doctor from
1eighborhood when attempts to re-
Ne wife failed
1or Reevs he'd been attending Mrs
= whose health recently had moi
the best Mrs. conard's Illness
caused him to be late In arrlv-
~ last night. as he hid stopped
1<4nrant for supper rather than
~ tog ct \ meal for him