New-York tribune., 1919-12-12
District Attorney
Drops Lemke Case;
Gives Girls Story
Mrs. Manley's Statement
Says Father of Dead Boy
Asked Her to 'sHelp Son
Have a Pleasant Time''

District Attorney OLeary Of Queens
County closed his investigation into
the death Of John W. Lemke yesterday
IN formal statement he said nothing
had been brought out to confirm the
suspicion Of murder in the case Of the
Flushing youth, who, garbed in won.
ah oress. was found strangled 20 death
on his motor launch October 10.
There are no facts" said the Dis
1rict Attorney "that definitely point to
any crime having been committed, and
there are no facts that are in anv vav
incompatible with the statement Of the
pubic authorities that the young man
had taken his own life. There are
many facts that lead TO this conclusion
mere are none that definitely lead TO
any other determination.''
Mr OLeary stated that uo further
action in the case would be taken BIZ
his office. He explained the inquiry
had been instituted because Of the re-
peatedly published assertions of the
dead youths father and OF her relatives
that he had been the victim Of foul
play.
Woman in Case Bitter
At the same time there was made
public transcript of the sta ement OF
Mrs. Rose Manley, the last witness ex-
amned by Assistant District Attorney
Morris. This young woman. whom
process servers discovered hiding in a
clothes closet in her room at the Hotel
Netherland, manifested bitterness over
having been dragged into the case She
said she had been married two weeks
ago in Canada, that her parents had
dIsowned her because of the notoriety
she had gained and that she had also
lost $4,000 commission on a pro-
jected coal deal on account of it,
Mrs. Manley disclosed that she had
been introduced to young Lempke byhis
father. She said the elder Lemke,
driving his car up Riverside Drive, had
hailed her one day more than q year
ago and asked her If he wanted q lift.
She accepted, and during the ride she
declared he asked her if she would con-
sent TO meet his son and ''help hir.l
have pleasant time
Il met the young man on occasions
with his father" Mrs. Manley said.
His father had another young woman
with him. We had dinner and then we
all went out together to dance.
met three different girls with the
father. He seldom had the same one
twice.
The boy aggravated ME. I could not
tolerate him. He did not know about
anything but machinery He always
raved about his sister He said his
mother was a good cook and took care
of the garden. His talk did not inter
est me.
Says He Carried a Gun
lone reason did not like to be with
him was that he always carried gun
Once he pulled it cut on trolley car
| don't know why he carried it. He
never told me he was afraid of any
one
She said Lemke had never visited
her apartment, always having TO hurry
after they had been out OF an evening
in order to catch the last car to + usn-
ing. Lemkes mother knew Of her ac-
quaintance with her son, she said, be
cause on one occasion she had pre-
pared some lunch for them when they
went for Z boat trip. She said she
telephoned to the Lemke house 20 Offer
her coincidence when she read of the
boys death, and that she went to Flush
ing at the fathers request.
II said TO them | could not imagine
how ne could have decided TO kill him
Sc f." she told the A sisrant District
Attorney. Il did not say to them he
had told me he feared any one. What
said was, Why should he have been
carrying gun all the time"