The sun., 1919-01-19
SLAIN WITH OWN
SWORD AMID HIS
ART TREASURES
w. S. Philhower, Electrical
Expert, Slashed in Flat by
Mysterious Caller.
FOUGHT HARD FOR LIFE
One Diamond Ring and Watch
StOlen-Other Valuables
Left Untouched.

Left Untouched.
George Herzog, who has been janitor
OF the old brownstone front Smithsonian
Apartments at 14s East Thirtieth street
Cor the last two years. saw light
shining through the transom over the
door on the ground floor to the right
Of the entrance at 1880 o'clock yester-
day afternoon. 1t was strange, he
thought. that Winfield Scott Philhower,
the we'll 10 do art fancier and electrical
expert VINO lived there, should have
gone away and left the light turned on.
Ue was far too methodicai q man for
that Herzog tried the knob and found
the door was unlocked. lie opened II
md discovered a strange murder mys-
terry.
The apartment contains six rooms
and a bath and Philhower, who was So
and a bachelor, lived there alone. II
was luxurlously furnished with a wealth
of old prints. reproductions OF famous
paintings. plaques. bric-a-brac and an
unusual collection of swords and sabres
Of various periods upon the walls. Be
Is a den with a divan in one corner.
Herzog saw nothing unusual until he
reached it. and there, stretched upon
its back on the floor. with one knee
doubled under the other and with a
couch pillow resting lightly upon the
face was Philhower's body.
few feet away was sword bayonet.
its slightly crooked blade covered with
blood. Herzog tiptoed forward and
picked up the pillow. The eyes of the
dead man were open and staring. His
face was dyed crimson from a Jagged
wound on his forehead. Under the
right ear was a deep cash, evidently
made with the sharp cutting edge Of
the bayonet swung sabrelike with savage
fury. There were other wounds upon
the head and blood stains upon the
couch cover and upon the wall be-
hind 1t.
Life as Unusual as His Death.
without waiting TO note forther de-
tails Herzog scuttled out OF he apart
Tnent and told the owner of the build
ing what he had seen. 4 telephone
message to Capt. William II. Ward a,
the East Thirty-hfth street station
brought four detectives and Patrolman
Walter Hunt. After a superficial exam
ination they called Police Headquarters
and Capt. Carey, head Of the homicide
bureau, half a dozen of his men, in
GLIDING Edwin Mcclure; John F. Joyce,
assistant district attorney: DR.. Charles
Norris, chief medical examiner. and Dr.
Sanderson of Bellevue Hospital, all ar.
rived within half an hour. Then began
rhe effort to unravel the 1ken OF cir
,umstances surrounding PhIlhowers un-
usual life and even more strange death
~ dru 20 %
Established was that the art connoisseu III
had not yielded UP his life without night
ing for It. Close beside the body was
r. leather BILLY" of. the type used by
the Boston police, with which ii was
evident that Philhower had sought 10
hefend himself There was a deep cash
on the leather covering made by the
edge OF the bayonet, doubtless when the
billy had been interposed to ward of
one OF its sweeping blows.
The detectives felt certain that Phil
bowers slayer had not entered the
apartment with intent to murder. they
said. Their reason for this belief was
that his assailant had left the little der
before making his attack. The bayonet
had been ripped from the wall in the
hallway leading TO the dining room
" here II had hung in company witt
three or four swords The wire with
which II had been fastened was stout
and considerable strength must hav.
been exerted in detaching the weapon
Once he had obtained 1t. the murderer
evidently had turned back to tho der
with the weapon In his hand.
Fought Against Heavy Odds.
And Philhower had known that dealt
was upon him. Between the time 'he
unidentified visitor had started from The
den and returned with the bayonet the
electrician had realized that he mus
seek TO defend himself, The leather looI
attached TO thehandle of the billy" was
stin: showing that it had long hung sus
pended from hook near the couch. anc
Capt Carey believes that Philhowel
snatched at II frantically-aimost as a
drawing man grasps at a straw-anc
that he put up brave fight agains
heavy odds
He was beaten back upon the couch
the detectives think, after which ht
struggled 70 his feet under a rain o,
blows from the knifelike steel. At III,
FOOT o. the divan was a small table uI,or
which brass lamp OF odd design haC
rested. There was window beside tn,
table. opening into the bedroom in tn,
rear. and the lamp had been knocked
through 1t and was found resting upor
tho bed
Outside OF that and the ends Of tn,
wire quivering from the wall I'm the hal
nothing In the apartment had been dis
furbed. Phtlhower was fully clothed
save that his waistcoat was unbuttoned
The autopsy, which Or. BENJAMIN
Schwartz performed at the morgue las
night, revealed that the victims skull
had been fractured by the blows which
caused his death. There was concussio,
OF the brain and the character of som
of the wounds upon the head and bod,
showed that the murderer had not onI,
slashed with the bayonet. but ha
stabbed with the sharp point as well
The attack had been almost insane in II
fury, the autopsy revealed.
Although there were valuables 1,
plenty IN sight, none OF these articles il
Phlhower's home was missing Their
was solid silver there which he ha
been fond of telling neighbors once ha
belonged to Queen Elizabeth. A vas
which once graced the royal palace a
The Hague was found standing in it's &C
oustomed place. In a secret compar.