The Washington herald., 1919-01-19
Who Killed Mrs. Theodore Rooseyes Dressmaker in Stree
By FRANCIS DE SALES RYAN
HDd nd
Was
True


ments in X street, next door to
the home of Mrs. Dennis. He was
an employe Of the Government Print
ing Office
Inc informants against him stated
that Preston had remarked vaguely
several times in club rooms and else
Where that he had some inside in
formation concerning the Dennis case
and that the police were in the dark.
he was said to have compared the
case with a similar-one in another
city many years previously. Preston
was drinking mana man-about-
town. so the police learned. and they
believed that, like most people, he just
liked to hear himself talking.
preston was brought up on the car
pet. however. and a mild, scientific
thlrd degree" was administered to
him. Under it he broke down, plead
ed that he had been blowing under
the stimulus of drink, and admitted
that he knew absolutely nothing
about the Dennis case except what
he had read in the newspapers. As
this confirmed precisely what the po-
lice already believed, Preston was re-
leased as quietly as he had been ar
rested"
The date OF his release was Decem-
Der 10.
Mrs. Dennis Conscious.
Ada Dennis suffered a sinking spell
the morning of December IS and the
physicians administered a powerful
saline solution. with remarkable re-
suits. Mrs. Dennis became. for the
first time subsequent to the assault.
fully conscious and able to talk
freely.
The news delighted the weary
workers at police headquarters, for
they foully believed that she would
now be willing to tell OF the strange
events Of the night of December 9.
The case had bafrled the most bril-
liant minds in the department With
the exception OF the porter, every
person who had been under surveil-
lance had been cleared, including the
jurist toward whom the arrows OF
clrcumstantial evidence had once
pointed.
Maj. Richard Sylvester. Superin-
tendent of Police; DIR. Atkinson. and
all The detectives on the case visited
the patient the afternoon Of Decem-
Der Is and for an hour the cultured
woman delighted her visitors with
her engaging conversational charms
she talked of books. plays and cur
rent events; of birds, flowers and
poetry, and OF her own girlhood days.
Her conversation reflected the clean
ness and wholesomeness of a good
life. and the strong representatives of
the law silently wondered at the de-
pravity OF the wretch who had raised
his hand so brutally against her.
The officers finally led up to the
subject most interesting to them.
coming gradually TO a series OK
questions regarding Cole Mrs. Dem
mis- spoke well of Cole. and said he
was a good. faithful worker. and re-
membered that the last time she had
seen him was when he left her
house after returning from the err
rand which Cole himself had told
about Another police net was
broken.
Detective Horne at last asked her
directly whether she remembered
the assault and she replied that she
did.
DO you know who it was that
struck you?" asked Horne.
Yes" answered Mrs. Dennis. sud
denly changing color and displaying
SIX VI eat ntINOuS tNNlNtiiiNUA
Now, Mrs. Dennis" continued
Horne. won't you answer thi:
question. and remember that we are
Who was it that attacked you7"
The invalid sat upright in bed
her face as pale as death. her eye:
bulging in terror. For a moment il
was feared that she was going into
Dc several pf.
forts to speak. but uttered only in
articulate gutteraI sounds. and fin
ally. weakened apparently by the
frightfuI recollections that the ef'
forts caused, she sank back uncon'
scious to the pillow.
The last hope of learning Ada Gil
bert Dennis secret was gone for
ever.
Roosevelt Visits Mrs. Dennis.
A small plain black wagon drov'
slowly through Garfield Hospita
grounds and into Fourteenth stree
on the morning of October y, 1907
1t was the wagon of the Distric
! morgue and 1t carried all that wa:
mortal of the once beautiful Adj
Gilbert Dennis. Her last moments haC
President and Mrs. Roosevelt Th'
| hospital records show that she passeI
away quietly al o'clock in the morn
| IinG-significant hour, About that hou
one morning a mysterious field en-
tered her room and struck her bru
| tally: at that hour on another morn
! ing a second mysterious visitor, tn
| Angel of Death, stood beside her bed
She carried with her the secret o
/ her slayer's identity. A secluded spo
| in Rock Creek Cemetery is sacret
! to her memory.
Cole Freed.
| The coroner's inquest. conducted b,
Df. ]. Ramsey hewitt. brought 10th
\ ing new to light; but the coroner
| jury, with the characteristic intelli
gence of juries. after listening 4
| the testimony with expressions o
owllike wisdom. brought in a verdic
| against Richard Cole after two min
utes' deliberation. Poor Cole, veal
from an attack of fever. was takel
to headquarters, photographed in IN,