New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-03
Viola Kraus
Denies Threat
Against Elwell
Divorced Wife of Victor
Won Schlegell Asserts
She Knew the Murdered
Whist Expert Eight Years
T e stifies Voluntarily
Mrs. Wilmerding Will Be
Examined To-day; Dry
Agents Break With Swami

~
with Joseph Bovine Elwell over a Pc
Rod of eight years. Her statements
were made in response to questioning
by members of the District Attorneys
staff. Miss Kraus was a member of the
party which dined with the card expert
fore he was mysteriously murdered in
his home.
Explaining this investigation, Dis
trict Attorney Swami, in typewrittcn
statement issued yesterday, declared
that it was necessary to confront "Mss
Wilson" with the statements of Anna
Kane, former housekeeper of Elwell.
The housekeeper's statements we're
cabled here from Ireland.
"The District Attorney thereupon got
Miss Viola Kraus," the statement con-
tinues.
Denies Making Threats
1t also declares that Miss Kraus
came voluntarily to her home in this
city and was there questioned; that she
denied making any threats against
Elwell and that she had never had any
controversy with any other woman in
regard to Elwell.
The identity Of "Miss Wilson" has
been carefully shielded by the District
Attorney in previous statements.
The statement that Miss Wilson"
had ouarreled with another woman
over Elwel was contained in the
cable1 story of Anna Kane. District
Attorney Edward Swami stated las.
night that he expected Mrs. Josephine
Lewis Peet Widening at his Office %
day and that he would question her
to see whether she could give any IN
formation about Elwell or his friends
that would furnish clews that might
aid in solving the mystery.
The first statement issued by Dis
trct Attorney Swami yesterday was
worded as follows:
"1n an endeavor to unravel the Ell
we'll murder the District Attorney has
centered his attention upon the main
question of who committed the MUIR
der, if it was a murder, and the motive
for the crime. He has consistently
eliminated from his answers to the
public press all matter tending to
pander to the morbid tastes of scan
dalmongers.
He has declined to allow the
papers to print copies of the pictures
of a woman found among the muir
dcred mans effects and he has de-
clined to give the names of young
women with whom the murdered man
was acquainted.
Among these young women was one
known to the servants as Miss Wilson
AS no charge heretofore had been made
against this young woman the District
Attorney, following the invariable Gus
tom, declined to give her name to the
public press.
Sent for Miss Kraus
the District Attorney yesterday in
which a former housekeeper of the
deceased man alleges that Miss Will
SON had threatened in her hearing to
'kill Elwell' if he deserted her again
This. taken in connection with the
former statements of Miss Wilson
that she had telephoned to Elwell at
$3.50 a. m. on the morning of his death,
rendered it necessary for the District
Attorney to confront Miss wilson
with the statement of the former
housekeepeer. Anna Kane, and examine
her in regard to it.
lie blSlIl <1tlOIHcy tNeIcupVii SOt
into immediate communication with
Miss Viola Kraus, who is spending the
summer in the State of New Jersey;
she was, therefore, not subject to
subpoena from the New York courts
However. she came voluntarily and con-
scented to submit to a further examina-
ton at her residence, 154 East Sixty
third Street.
"She arrived there late yesterday
afternoon, after Office hours, and AS
sistant District Attorneys John T
Dooling, John F. Joyce and Albert B
Ungcr met her there with her attorney
who had cancelled an appointment to
go out of town, and she was examined
for three hours on the various phases
of the case
Mr.. Dooling reports that she did not
refuse to answer any questions. She
said she had known Elwell for period
of at least eight years. She had never
at any time made threat, directly or
indirectly. against him; that she
never had any controversy with any
other woman in regard to him or con-
corning him.
Subsequently second statement
was issued by District Attorney Swami,
which read:
"The attention of Miss Kraus was
Cdllcu W tHC oAOtNiC Al yCS|SAu"y {
"American," and she denied categori-
cally that she had, in the presence or
hearing of Anna Kane or any other
person, at an ytime when anybody else
was present, uttered any threats
against the life Of Joseph b. Elwell.
Sam Anna Kane Twice
"She further stated that she had no,
been deserted by Ewell, and did not
fear that she would be deserted by
Elwcll That she was until recently
a married woman and she further
stated that he (ElwclD had never pro-
posed marriage to her and the sub
jcct had never been suggested, or dis
cussed That she had known Elwell
for abou. eight years and had seen
him at different times at Palm Beach
in New Yoyk City, at hotels, places of
amusement, etc. That she had not
had any controversy, or disagreement
with any other woman regarding Mr.
Elwcll, or any other man. That she
had only seen Anna twice in her life
once, when she was motoring with her
brother and another lady, at the cot
tage at Saratoga, occupied by the late
Mr.. Elwell.
"Shc saw Anna Kane on another
occasion when she visited the late MI
Elwell in the autumn of 1919 She
stated that she bore no i'll will toward
Anna Kane and could not conceive of
any reason why any charge against
her should have been uttered by Anna
Kane