The Washington times., 1920-11-23

PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 23.-
Robbery or revenge-which was re-
sponsible for the mysterious slay-
ing Of Henry 7. Pierce, eastern man.
ager of the Insley. Manufacturing
Company?
That is the question police are en-
deavoring to solve today.
SEARCH FOR BLONDE.
Search Is being made fcr 4 youB.
and pretty blonde woman ard a male
companion who are hE)"'r to have
visited Pierce's office Saturday night
the last time Pierce was seen al'v".
II is believed the woman can shed
soTre light on the mystery.
Pierce was fund lead IN a gas
filled room in the rear Of his second
floor Market street office. his head
battered in and his body stripped Of
yalunb'es.
Search s'so is being made for
Pl.rce's big red au,". in which TIE
pretty blonde woman and her COM
panion may be fleeing police SAID
Pierce was seen u enter ms office
nt 1880 y NJ. Saturday,, showing 1Ni-
dcnce OF having been dIinkinl hcav-
lily. With HIM was the blorde womaD
Police developed the theory that
Pierce Was lured into the rear room.
whore he was set upon and killed.
The woman is described as being
plump" fve feet two inches tall, and
about 81 years old. She wore a brow n
turbsn hat with a blue feather, and a
three quarters length brown coat.
The missing auto has a 12-cylinder
engine and the body is boat shaped.
The widow of the slain man, Mrs.
Irene Pierce, said that she had been
forewsrned Of her husbands tragedy
In a dream.
The murdered man left five sons.
all under Is years OF age.
Although an invalid and a cripple
and suffering from a severe attack OF
rheumatism, Mrs. Lorena b. Peirce,
the widow, came to this city last
night from Fort Washington in the
pouring sain to help detectives find
the slayer of her husband.
Mrs. Peirce said that she does not
believe that robbery was the motive
for the murder and that a woman
is either directly or indirectly fespon-
sible for the crime.
EXPECTED HIS DEATH.
Although the murder was shock
to her. Mrs. Peirce said that she had
been prepared for the past two years
for the news that her husband had
met with a violent death. She had no
thought he would be murdered, but
that he would be killed by a speedy
which he owned and
drove. Mrs. Peirce furnished the po-
lice with the name and address of a
blonde stenographcr who had worked
for her husband and was discharged,
she said at her request. This woman,
she said, was Mrs. Anna Kirby.
"Mr. Peirce left his home last
Thursday morning at 10 o'clock In his
$500 automobile after kissing my
self and the children goodbye, and
said that he was going to Baltim or"
and Washington on "A business trip"
saws Mrs PeirCe. "He left Washing
ton Saturday morning and returned to
going directly to his Of
Ace. | understand that he brought "A
member of the Washington branch
O fthe firm TO Philadelphia with him
in the automobile.
"On Saturday afternoon he telc-
phoncd me at our home and stated
that he was going to New York. A
few minutes later he again telc-
phoncd and said that he had post
poned the New York trip and he
would he home on the ll02 y. m.
train. | had a feeling of fear and
asked him to please come home as
soon Us possible as | was very nerv-
Gus about him. 1t was the first time
in several months that ! had such a
fear that something would happen
to him. / have had n fear ever since
he bought the speedy automobile that
he would be killed, and Mr.. Peirce
certainly did like to drive fast.