The Washington times., 1920-09-10
ELDCAPT|VE
SHE DECLARED:
Mrs. kuehIing Said to Have
Told Lawyer She Was
Beaten. 4
FORMER HUSBAND ARRIVES,
Goes to Scene of Tragedy to Aid
Detectives in Clearing
Up Case.

Mrs. Gertrude Viger Kuehling,
Detroit heiress, whose husband. Roy
Harper Kuehling, reported her
drowning while canoeing on the Po-
tomac river, near Catfish Cove, We'd
nesday night, met her death on tho
eve Of the day her suit for divorce
from Kuehling was to have been
filed.
PHONED TO LAWYER.
Last Tuesday. according to tho.
police. Mrs. Kuehling, telephoned .
Washington attorney, urging him tot
file the suit at once. She told tho
attorney that Kuehling had been
abusing her, beating and choking her.
and had been keeping her virtually a
prisoner in their room at Woodside,
Nd. for several days.
Il can't stand this any longer" she
is reported to have said. He 10
keeping me a prisoner here. This
is the first chance in FIVE days I have
had to telephone"
The attorney Immediately wrote. q
letter to Charles s. Mcdonald. Mrs,
Kuehlings Detroit attorney. to OBJ.
tain data necessary for fling the
suit. T"-
With the receipt of this and other
Information. which they contend cast8
strong doubt on the truth Of Kueh.
ling's story that his wife died as the
result of their canoe being caught in
an eddy and capsizing, Inspector Cliff
ford l. Grant, chief of detectives, this
morning detailed Detective Sergeants
Scrivener, Kelly and Bowers to take
kuehling to Catfish Cove in an ef-
fort to break down his story.
EX-HUsBAND ARRIVES.
Soon after they had departed, How
ard B. Osgood. divorced husband oe
Mrs. Kuehling, who Is a Detroit real
estate man, arrived here. When he
had interviewed Inspector Grant, hs
also departed for the scene of his,
former wife's death, with the detec-i
tives. ~
Before leaving Police Headquarters.,
Mr.. Osgood announced he had offeredt
a $50 reward for the recovery of Mrs.J
kuehling's body. He said his activ-I
ity in the case is only for the inter- J
ests Of their threeyear-old son, who
now is with her two sisters, Mrs. P.t
L. Ryan and Mrs. Sullivan, of De-
troit. Osgood has been making his
home with his former wife's sisters !
since she obtained divorce in June,
1919. he said.
No trace of Mrs. Kuehlings BODY
had been found this morning, although
searching parties have been busy at
the scene of her reported drowning
since early Thursday morning.
As reasons for doubling Kuehling's
story, besides the divorce action con- |
templated by his wife, the police point
out:
Mrs. Kuehling was one of the heirs
to the S1,Oe4,OOO estate OF Elizabeth
Chap~iton. Of Detroit. and under
Maryland law KuehIinE would Inherit
one-third Of his wffe's estate. should
she die without leaving . will other
wise disposing of IL. !
WIFE PAID BILLS.
Mrs. kuehling. according to se-
qunintances Of the couple and those
with whom they did business, paid
all bills. Kuekling. they say, had not
been employed since they arrived 10
Woodside last April. She had begun
negotiations to buy . s3noOO resi-
deBce In Woodslde, hut had droppeA
the transaction last June, when tros-
bic between her and Kuehling IL said /
to have developed.
She complained to her attorney
here that KuchIing world not work !
and was spending her money.
Walter BrpnpelI, an cmploye at 4
Dempsey. Boathouse. Georretown.
who rented the canoe to KuchIinx |
last "wednesday. hna told the police ]
Mrs. KuehIing was not with ku~hlinga 4
MT the time and he did not see her
subs eauentfy.
No one has been found who saw
Mrs. KuehIipg with KuehlinG after
he rented the csnoe. The three men
who answered KuehIine's eslis, at
the time he says his wife was drown
ing. declare they did not hear any
wcmsns voice, saw NO woman and
found kuehling stnndiuR In sbo.t
three feet Of water with the canoe
drifting away.
Detectives who have been working
on the csse declare KuehHnG was IN
expert cspoeist OF many years en-
psrieree on the Petomsc river ana
should not have been caught In the
eddy, ms he says he was. They aese
ssy Kuehlins WINS n good swimmer.
sIthouek he maintains he only In ~
Inairerert one, and could not ssve hAs
wife. Iife...
According TO Alfred Bouic, a Rcck-
Vile, Nd, attorney, Mrs. KuehlinG
had engaged him TO represent her In
two suits growing out OF negotiations
into which she had entered TO buy the
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