The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-07-28
TED
SUICIDE
IN CASE
Continued from First Page.)

on everybody who came to the
house to see poor Grace before she
was buried. Why did he take such
pains to spread the suicide rumor?''
And then, one by one, members
of the Houck family spoke up. All
of them, it seemed, had some opin-
ion. Miss Elizabeth said that EV
Kepner told her that Grace nags
me-" Others told of statements by
Kepner.
The family conference continued
for more than an hour. It was de-
cided to call In William Storm,
family attorney. On q hurried call
he came to the Houck home. The
suspicious Of the family startled
him. He insisted on more infor-
nation. Again they discussed the
death of Mrs. Kepner.
The result was that Attorney
Storm went Immediately to States
Attorney Anders.
my God, you don't mean to tell
me that there is any suspicion that
Grace Kepner was murdered?" de-
clared Anders after he heard the
lawyers story. will I investi-
CATER" certainly will"
1t was then that the investiga-
ton into the death Of Mrs. Grace
Kepner got under way. Charles A.
Kahler, Baltimore lieutenant Of de-
tectives, was called in. Trained as
an investigator OF murder mys-
teries, Kahler took charge Of the
inquiry.
And today B. Evard Kepner, ar.
chitect, Mason, Rotarian, and
church trustee, stands indicted for
the murder Of his wife.
1.-The story of our Investigation
reads like a dime novel;" Anders
said. ST have always held the
highest respect for Ev Kepner. but
IN the face of the facts have
gathered must have reached but
one conclusion-he murdered his
wife"
The investigation lasted for two
weeks. And. in that time State au-
thorities wove together chain of
circumstantial evidence which may
lead to the hanging Of Kepner. Mys-
terN love, hate and jealousy-the
authorities found all these.
Detective Kahler reached Fred
erick on the afternoon of July 1.
He went directly to the office Of
the States attorney. Anders laid the
facts before him.
Body Is Exhumed
'The first thing we must do IL
exhume the body and determine
definitely whether it would have
been possible for Mrs. Kepner to
have shot herself" Kahler said.
Anders readily assented.
The permission of Kepner was
needed, however, before this could
be done. A visit was made to KEEP
ner's office. Kepner refused to give
such permission, reiterating again
and again his previous declaration
that his wife was suicide.
This did not stop the investdga-
ton. The States attorney went into
court and got an order authorizing
the opening Of the grave. In the
meantime, Kepner retained Leo
Weinberg and Guy K. Mottes as his
counsel.
The grave was opened, the body
exhumed. Three physicians, two
from Frederick and one from Balti-
more, made the trip to the Mt. Oil
vet Cemetery and performed an
autopsy. They reported that Mrs.
Kepner could not have possibly COM
rnitted suicide, basing their conclu-
sions on the location Of the bullet
wound in the dead woman's head.
. Ten days later, after an investtga-
ton, during which Kahler inter-
viewed Kepner, members Of the
Houck family and some fifty citi-
gems Of Frederick, the States attor-
ney ordered that a coroner's inquest
be held over the body.
On July 10, twelve good and true
men met in the little courthouse
here and began an investigation into
the death. kepner, on the advice
OF his attorneys was the first to
take the stand.s
Gentlemen" he said, there nrs
two sides TO my life, the good and
the bad. have nothing to hide
and will tell everything"
Then kepner related the circum.
stances surrounding his wife's
death. He said she, was melan-
choly, in i'll health, and had often
spoken Of suicide. He told how
he found his wife's body on the
bed in the home of her father,
Ezra Houck, on the afternoon Of
June Is. Then he laid bare his
associations with Miss Lulu ".
Ricketts,. A little later, on the
stand, Miss Ricketts, corroborated
the architect, adding to his story,
however.
Followed, then, some twenty-five
"4(IiCSScSs 1nSlT stories were
different from Kepner's. The in.
quest lasted for two days.
Decide She Was Slain.
Late in the afternoon of July IA,
Charles Werthein, foreman of the
jury, read the decision. 1t said
that Mrs. Kepner came to her death
at the hands Of persons unknown
and that the jury was convinced IT
was not suicide. Later that after.
noon II was learned that eleven of
the jurors favored naming Kepncr
as the woman's slayer, but that one
man held back.
Feeling in Frederick at this time
was at a high pitch. Citizens de.
manded further investigation. At.
torney Anders went before the court
and asked that the grand jury be
called in special session. That jury
convened Monday, July %, and on
Wednesday, July 20, indicted Keep
ner for the murder Of bis wife.
Kepner was arrested and jailed
His attorneys demanded an i'm
mediate trial and the case has beer
sent for August z.
When the case comes to trial
States Attorney Anders. assisted II
the prosecution by Assistant Attor
ney General Lindsay Spencer, will
charge that Kepner shot his wifi
to death on the afternoon OF June IS
Points on which the State expecfI