Evening star., 1923-07-16
"Prominent Man" Said te
Have Purchased Maxim
SiIencer Prior to Staying.
PROSECUTOR REQUESTS
CALL FOR GRAND JURY
Ready to Proceed at Once With
Trial Should Arrests Be Made.
Husband Leaves in Auto. r
By a STAFF Corresnondent

FREDERICK, Md, July 1e.-Baf.
fling and unexpected Development.
in the still unsoIved mystery sur
rounding the murder of Mrs Grace
Simmons Kepner, member OF an old
Maryland family, and wife of 3
wealthy Frederick bank director
were brewing today, as States At
torney Aaron r. Anders went into
secret conference with Judge Ham.
mond Urner and Judge Len H
Worthington of the circuit court
here.
A special session Of the Frederick
county grand jury. charged with the
duty of further inquiring into the
strange death Of Mrs. Kepner, who
was found lying on a bed in her
fathers country home with a bullet
hole through her brain. was expected
to be called within the next forty
eight hours. Mr.. Anders requested
the court for permission to summon
the jurors and was told he would
be given an answer within two
days" Frederick confidently expects
that answer to be in the affirmative.
Report SIIeneer Purchased.
In the meantime the states attor.
ney was furnished with information
today to the effect that some time
last June IS, prominent business
man had purchased a Maxim silencer
at nearby hardware store. The
name Of the store and the purchaser
were given the county authorities,
together with orders to run down the
clue and report Immediately whether
or not is was true. ,
Although the .3S-caliber automatic
from which the death bullet was ared
would not fit a Maxim silencer. the
states attorney regarded the infOr-
nation as highly Important. and said
If IT were true the alleged purchaser
should be asked to explain what he
wished to do with the instrument. His
informant is Charles c. Mantz. a promi-
neht retired farmer. who was a men,
Der of the coroner's jury which late
Saturday returned a verdict reversing
the previous suicide theory concern
ing Mrs. Kepners death and declared
her the victim of an assassin.
Asks for Grand Jury.
States Attorney Anders went into
conference with Judges Urner and
Worthington promptly at o'clock
this morning. II was after 10 when
he emerged and said: II have re-
quested the court for permission to
summon the grand jury in special
session. The court considered my
argument. took 1t under advisement
and promised to give me an answer
within two days. 1t may come to-
morrow and 1T may not be announced
until Wednesday. I am not at lib
erty to anticipate the court.
Il believe Frederick wants this
case c.eared up Immediately 1t
would be useless for me to make an
arrest before the grand jury has
considered the evidence In hand and
decided whether or not there has
been sufficient testimony to warrant
would serve to conduct an inquiry of
its own. Should an arrest be au-
thorized l would demand an imme-
date trial and, undoubtedly, the de-
Tense would demand change of
venue"
Kepner Leaves I'm Auto. --e
Mr.. Anders said the Kepner case
has left a blot on the name of Fred
erick which cannot be wiped out
/, until a free jury determines who is
guilty. For this reason, If for no
other. he would like to finish the case
entirely this month. He expected
either Hagerstown or Rockville would
be the scene of a trial IL 1t were
ordered, but seemed inclined to- be-
lieve 1t would be the latter place -.
B. Evard KeDner, the slain woman's s
husband, had not returned to Fred
erick this morning. He left in his
automobile Saturday evening, shortly
n ffav- hn ~ i.t~. a -
verdict of murder, supposedly 80
visit relatives in Harrisburg. Pa.
Scout "K. X. X" Threat.
News this morning. that Miss
Eleanor Houck, a sister of the late
Mrs. Kepner. had received letter
supposedly from the Ku Klux Klan,
failed to create any excitement, most
persons laying it to the work or a
crank, who had been unduly stirred
up by newspaper accounts of the
murder The letter was sent special
delivery and was postmarked Wash
ington, July 13. The paper used.
The contents of the document follow
I'VE have this day sent letter to
Leo Weinberg giving valuable infor-
nation and asking for certain infor-
nation. VIII you see on the quiet
that he does not suppress this infor-
nation or destroy the letter by
Wednesday morning? If he does not
give this information to the press
then you show this letter Immediately
to States Attorney Anders. We will
then show our hand at once, with
some information that will wake old
Frederick up. That murder shall be
revenged." t>
1t was signed tx. K. X" :fR-
Letter Turned Over. fI
Beneath the letter was drawn a
cross and a poor effort was made TO
decorate it with scrolls Mr.. Vein.
berg. who represented Mr.. Kepner at
the coroner's inquest, declared he had
not received his letter this morning.
Miss Houck, however. turned her let
ter over to Lieut.. Charles II. Kahler
of the Baltimore detective bureau,
Sheriff. James A. Jones and Mi.
Anders. a..
In view of the fact that the letter
to Miss Houck bore a Washington
date line, IL was understood that the
letter would be called to the attention
of the District police with the request
that thev make an effort through. the
Post Office Department to track down
the person who mailed It In the Ma
tional Capital. .niyis.
netti