Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-22
SEARCH BY POLICE
F. FOR MRS. HOUCK IS
|. FOUNDLESSACT|VE
Friends Expect Doctors Wife
to Reappear, But Profess
Ignorance of Status.
METHODS OFFICERS USE
ORDINARILY NEGLECTED.
Husband, Apparently Well Again
at Hospital, Asks Chance to
Assist in Work.

One week after Mrs Gladys w.
HOuck disappeared from her Congress
Heights home, mystery in the case
switched today from questions con.
cerning the young wife's fate to the
reason for an apparent cessation of
effort on the part of any one to con-
tinue the search for her.
The known limit of the police de-
partment's activity this morning was
confined to dragging a small area Of
: the Potomac River in the neigbbor-
| hood of Giesboro Point, while Asso-
ciated Press dispatches from Canton.
Ohio, quoted Mrs. Houcks family as
declaring that no one could do more
than guess what had happened to the
woman and that they had formed no
opinions whatever on the subject.
In the meantime. DIR. Enutt Fl.
| Houck. her husband. and staff ply
! sician at st. EliZabeth's Hospital, who
wandered to a city in New York
| State, suffering from mental break
down. few hours after she had dis
appeared from their home at 1927
| Nichols avenue southeast. apparently
| had regained full possession of his
| faculties this morning. He expressed
| confidence that Mrs. Houck is alive
and well.
DIR. HOuck Asks Work.
Dr. Houck slept soundly last night
| Upon arising he seemed cheerful and
asked physicians at Gallinger Hos
pital. where he is still under guard,
| to permit him to help clean up the
ward. The young psychiatrist's
| knowledge of mental disorders con-
vinced him that nothing would help
| him maintain his nervous equilibrium
more than having some work to do.
| To complete the singular chain of
condolences surrounding the manner
/ in which the case seems to have
virtually been dropped, psychiatrists
at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, who were
close acquaintances both of DR.. and
Mrs. Houck have openly expressed
/ the belief that no serious harm befel
Mrs. Hou0k and that in due time she
will return to her husband. Further
than that they will not go, nor will
they give definite reasons for their
| belief.
! When DR.. Houck dropped from
sight following the disappearance of
his wife, circumstances and evidence
! left behind indicated the possibility
of a crime. Since that time nothing
has been heard of Mrs. Houck, so
far as the police have disclosed. She
is still listed as missing" and, except
for the yelled insinuations of st.
Elizabeth's physicians that they have
knowledge of the affair, the police
are understood not to have any in.
formation which would help them
find her.
No Description Broadcast.
In the week that has elapsed, how
ever, no description of Mrs. Houck
had been broadcast by the detective
bureau, other than a single sentence
printed in the police bulletin, listing
has as missing" along with her hus-
band and a number of other persons.
This bulletin is mailed to police bu-
reaus in other cities. but without
photographs and detailed information
the description might fit any normal,
dark-haired woman in the United
States.
No bulletin asking that a special
lookout" be maintained has been
sent out, as is customary in cases of
such Importance; even teleGraphic in
quiries have been neglected, IL has
been learned. Furthermore, no serious
effort has ever been made to determine
what caused the brown stains on
Mrs. Houck's torn clothing found
concealed in box of trash. No chemi-
cal analysis has been made. as is GUS
tomary in such cases.
The most definite statement that
has yet escaped the lips Of Capt. Will
son, commander of the eleventh pre-
cinct, where Mrs. Houck lived, was
q confession that he was unable to
form any permanent conclusions. De-
tective Sergt. Kuehling. assigned to
the case from headquarters. said the
HOuck family had returned suddenly
to Ohio on Monday because of press
ing business. The nature of this busi-
ness was not explained, however.
River Dragged Briefly.
The decision to drag the Potomac
River was reached several days ago.
but could not be carried out until to-
day on account of the ice. The grap-
pling hooks were pulled around one
small hole off the pier Of the old steel
plant at Giesboro PPOint. The drag
ged to the surface some tangled wire
and after it had been submerged again
the search in the river was discon-
tinued. '.'~''-
No systematic search of the woods
which are easy of access from the
Houck home on all sides has ever
been made. On Sunday soldiers from
Boiling Field were employed in a
search over a comparatively small
area. Many more acres of woodland
nearby have received little attention.
Neither has the entire shore-line OF
the Potomac River been combed.
1t has been intimated by psy-
chiatrists that DIR. Houck may have
received private information from
some source, reassuring him as to
his wife's safety. Otherwise they
profess themselves at a loss to under
stand the carefree manner in which
he has undertaken his physical and
mental rehabilitation. The doctors
felt that with his mind clear once
more he would worry severely over
Mrs. Houck's continued absence.
Home Here Is Closed.
Apparently, relatives of Mrs. Houck
hold no further hope that she will
return to her old home on Nichols
avenue. They have relinquished pos
session of the apartment where she
and her husband and little son Hugh
lived and have sent the furniture to
a local storage house. DIR. Houck's
mother took charge of this task. She
will return TO her home in Wisconsin
within a few days. it was said.
Efforts to find any basis for the
statement issued by relatives Of DIR.
and Mrs. Houck yesterday, showing
them to be thoroughly optimistic over
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