Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-12-20
DR.. HOUCK BROUGHT
BACK; ADMITS HE
BEAT MISSING WIFE
Put Clothing, Said to Bear
BIoodstains, in Trash
Box, He Confesses.
WEEPS AS HE RELATES
TALE OF OWN BRUTALITY
"But She'll Be Waiting for Me-"
He Declares-Police Search
Proves Futile.

of a mind that is just beginning to
emerge from the darkness of a tenn
porary collapse, police and psychia-
trists are striving desperately to piece
together today a clue that will lead
either to the body or hiding place OF
Mrs. Gladys w. Houck, wife of DIR.
Knute Houck, staff physician at st.
EliZabeth's Hospital. who was re-
turned here today from Horneu, ". Y,
where he was picked up last Saturday
suffering from a mental breakdown.
Mrs. Houck disappeared from her
home, 1927 Nichols avenue, some time
last Wednesday morning, and Is not
known to have been seen since.
Weeping violently, DIR. Houck told
today to other physicians Of st. Eliza
beth's a disconnected story of how
she had left" him and how he dis
appeared himself the same night.
Trouble? Yes, there was trouble;
we all have our troubles, don't we,"
he smiled. as he sat beside a guard at
Gallinger Hospital, where he Is held
on a technical charge of investigation.
and tried to relate to a reporter for
The Star some of the events that led
up to the mysterious disappearance Of
1 beat her. was dirty and contempt
ible. Then I awoke from good dream
to see her slipping out of the door,"
Calls for Cigarette.
The brilliant young doctor, who won
honors at Northwestern University.
studied under the famous Mayo
brothers at Rochester, and was held
by the heads OF st. Elizabeth's Hospi-
tai to be one of the most promising
rsychiatrists of the country. seemed
to be trying hard to remember, Several
times me was forced to stop and
finally cried: For Gods sake. give
me cigarette? Then l will go on"
II have been very sick, but I am
getting better now" he continued,
gument and I got brutal. I under
stand they found some of my wife's
torn clothing in a trash box. / tore
them. i did it. I ripped them from
Ter back. Then threw them away.
Stains? Well, they may have been
made by blood. don't know
whether I left any marks on her or
not. I am sure, however, that when
get home again my wife will be
waiting for me-"
Suicide? Not she! She would not
do that. She made some insinuations
what she would do, like that-(the
physician drew his finger across his
throaO, or, like that this time he
swallowed hard, as though taking a
deadly poison) or like this land he
went through the motions of persons
hanging themselves). But she wouldn't
carry any Of them out. She Is prob.
ably with friends somewhere"
Friend Believes Story.
DIR. J. NJ. Dangaard, one Of DIR.
Houck's closest friends at st. Eliza
beth's Hospital, who brought him
back from New York, said DIR. Houck
had told him much the same story on
the journey back to Washington. He
expressed a belief in the veracity OF
the story, and added that the op.
pressed physician was undoubtedly re-
covering rapidly from his breakdown.
He said he would probably recover
eventually, and that a more connected
story could be obtained soon.
In the meantime police are search
ing everywhere for Mrs. Houck. The
discovery of torn night garments in
a box of trash on a back porch OF
the Houck home strengthened their
belief that the woman was dead. How
an assassin could have disposed of
nGE UOuy ECLidAElo a oeCAIs AO"-
ever since no trace of q corpse was
found about the house or grounds.
Neither DIR. Houck nor Mrs. Houck
owned an automobile, and 1t Is not
conceived possible that her body
could have been removed any dis
tance without a vehicle OF some kind.
Every trunk and possible hiding
place in the house has been combed
without results. Neither did search
of the woods near the back Of the
house reveal anything.
Search Extended to Forests.
Now the police are turning their
attention to the forests on the op-
posite side of Nichols avenue. 1t Is
also intimated that st. EliZabeth's
Hospital itself may be searched, the
possibility having been advanced
that the woman may be sheltered by
friends there, unknown to officials in
charge.
Mrs. Houcks father, John Walter
of Canton, Ohio, and her brother-in-
law, B. E. Clarke. captain OF police
in the Ohio city, who came here FRI
day, were insistent in their belief
that the woman is dead and that she
did not commit suicide in fit OF
despondency over her husbands fall
ing I0lIus 1hCy lChA AtCus thCy uC~
clared, that physicians at st. Eliza
beth's knew for some days that the
man had suffered a complete mental
collapse and that trouble had re-
suited between the husband and
wife.
Can't. Clarke said DR.. Philip s.
Craven, a member of the hospital
staff who was tutoring DIR. Houck in
certain branches of psychiatry, told
him of visiting the Houck home last
morning, accompanied by
Count Alfred Kurzypski. an amateur
living at 1640 w street
southeast. DIR. Craven had called DIR.
Houck on the telephone and had been
requested to hurry on over"
Played With Son on Floor.
"Dr. Craven said that when he ar
rived he found DIR. Houck sitting on
the floor, playing with his little son
OLE" Capt. Clarke declared. "Dr.
Craven noticed the man was agitated
and asked about his wife. He was in
formed she had gone away. She
showed me her stock in trade, and, by
God, / showed her mine. want her
on earth. She would be my eyes!
DIR. Craven said Houck cried, bursting
into tears at the same time.
I'VE know Mrs. Houck too well to
the possibility OF suicide.
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