Evening star., 1927-02-02
DR.. HOUCK MOVED
AWAY FROM CITY
Physician Held for Investiga-
tion in Wife's Disappearance
Taken to Baltimore.

DIR. Knutt Houck. the former st.
Elizabeth's Hospital psychiatrist,
whose wife disappeared from their
Congress Heights home nearly three
months ago and is not known to have
been seen since, was removed today
from Walter Reed Hospital over the
protest of the United States District
attorneys office and sent to Phipp's
Psychiatric Clinic of Johns Hopkins
Hospital, in Baltimore, as a private
patient.
Although United States Attorney
Peyton Gordon. whose Office interested
itself In the mysterious case about SIX
weeks ago and was instrumental In
having DR. Houck sent to Waiter
Reed Hospital from Gallinger Munich
pal Hospital, declined to sanction the
change, he was unable to throw any
permanent legal obstacles In the path
OF the move.
The formalities of the change We're
simple. DR.. Houck, having no Grim
inai charge against him and not be.
ing within military jurisdiction, had
only to apply to the Veterans Bureau
for release from custody. This he
did, it was said at the hospital
through his attorney, former United
States Senator Thomas Sterling OF
South Dakota. The necessary papers
were issued this morning.
Friends Applied Week Ago.
Mai. Gordon declared that friends
of DIR. Houck appeared at his office a
week ago and asked him to approve
such transfer. The district attorney
said he declined, but that he made
<.,s {n 1rfsiz fan Fnla
which were put ito operation imme.
diately. Had he ordered the hospi
tai to detain Houck, his attorney
would have had only to apply for a
writ Of habeas corpus to obtain it.
"We have no criminal charge
against DIR. Houck, and cannot legally
institute one" Maj. Gordon said. I'VE
held him under the technical charge
for investigation as long as we pos.
sibly could. AT this time we do not
know whether Mrs. Houck is dead or
alive. 1t was useless to do more
than make known our disapproval
This we did"
When a similar effort was made by
physicians from st. Elizabeth's Hos
pitaI several weeks ago. the Police
Department added its protest. The
detectives pointed out that they would
be unable to see DIR. Houck frequently
and question him as to developments
in their Investigations. Assistant
United States Attorney Horning also
pointed out that once in Maryland
DIR. Houck will be out of the jurisdic
ton of local authorities.
DIR. Houck Not Interested.
PHYSICIANS at Walter Reed Hospita
said today that DIR. Houck seemed tt
take no interest In the plans for his
removal to Baltimore. He seemed
quite content with his life at Walter
Reed and spent his time making clay
ash trays.
! DR.. John M. Damgaard, member
! Of the staff of st. Elizabeths Hos
pital and a close friend of both DR.
Houck and his missing wife, appeared
at the hospital this morning with w
! w. McCaslin, member of the law
| Arm of which Senator Sterling is the
head. 1t required less than half an
hour to complete the remaining de-
| tails, after which DR. Houck stepped
| from the ward to which he had been
assigned into Mr.. McCaslins automo
| bile and was hurried off toward Balti
more.
| DIR. Damgaard explained that he
acted for DIR. Houcks mother, herself
a. prominent physician in Wisconsin.
DIR. Damgaard said the change was
being made to give the former
psychiatrist new surroundings In the
hope that his Improvement would be
more rapid. lie criticized the Police
Department and Mrs. Houck's rela
tives in Columbus, Ohio. severely for
not showing greater interest in finding
| the missing woman.
| Mrs Houck, the doctors mother,
| is thinking of offering a reward her
self" DR.. Damgaard explained.