Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-13
SCARF DISCARDED
AS HOUCK CLUE
Blood on Cloth Is Found to Be
That of FoWI-Wife'S
Brother Sees Doctor.

The blood spotted brown wooden
property of Mrs. Gladys W. Houck,
who has been missing for 30 days
from her Congress Heights apartment.
today was definitely discarded as a
clue to her whereabouts with the
receipt by Inspector RI. c. Pratt. chief
of detectives, Of report from an
ANALYST that the spots were not those
of human blood, but undoubtedly that
Of fowl.
The scarf was picked up on the
Virginia Channel side of the Potomac
River Christmas morning by George
Bashford, 900 X street southeast,
who, with several others, occupied
boats on the water and were shooting
ducks. The fact that DR.. Ludwig
Hekteon Of the National Research
Council. who made the analysis, told
Inspector Pratt the blood was that
IF fowl led police to conclude that
the spots were produced by duck
blood.
Girl Identified II.
Bashford's story that the scarf re-
sembled a duck as II hoated on the
waters surface, and furthermore that
It was only slightly wet led police In
vestigators from the outset TO dis
credit II az a. clue. They took this
stand despite the fact that Margaret
Wines, 1s-year.old Eastern High
School student and former nurse girl
In the Houck home. had positively
identified 1t as the scarf Mrs. Houck
had worn about the house. From no
other acquaintance of Mrs. Houck
were the police able to obtain a con-
6rp nf hn nj eta %.
ment. although they believed and still
believe she was sincere and truthful in
her statements.
However, the blood spots, number
ing three and about the size of pin
head each. were submitted to District
Chemist Alvin Fuller, who determined
they had been formed by blood. Fa-
clities at his disposal for analysis
We're not sufficient to determine wheth-
er or not the blood was human for 10
days or more, so Inspector Pratt had
the scarf turned over TO Or. Hekteon
yesterday. The latter made his analy-
sis and reached his conclusions in
about two hours with the aid of a
special type of serum.
Brother Arrives In Capital.
Earl V. Walters of Canton, Ohio
brother of Mrs. Houck, who arrived
in Washington yesterday morning TO
familiarize himself with the ground
covered in the investigation, this after
noon was visiting DIR. knutt Houck,
the missing woman's husba nd, at Wal
ter Reed Hospital in company with
Detective Ben Kuehling and Capt.
James Wilson of the eleventh precinct.
This marks the first time Mr.. Walters
has seen the st. Elizabeth's psy'
chiatrist since the tragedy descended
upon the Houck home, resulting in
Mrs. Houck's disappearance and the
doctor temporarily losing his mind and
being found in Hornell. y. Y. When
Mr.. Walters, with his father and other
members of the family in Canton, Wis
tied Washington on DIR. Houck's re-
turn here, neither he nor his father
called at Gallinger Municipal Hospital.
where the doctor was being held.
As the first month of Mrs. Houck's
disappeara will be rounded out to-
morrow. the police once more are di-
recting their attention to the Potomac
River, but feel powerless to Obtain
any satisfa ction from IL until warmer
weather sets in. The river bed has
been dragged four times, but the po-
lice are willing to admit that those
operations are not conclusive proof
that IL body is on the bottom it
would have been located by the Crap
ping hooks. OF this one fact they are
positive, and that is If Mrs. Houck's
Body il in the water, with the perma-
nent rise in temperature IL eventually
will come to the surface.