Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-21
POLICE QUESTION
SEVERAL IN DEATH
OF MRS. DREYFUS

Continued From First Page.)
residence at 1904 Olive street, Kenil-
worth, police were informed. Freda,
however, denied that her sister had
taken more than one drink at the most.
The four arrived at the dance about
IL o'clock Saturday night. They had
gone at the invitation of William, who
was secretary of the organization Spon-
Soring the dance-the Colonial Canoe
Club
About 100 o'clock Sunday morning
the party was on the balcony overlook
ing the Potomac when the orchestra
struck up Home. Sweet Home" the
final dance number.
Left Couple on Balcony.
Freda and William Fischer said they
would go in for the last dance. They
left Mrs. Dreyfus and McBrien standing
beside the balcony railing.
A moment later. McBrien said. he ex-
cused himself from his companion, say
ing he wanted to get their wraps from
the cloakroom before the rush set in
on conclusion OF the dance.
He said his first intimation Of the
tragedy came when the alarm spread
among the dancers and they trooped to
the platform below, where the uncon-
scious form of Mrs. Dreyfus lay.
McBrien and several others placed
the injured woman in an automobile
and hurried with her to Emergency
Hospital. She died some five hours
later without regaining her faculties.
DR.. Joseph D. Rogers, deputy coroner,
performed an autopsy yesterday. He
reported death was due to ruptured
liver, and shock. The woman'S elbow
was fractured and there were minor
abrasions on her arms. DR.. Rogers said
all of the injuries could have been
caused by the fall.
McBrien Il Questioned.
When he heard that Mrs. Dreyfus was
dead, McBrien telephoned police from
his hotel here that he was at their
disposal. The New Yorker, whose ad-
dress is the Cleveland Athletic Club, at
$50 West Fifty-ninth street, was told
to come to headquarters. He was ques-
toned there and later ordered detained
at No. IL precinct.
The loss of a $4,000 pearl necklace
and q 81 900 platinum wrist watch,
worn by Mrs. Dreyfus on Saturday
night, was reported to police yesterday
by her father Carl Fischer.
Detective George Darnell of the hon.
ictde squad was assigned to look for
the jeWelry, which he found beneath
the platform on which Mrs. Dreyfus
had fallen. Both pieces apparently had
been broken from their fastenings by
the shock Of the fall. The detective
said that the shuffiing feet of the
fuS must have scraped the jewelry,
unnoticed, through the large cracks in
the platform.
Wrist Watch Is Dented.
The wrist watch was denied and the
strand of pearls broken. as il they were
trampled underfoot. The detective said
the cord on which the pearls were
strung had been spliced in an imperfect
manner.
Mrs. Dreyfus. who was regarded as
woman of considerable beauty. met her
former husband While employed in his
Office during his servicS with the Ship
ping Board. Since her divorce she had
been dividing her time between her
home, at 1913 West Fitty-ninth street,
New York City. and the residence Of her
parents in Kenilworth.
Both she and McBrien were on brief
visits to Washington when the tragedy
occurred. Mrs. Dreyfus was stopping
with her parents. while McBrien had
registered at a local hotel.
Checking further on McBrien's state
ment police learned from several per-
sons at the dance that McBrien had
been noticed, shortly before Mrs. Drey-
fus was heard to fall to the platform,
walking across the floor in the direc-
ton of the cloakroom
McBrien told officers he had been on
friendly terms with Mrs. Dreyfus for
several years" The police were in
formed that McBrien was mentioned as
a correspondent in the Dreyfus divorce
suit.
Mrs Dreyfus, in addition to her parents.
Is survived by five sisters, Mrs. E. A.
Knoor of Washington, Mrs. c. T. Rein
berger OF Cleveland, Mrs. M. McNamee
of nearby Virginia and Freda Hilda
Fisher of Washington; four brothers.
William and Helmuth of Washington
Carl Fischer. now in China, and Earl
Fischer of New York City.
In reconstructing the tragedy today
detectives said Mrs. Dreyfus apparently
struck the platform directly beneath the
balcony and rolled several feet down
the incline Sloping to the river.
The surface of the platform was slip
perry from wax tramped out by dancers
walking to and from the polished dance
floor
Several waxy footprints were found
on the railing above the spot where Mrs
Dreyfus fell, but detectives believe they
were put there by some one raising