The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-05-24
MISSING Wife
DEAD, IS FEAR;
BODY SOUGHT
Ray Orders rs Republics to
Comb Vicinity of
Burns Home.
HUSBAND Is NEAR DEATH
Sheriff DiSmiSSeS Theory
Woman Fled Following
Attack on Mate.

fhNhAOfN ~
Convinced that invalid Mrs Min
ME Burns was the victim of the
same attack that probably will be
fatal to her husband, Sheriff Otto
Ray will take IS deputies this after
noon TO the Burns suburban home
and comb the countryside for
mile in each direction for more
cleWs.
Sheriff Ray says that he can
think of no explanation for the
complete disappearance of Mrs.
Burns other than that she was car
ried from the house corpse and
the body hidden somewhere or
dropped in a stream.
Shotgun and Revolver Gone
Since he has taken personal
charge of the two-in -one mystery at
1926 w. Morris-st, Sheriff Ray says
he has learned bits of information
that are not compatible with the
theory that Mrs. Burns, temporarily
insane. attacked her husband and
then fed.
The sheriff says he has been in
formed by DR.. John Salb, deputy
coroner and personal physician to
Mrs. Burns for many years, that
Mrs. Burns physical condition was
such that she could not walk any
great distance without co1lapSing.
He says further that he has def
note knowledge that a shotgun AID
a revolver are missing from the
house, and he says there is a gen.
eral belief among neighbors that
there was a good deal more money
in the house than the SOS that so
far has been found
Greek to Be Dragged
He will direct his deputies. he
said. to infinitely search the country
side, to drag Eagle Greek, which
runs within a mile and half of the
home, and to question every per-
son living within the area searched
about their whereabouts on the
night of the crime, and their OBJ
servations.
Haggard with fatigue. red-eyed
for lack of sleep, stubbly with a
three-day beard, the sheriff said he
has a determination to get to the
bottom Of the mystery and that he
will spare none of the resources
of his office to do so.
Meanwhile the condition of Mr..
Burns at Methodist Hospital is
described as serious. He is uncon-
Scious most of the time. A 80
caliber bullet entered the side of
his head and emerged through his
forehead, and he was badly beaten
about the face.
Insists Wife Is Dead
Mr.. Burns was beaten and shot
sometime after 4:30 Tuesday after
noon and before Wednesdays dawn.
and he wandered, wounded and
dazed about his home until dis
covered in the late afternoon by a
neighbor who had intended to call
on Mrs. Burns.
Whenever Mr.. Burns has been
conscious enough since then to COM
prehend, he has been asked where
his wife is and his invariable reply
is that she is dead. By whose hand
he has not said. nor has he been
able to direct investigators to the
body.
None of the neighbors, and there
are several, heard or saw anything
unusual Tuesday night around the
Burns home, and yet somehow S.
vear-old Mrs. Burns, invalid and
highly nervous. left or was taken
from the house and since then has
not been reported seen.
Clothing Is Accounted For
To complicete theories on how She
disapepa red. neighbor women have
checked the clothing of Mrs. Burns
and have said that all of it is pres
ent and accounted for. except posi-
bly, a night dress Pieces of Mrs.
Burns dress we're found, blood
clotted, on the floor of the home.
Moreover there was a note. adj
dressed to no one and unsigned. but
written in her hand and in an I'M
hurried manner. setting forth that
she felt impelled to take her hus-
band out OF world that she
vaguely described as too cruel to
him.
Woman's Footprint Near Ditch
The sheriff reported he had found
fresh footprint of a woman's shoe
on the bank of a deep ditch about
eight city blocks from the Burns
home. and people owning the prop
ertv there told him their police dog
created a fuss Tuesday night. But
the sheriff admitted this to be
slim clew.
Relatives of the victims we're un-
able to shed any light on the mys-
terry. and the whole case became