Evening star., 1936-05-10
PROWLER SOUGHT
|NATTACK KILLING
Chicago Business Woman
Is Found Murdered in
Hotel Room.
BY the Associated Press.

CHICAGO, May s.-Investigators
sought tonight prowler as the
killer of Mrs. Lillian Guild, 50-year-
old business woman, who was found
battered to death In her room In the
downtown Y. w. C. A. Hotel. :
Reconstructing the crime from evil
dence of the struggle, homicide squad
experts believed the slayer had
snatched his weapon-a 6-pound stone
from a nearby brick pile, had scram-
bled up q fire escape just of North
Michigan avenue and swung through
a window to gain entrance to Mrs.
Guilds room.
Evidence Of Battle.
Thereafter a furious battle and
criminal attack, he left his victim
dead. Her body lay on the floor
when a colored maid entered the small
bed room at 10:30 am. The oblong-
shaped weapon lay beside her. Indi-
cations were, police said. that the
slayer had made a quick search
through Mrs. Guilds two suitcases,
slowed under her bed, before fleeing.
While fingerprint specialists exam
ined the stone and checked other
prints found in the death room, other
officers questioned male employees Of
the institution. Nicholaus Franzen,
40, boiler room attendant who was
of duty when the body was dis
covered, was quizzed at length as to
his whereabouts at the time of the
Staying.
Two other men also were interro-
gated
Franzen denied any knowledge Of
the attack, but admitted he knew
| that old lady" police said.
Operated Jewelry Shop.
Mrs. Guild, until recently resi-
dent of Attleboro, Mass, had been a
guest at the hotel since last January.
She operated a small jewelry shop in
a loop hotel in partnership with a
sister, Mrs. Blanche Bloom, Of Attle-
boro. Friends there said she was sur
vived by son, an attendant at Taun-
ton State Hospital in Massachusetts.
She returned to her room about
1890 a m. last night.
Police and hotel officials were mysti-
fed as to the reason none of the near
by dodgers heard the struggle. The
evidence indicated she put up a
furious fight before being overpow-
cred by her assailant. Her fellow ten
ant across the hall, Miss N. Kearins
of Galesburg, Ill, said she was
awakened by noises before midnight
but heard nothing later. The noises,
Miss Kearins heard, investigators said
probably came from a film exchange
at the rear of the hotel.
Because no one could leave by the
hotel door without passing the night
desk, police believed the slayer es-
capped by way of the fire escape.
Find Strands Of Hair.
few strands of gray and brown
hair, clutched in the dead woman:
hand, furnished authorities with what
they hoped might be their most valu.
able clew. Chief of Detectives John
L. Sullivan said the hair was ap-
parently torn from the head Of the
killer in the death struggle.
Three fingerprints found on an elec-
trio iron we're also considered clew'
of potential value.
Most of the movable articles in the
E>room-bed clothing, chairs, hanging,
and floor covering-were transferred
to police headquarters as the investi.
cation proceeded.
Assistant States Attorney Gordon
Nash directed a careful search Of the
maze of small rooms in the basement
of the hotel tonight. In an out-of-
way corner a washstand was dis
covered which gave the appearance
of having been used recently and
thoroughly cleaned afterwards.
With the discovery Of a stone ir
the basement similar to that used tc
kill Mrs. Guild, Sullivan said tht
weapon would be analyzed to deter
mine whether it was the same com.
position.
If it was, he said, 1t would indi-
cate the killer might have entered the
hotel through the basement and picked
it up on his way to the second floor
The stone found in the basement
was used as . doorstep.