The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1936-07-23
Police Hope
to Clear Up Mystery Of
Murder at Early Date
Helen Clevenger 10, Shot and
Stabbed to Death in Hotel
at ASheviIle
HER UNCLE IS KNOWN HERE

Asheville police feel that they are
making progress toward solving the
mysterious murder of 19-year-old
Helen Clevenger, Stated Island col
lege girl, who was found shot and
stabbed to death in her hotel room
in Battery Park Hotel, Thursday
night.
At first, negro bell boy was held,
but he was released. Now German
musician, Wollner, is being held un-
der suspicion.
A coroner's jury was unable to
reach any sort of verdict the latter
part of the week besides that of
death at the hand of persons or per-
son unknown.
Screams and GrOanS
The jury, however, told of how
screams and groans carried to other
guests at fashionable hotel above
the roar of a thunderstorm early
Thursday morning.
simultaneously with the verdict,
officers resumed their investigation
with renewed intensity, with man,
Variously described as ''over five
feet" to six feet tall, weighing from
$50 to ITS pounds-as main objec-
tive.
Such a man was reported fleeing
through the hotel lobby and out into
the stormy night, hatless, during the
period when authorities said they
believed an intruder attempted to
assault the girl, then stabbed her
in the face and killed her with a
pistol against her breast.
Physicians established that ravish-
ing had been attempted, despite the
fact she was fully clad in pajamas at
$50 a. M, when her uncle, Prof. w.
L. Clevenger of N. c. State college
at Raleigh, said he went to arouse
her only to find her cold in death on
the floor, her legs crumpled beneath
the body as if, police said, she was
begging for mercy when the killer
struck
1t was E. B. Pittman, 3d., employee
of the State Banking department at
Raleigh, and A. L. Curtis of New
York who reported hearing agoniz-
ing screams in the early morning
hours.
Pittman said he rushed from his
room, which was almost across from
the girls, only to find everything
quiet and dark. Finally however, he
discerned a mans figure within the
threshold of what he learned later
was Miss Clevenger's partially-open-
ed door. Pittman said he asked the
man, thinking he was another curl
Gus guest, did you hear those
screams?"
Man Refused Reply
There was no reply, Pittman said,
until after he made some other re-
mark, whereupon the person an
swered, eyes, that's what I was Won
dering about"
Dismissing the matter, Pittman
said, he returned to bed.
He said the time was between
! 12:45 and / a. m.
| Curtis testified he heard sound
as if someone was struck with a
bottle, followed by screams and
groans, at what he thought was
about 1850 a. m. He said the sounds
came from across the court-where
Miss Clevenger's room was located.
The girl had been stabbed several
times deeply in the face possibly
with a pair of scissors, Coroner
George F. Baier, Jr., said. Death was
attributed, however, to a bullet
wound high in the chest, inflicted
from such close range that the
charge had set her blood-stained pa
jamas on fire, burning a hole about
the size of silver dollar.
Professor Clevenger said the girl
came to Raleigh June % to accom-
pany him on one of his periodic trips
about the State. He said he had new
er been associated with her before,
although he had seen her two years
ago. Her parents, Mr.. and Mrs. j. F.
Clevenger, live at Great Kills, Staten
Island, N. Y. Professor Clevenger
|said she was five feet tall and weigh
ed 108 pounds.
He said her conversation indicated