Evening star., 1941-03-11
Detectives Cross Off
Another Suspect
In Brides Staying
Promising Tip Leads
Nowhere, They Find
After Thorough Check

Detectives this afternoon elm
mated another suspect" in their
search for the man who strangled
and criminally assaulted Mrs. Rose
Simons Abramowitz, 25, bride of a
month, whose body was found in
her second-floor apartment at 1901
Sixteenth street NV. on Saturday.
Information from an undiscloSed
source was given Inspector B. w.
Thompson, chief of detectives, last
night. Inspector Thompson said the
"tip" looked very promising" His
assistants, however, made a thor
ough investigation of the clue and
convinced themselves it led no.
where. The information, it was
said, was supplied by Washington
attorney.
Attacker May Have Followed Her.
Detectives were checking on the
possibility that the attacker may
have followed the young bride to her
apartment after she went to the
lobby Saturday morning to take two
letters from the mailbox.
The husband Barney N. Abramo-
witz, Is, an examiner for the Social
Security Board, left for work at $40
am. He was in hurry that morn
ing, he told police, and did not
stop to open the letter box when he
saw some mail inside. Two letters
which arrived in the morning de-
livery were later found in the apart
ment where the body was discovered.
The young wife was clothed in
O. house dress which buttoned down
the front, shoes and stockings and
. braSsiere.
Key Found in Pocket.
Detectives said 1t was possible
she might have been seen by some
loiterer in the lobby who followed
her upstairs and showed his way
into the apartment when she I'M
locked the door. The only key in
possession of the couple was found
In a pocket of the light house dress.
Police were convinced no one
entered the apartment by the second
floor windows. The possibility that
someone followed the girl through
the door when she let herself in
would explain the fact that the
chain lock on the door had not
been used. Ordinarily, when answer
ing the door, police were told, the
girl used the chain lock, which
permitted the door to open about
six inches.
Police today were holding William
j. Ely, SO, colored, who was en-
ployed to shovel snow outside the
apartment building Saturday morn
ing, to check on certain aspects of
his statement, investigators said.
Ely is friend of the janitor, James
E. Williams, colored, 26.
Others Are Released.
Other men questioned in the case
were eliminated as suspects after
their statements had been checked
and medical tests made by the cor
oner's Office. 1t was established at
an autopsy that Mrs. AbramowitZ
had been criminally assaulted.
The medical tests, it was said,
could not prove the guilt of any one
man, although they could establish
q probability of guilt, and could
definitely eliminate innocent men.
Detective Goes to Kansas City.
Detective Sergt. Aubrey Tolson
left for Kansas City last night to
learn all possible about the friends
and the background of the murdered
girl in her home town. At the
same time the body was returned
10 Kansas City, accompanied by Mr..
Abramowitz.
The girl came here from Kansas
City early in February with her
mother, Mrs. Esther Simons, and
was married to her girlhood sweet
heart. The couple had lived since
their marriage in the apartment
where Mrs. Abramowitz was slain.
Prior to his marriage, Mr.. Abram-
owitz lived in the same building in
a third-foor apartment with several
young men who also were Govern
ment employees. Mr.. and Mrs.
AbramoWitz had other friends in a
ground-floor apartment.
Time Of Staying Established.
Three residents of the building
established the time of the murder |
at between 10 and II am, when |
they heard a woman scream. The
body was found by the husband |
when he returned from work shortly |
after / pm, and entered his apart
ment with an extra key supplied by |
the janitor.
The bride died Of manual strangu-
iation. There was little sign of a
struggle and little evidence inside
the apartment, police said, to give
clue to the identity of the killer.