Show N W III AN 0 IN MYSTERY Stranger Strange Heavy Set See Seen j in Vicinity of House A About Time of the Crime GIRL RELATES HOW HE FRIGHTENED HEIGHTENED HER HER I Strangulation of Wo Woman an in hi Own Home Iome Saturday Still Pui Puzzle le to Police P lice The police department j iu ia searching for man forman a man who Avas se seen n Q t to leave the premises occupied d b by Mrs Mis Marcia areia- r areiaS S S. Gr Oroff Groff ff 2 2 E Eai 1 Second South street at 1145 1 o 0 clock o'clock Saturday night bel believing evi lg that it may he who he-who ravished 11 ish and slew Mrs l Groff in n a a most fi fiendish i manner Jc by by strang tr lg- lg ling hig her to to death in in n her liei room when n the two Iwo were alone in n the tIie I house t 7 This man was seen b by Miss Helen Ri Richardson har East Second Sec Sec- ond oud South Sout Street t as ash as' as she h was vas re ii- returning r turning g home from her work Miss Riel Richardson fixes the t time me she shew saw aw w the man at ii 11 1145 45 o'clock- o'clock Mrs Groff s body was discovered at nt 12 1230 30 0 clock Dr H. H B. B Sprague who examined the bod body J says that hat s she c had hadnot not been d dead deadmore ad more moi-c than hail than h two o hours when the fht ih was wa discovered il John n Bora I Rose Sf 22 ear old a waiter who vrho was ivas arrested st Saturday 4 ni night ht on on- suspicion i f- f tb the ei es- es of the inhuman mur- mur Jet Jer of at Mr Mrs Groff than Q be lie h bad d told h s' s pro proved ed an alibi which th the p police department believes is conclusive c. While he lie is still h held ld at the city he will Trill be released tomorrow unless further developments in the case tend to connect him with ith the e crime mc Rose has admitted l that he i is a 3 parasite para site it and that for months he had bad been ocen c n Jivin Jiving Ji from the thc carnin earnings s of Mf Mrs Mis No Discrepancies in Story Rose Hoses s stor story that he lie left leftS Mrs Groff shortly after S 0 o'clock clock Saturday night end and sp spent nt tho the evening until midnight ht wah ith friends in ina a saloon bits bc been n checked over carefully ref b by Detective Captain Riley M. M Beckstead and no flo discrepancies have vo yet been found foun His ih as to bis his movements tally cl closely sch with lith those thos men with whom be he ea said id ho lie spent the tho hours between between'S S 'S o'clock and midnight His his' nimbi alibi is ap al apparently zip zip- complete but he will be bo beMa lucid hem a another othe da day at t least t the c police b lie i n that he be ma may be able ablo to give civo 80 sonic some e as ns to the possible identity of or orthe the A After ft r nearly forty b hours urs of i incessant ce sant york work to solve the mystery which su surrounds sur mi rounds rounds' th the death of Mrs Urs Groff Groft the po- po Jice department admits s that it is is DO flo nearer a solution than it was w-as when the tho department was first notified of the crime erime and nJ made its fir first t. t of ofton ton thu death chamber Mrs GrouT Groff who was as a widow was I murdered probably after 1030 0 o'clock Saturday night li The police h haio- haio o no 10 of chIc tine to tho the identity el slayer slaver er The murder or of Irs Griff wa was T of ot th th- th mo t brutal I character and ml was aa committed after arter a rt fiendish h assault had bail been made marte upon the th victim Death was as caused caus by r strangulation 1 mi t to towel having in bet been n rl wrapped trapped p about the tue throat t tAnd and then t hl ted until suffocation caused her death h. h Rose Di Discovers coYer C Crime ime im The rhe of f Mr Mrs off Gi-off was na of or the line ct-line was as made b by Rose who ho occupied d a. a J loom room on the time opposite side of ot th lie little nay hallway RY into i which the thA doors o I s. Mi-s. h Croft Groff and of RotE ROT d 4 fr Mr had h rented t tv two o o rooms downstairs downstairs down down- stairs to W. W K E. Bray known as Rid KM Bray Br Brn n a t lel man and and his wife and an upstairs room loom to Rose flOss Mr Air and amid lira Bray ny heard someone entin en en- tri tin the tha house at sit l O o'clock Sund Sunday anti ami gro go upstairs Within tor t two or or three minutes Ro Rose e rushed J Jand and amid without knocking ran Into their apartments white and tumbling trembling ing cJ crying Something awful has happened to tn Groff Bray Bi-ay and und Mrs rs Bray ln arid and Rose ose enl Tient t tn Mrs GroWa nd there th they y saw a terrible slain Mrs Gi bOd la lay upon the time bed Md th lh the he head d' d r resting 1 t Ute the all It was T still aim and ana RC ne nc- nc cor ung to to Dr H. H B B. S Sprague io assistant who ent to the tho ho house at once when the time poll police co were notified Mr Mr Groff Groft had bc been n dead not moie n than two hours Evidences V den s of of- Struggle S M Mrs Mm ri Groff's clothing NAI Wi torn lit the evidences evi cyl- dences o of a Il and amid RP gin h being apparent throughout the tIme room a Buttons haa been stripped fm flom tho lie woman's womans wom 1 an ans an's and amid were about the room The rho womans woman's clothing was torn to ah shreds shred red mid and a damp towel deeply l on mum 10 0 NEW MAN Continued from page pae 1 creased and bearing blood stains from the tho woman womans throat which had b bocim n emit cut by a stiff tiff collar she wore was waa found hying OT on the floor tho-floor Moor near the bed Th re was every evidence o that Mrs Croft Groff had been assaulted as as- In a a. most brutal manner before her death The police ar are at a. a lose lonto account for the identity of the tho slayer but they ticy are searching for a strange man seen to leave lea the Immediate vicinity of tho house at 15 11 o'clock Saturday Satin night Says She Saw Sa Stranger Helen n cashier in a coffee house at West Second South street says tays that she was waa returning to her home across a narrow ow alloy alley from the hou house In fri which Mrs Groff wan murdered at t 1145 o'clock Saturday night when Just luft as turned into tho lane leadIng lead lead- log Ing to her home she abc saw a a. mart man of about feet six inches ot or five IIVO feet eight inches In height leaving tho lane MIss Miami says that the eho came upon the tho man mami unexpectedly ann and was frightened ned He was heavy set and worm wore a heavy heay light mustache Ho Ito was wan apparently appa appa- emily about 10 40 or 15 It years old of powerful build He lie wore a long light gray grav overcoat Miss Richardson says she sho hui ried past yost th the man who turned and h her r. r and then hurried westward on Second L South street toward the church Miss Richardson was frightened hurried Into her own house O Enst Second South Bouth street She says she tho had never seen this man before As soon as Ro- Ro Rosa that Mr Mrs Croft Gron had been murdered and lied lind noti- noti n fled d Mr and Mrs Bray tho de department Je- Je was notified and amid Chauffeur Henry Potter and Patrolman Patterson went to the house In the police greyhound Chauffeur Potter took hose Hop Into custody at one once and heT he was waa taken to headquarters where he lie Is lucId held for in In- In IonS Rose Tells Tells' Straight Story Dr H. H B. B Sprague who accompanied the hue Second detail of police to time the house of tragedy remade an examination of the and said that death was due to strangulation Justice I Hairy farr S. S I lumper who was went to time llin house Im Immediately urn mediately and that it was Unquestionably unquestionably un Un- questionably a a. case of murder Rose was was' given a gruelling cross ex examination cx- cx at police headquarters continuing contin sling late lato Into the tho night This examination examina tion was continued through yesterday and again today and ROPO floso tells a a. straIghtaway straightaway straight straIght- away story In hichi he has thus far not contradicted himself Rose hose that hi he hail had known Mrs Groff for sonic some time He says that ho lie walked with her to State and Second South streets streets' from the house where both lived at about 7 tiO 0 o'clock Saturday night when he left her Ho lie says that it was her Intention expressed to him to go to a achill achill chill parlor He ife went to a mu saloon where he lie spent the evening with friends rc- rc returning turning to tIme the house at 1230 Rose admitted that he had paid no room rent for or some time and that Mrs Groff had given him an allowance of 30 a month and had bought his clothing for him since h he quit work last Tune June He says say he mot met Mis Croft Groff first at the Belmont Belmont Bel- Bel mont hotel on State street where she had charge of the tho When two rooms bc- bc came rame vacant In her house at East Second South street he lie moved to one of them and had lived there sine since Had Several Quarrels Rose and Mrs Crot had quarreled a number of times lately over the manner In which he had been his al allowance al- al lowance of 50 0 a a. month but Rose floso Insists that time tho quarrels were not of a serious nature Members of the police department have hav known Mis CrofT by sight for several months though so far ns as they can r coll col- col l cl she was nc It Is In claimed that that- she hind had entertained men In her rooms at Urn The Tho police learned last lant night that Miss Lillian Nelson and Mrs James Peterson of East Second South the house houseIn In front rent of that In which Mrs Gron Groff lived saw her at State and Second South streets shortly after 8 S o'clock with a atm amigo man whom they had not seen before This man answers In detail the description tion of tho man whom Miss Helen Rich Richardson ardson says she LW aw leave the tho lane at 1116 ilI This ninn and Mrs Groff were walking toward Mrs Geoff's house at that time Some Money Found The rise police pollee department in searching the looms occupied by Mrs Groff alter after the tragedy found 30 O concealed In a. a small box wAh a number of letters The money was turned tinned over to her comm sou J. J V. V hut but the police still hold the tho letters 10 mc- to make their contents Known It was reported yesterday that mu JL pair of Jr diamond earrings had been stolen from Mrs Groff when she was These stones were said to b br worth about Q Members of the p department who had seen Been Mrs Mra G Groff many times throes i In street at other near noar her hem home ay that they never saw her wearIng wear wear- in Ing diamonds Was Widow of Veteran Mrs only son on TV J. J oft Groff ll es with hI Ills family at 7 avenue Ho Ito HoJ J says A S that hf mother lunch had beets a a. widow and that she sho had urea lived In tho ho hour where she wa was murdered for two yea ra Mr Croft Groff says sais that the f uncial services wilt will be lc held at tl funeral chapel at 2 o'clock Wednesday afternoons Only the iho of the tho Immediate fam aol aol- ily id a a few friends will w bo asked to attend the service evlee Groff was vaa A sister o of the TM- TM n ur of the list church Md Site lund lived In iii this thin city cIt nineteen j ars and one mum on died lucre hero several ago ngo Mr Mrs Groff was bom borim at V. V Vi a an 1 came here heie from rein S 5 i II Her husband wa ua Ja a veteran of th the civil war df dIed l In tills this city Mis Groff's moth moth- er ca Mrs Joshua P. P lives at si W Va and a slater Miss Mag Magic fc lh lives c at Canton Canlon O 0 |