Jim Kershner’s this day in history

From our archives, 100 years ago

Mystery surrounded the sudden and painful death of John Knicesky, 30, an Elk millworker and former amateur wrestler.

According to neighbors, Knicesky suffered terribly for about an hour before he finally died of convulsions. 

Suspicion immediately centered on his wife, Anna, 22, although she vehemently denied any role in his death. 

“I did not kill him, I did not poison him,” said Anna, a Bohemian immigrant. “He got sick and died.”

Prosecutors were skeptical for several reasons. The couple had met through a matrimonial agency, and he had described himself as prosperous. She “suffered disappointment” after she married him and found out he was poor.

Also, Anna had “sold all of the furniture” in the days before his death and had bought a railway ticket to Chehalis, Washington. While her husband was suffering, she was with friends 4 miles away and then walked to the railway station in Elk via a mountain trail.

Officers found her at the station, waiting for the train. She showed no emotion about the death. She told them he had been sick for some time, but prosecutors could find no indication.

Officers arrested Anna Knicesky. They sent her husband’s stomach to the state chemist at Pullman for analysis. They were looking for evidence of strychnine.