Chief Deitsch interviewed both Mrs. Burkhardt and her daughter at their
home.
Mrs. Anna Burkhardt said:
"I went to Newport Tuesday morning to view the corpse, and can say
almost positively that it is that of Francisca Engelhardt, who married
Dr. Kettner. I could recognize her hand out of hundreds. She had
remarkably beautiful hands, and always held up the right one in a
peculiar position when speaking. When I saw the body at the Morgue I
took her hand and placed it in that position, and the resemblance
strongly confirmed my first conclusion. The size of the body also
corresponds with the stature of the girl I knew.
"When she lived with us I slept with her, and, therefore, know her
peculiarities. She had a very pretty foot, of which she was exceedingly
proud. She would often hold it up to view and speak about it. The toes
were peculiarly shaped, and I immediately recognized them on the corpse.
"Before I entered the room with Detective Keating to look at the body, I
fully described her peculiar foot to him. He had never seen the body,
either, and was also immediately struck with the resemblance of the foot
to my description.
"She came to my house in September, 1893, but she took a position that
same fall in Dr. Reamy's hospital, on Walnut Hills, as telephone girl.
She visited us frequently, however, and often stayed all night with us.