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12 DEATH ENDS A MARRIAGE OF A WEEK Investigating the Strange Demise of Mrs. Vidal Cervantes. Police Remarkable Conduct of Her Hus- band and a Woman Said to Be His io Out in Laurel Hill Cemetery is a newly made grave. sod will be torn up and the casket re- moved, by direction of the police, for they are working on a mystery as deep and dark as was ever brought to their | notice. The known lent occupant of the grave was in life as- Vidal Messa, or Cer- | vant, nd the breaking into her last home is done in orc ar away, if | possible, the mystery of her death. Murder is the theory the officers are | working on and should this theory be | correct the case will prove one of the| most sensational in the criminal records of the city The scene of the tragedv—if such it {s—wa ud in the heart of the Latin | quarter, a localit- that has yielded all | too many such myst s, the central | figures being people of the lowest type. | Vidal Messa had been a familiar s of Hinckley and both in the shadow oomy County Fat, no longer fair and on of the half-century | » woman made her home at 18 with Hans 3 nd confiden- was who nursed her of suffering when breath from fre- | 'nt attacks of asthma, while each | he made the rounds of lie dens of | > that belonged to her and levied on e -tortionate tribute >ss, but one de- | the shame into | cail on rom *¥ had sunk. ully | performed his | y the woman'’s pos- Property in other in less despicable | ed into her name and un- | the store of gold cred- | town 2 The little ".2g that | 1t her belt always con- hurdred dollars, while ed on her puffy r deep-lined throat. ad a passion for costly attire, losets of her Pinckney street :d no less than forty-six ling h t satins and home a brocac a dozen tri | umphs of the s art. the druggist had not filled the bottle | While suffered greatly at times| YP- o Vidal Messa never| Neilson remarked that it was not the | believed f to be in danger and Practice of druggists to put a small| supplied by her , invariably re- time. vears Neilson had and protector, the simple faithful f lieved her For nearly ved Vidal ¢ 56 when to his mishment one day last month she ared. It was on the 21st, two we b, and she did not return that night. The following day, however, Vidal walked into the Pinckne se and announced to Neilson t 3 was married—had married one Florentino Cervantes. Mrs. Cervantes did not appear to be as ha 2 bride is expected to be, and later whea an acouaintance called upon her she burst into tears, and said ghe did not know she had been mar- ried, that she had no recollection of the ceremony having been performed, but that Cervantes and some of his friends had induced her to drink heavily and it w while she was in that condition that the mony must have taken place. She told Neilson that they had pass- ed that night at 636 Vallejo street, be- tween Montgomery avenue and Stock- cer: Cupid breaks his bow at the sight of a face full of pim. ples and blotches, Hollow cheeks, sunken eyes, and a sallow complexion will defy his best % intentions. Beauty is more than skin deep. 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Dr. Picrce’s Golden Medical Dis- covery will positively cure you, if suffering from diseascs named above. 3 If you want to kpow hundreds of great medical truths, send 21 one-cent stamps t cover cost of mailing anlfl,r and we will send you FREE a copy of Dr. Pierce’s 1008 rage book, Common Sense Medical Ad- viser.”’ » Address, WORLD'S DISPENSARY MUEpigak. 4 | has made to The Call and Detective rimner Wife. | ton street, Cerventas’ friends, including To-day the fresh | a mysterious woman, remaining there | too. The house belonged to Vidal and was partly furnished. Cervantes did not remain at the -street _house long, but after instructing Neilson to continue to watch over her interests returned to the Vallejo-street house. The strange wedding took place on Tuesday, and, according to the statements Neilson Anthony, who is conducting the in- vestigation, Vidal made several visits to the Pinckney-street place the week, at which times Nellson turned over to her the money he had | collected from her tenants. | Saturday, March 26, she made her | last visit to him. She complained of | feeling very ill, and for the first time expressed a fear that her time on earth was short. She spoke of the woman Cervantes kept at the house constant- ly, and said she had given her an over- dose of medicine the night before that had almost killed her. during | Mrs. C .vantes did not mention this | woman’s name and Neilson could not tell who she was more than that she | was a Hungarian by birth and that | during the past week it had been ru- | mored among those who knew =zll the | parties concerned that she had lived | with Cervantes and was supposed at one time to be his wife. ‘ Neilson endeavored to cheer up the | woman by telling her that she had often | been as sick as she was then and that | he would go up to the Vallejo-street | house that night and give her a treat- | ment such as he had in the past, which would relieve her of her suffering. He kept his promise and noticed that while he was in the house female friend of Cervantes watched every movement he made and acted in | a most peculiar manner. | Neilson asked her what medicine she | had given to Mrs. Cervantes the night before, and she showed him a rather large bottle about half full of a dark colored Mquid. The directions on the | label gave twenty to forty drops as a | | dose for an adult, and five to ten drops for a child. Neilson asked if she had administered more than one dose, and | she replied that she had not, but that | quantity of medicine in a large bottle, but that thev used bottles of various sizes, acording to the quantity of medi- cine, and he questioned the woman the mysterious |, niture, but Neflgon is positive that they practlcally stripped the house. After thelr departure Nellson hurried to the Vallejo-street -house and found preparations for the funeral already well under way. Valentl, Mareni & Co, undertakers, whose parlorsareon Stock- tonstreet, between Greenand Union, had been celled in, and arranged the body for burfal. As Mrs. Cervantes was a very large woman, they informed the husband that it would be difficult to secure & casket large enough that day, and it would be better to postpone the funeral until the following day. At this, both Cervantes and the mysterious female became greatly excited, and in- sisted that the funeral,K must be held that day. The undertaker said it would cost $35 or $40 more to carry out their wishes, but they replied that a matter of a few dollars made no difference. Neilson describes the action of both the man and woman all the time he was there as most remarkable. Both were deeply agitated, and the woman kept rushing from one room to.an- other, calling to Cervantes, holding whispered conversations with him and otherwise manifesting extreme nerv- ousness. Once, when some friends of the dead woman called, they were shown into the room where the body lay, but had scarcely approached it when the woman burst out: “Don’t you like the way it looks? If you are not satisfied you had better leave the house!” Nellson notified some friends of Vidal | of her demise, among them the family | of Isaac Silva, livi.g at 737% Green street, who had known her intimately hearing the story, immediately sum- moned T “‘ective Anthony and detailed him on the case. Since then the officer has been working unc-asirgly with the result that the } lice are convinced that the woman di>d under circum- stances that warrant the remains be- ing exhumed and the ~tomach analyzed. Coroner Hawk has been requested to perform this duty and Las promised to exhume the body to-day. A careful analysis of the stomach will be made and as no embalming fluids were used | it is "ought it will be an easy matter to detect the presence of poison, if'any had been administered. Cervantes lost but little time in tak- ing the necessary legal steps to secure possession of his wife's property, for a few days after her death he appeared for letters of administration. He ap- peared in Judge Coffey's court last Saturday, accompanied by the mys- terious woman. Several friends of the dead woman were present and they noted that this woman was decked out in some of Vidal's finery. She osten- tatiously displayed a gold watch and chain, for which Neilson says Vidal paid $180, while encircling her wrist was a bracelet that had cost $190. One point that Neflson calls partic- ular attention to is that when Vidal made her last visit to the Pinckney- street house she had in her bag be- tween $300 and $400 in gold. This money { was also seen by a storekeeper, for the woman called at his place to pay a bill she owed and when she opened her bag he noticed the gold. She searched for some silver, but could find none, and finally gave him a gold piece to change. 2D AN ;MRS. VIDAL CERVANTES, WEOSE DEATH THE FOLICE ARE INVESTIGATING. for many years. They had barely time to reach the house before the funeral took place, for Cervantes and the wo- man had their way and the cortege started for the cemetery at 1 o’clock, barely twelve hours after Vidal had ceased to breathe. further. Finally she admitted that she\ Then the actions of the strange pair | | | | | | | | | FLORENTINO CERVANTES. had given Vidal about 200 drops by mistake, but supposed as it was a medicine that children could take, it would not harm her. day, Sunday, Neilson again and found her somewhat bet- ter. That was the last time he saw her alive. Neilson states that Mrs. Cervantes did not remove her effects from the Pinckney-street house, all her dresses and other wearing apparel as well as the furniture being left undisturbed. Barly on the morning of Tuesday, March 29, Cervantes and the mys- terious woman appeared at 18 Pinck- ney street and informed Neilson that Vidal had died suddenly at 15 minutes after midnight. They brought an ex- press wagon with them and proceeded to ransack the house, taking all the dead woman’s clothes, jewelry, some furniture and $20 that Neilson had col- lected the day before. Since then they became more marked. Utterly disre- garding the whisperings of neighbors |and the friends of the dead woman, The following |they continued to make the house at visited Vidal 636 Vallejo street their home, ‘while Cervantes took possession of his late wife's property. ‘He visited Neilson and first offered him $100 if he would relinquish all claims to any portion of the estate. Neilson refused, and the |sum was gradually increased to $500, | but when he still refused to make any | agreement with Cervantes, the latter | | finally said: | “If the estate proves to be worth 1$15,000, I will give you $1000 for any |claim you may have, if it amounts to | more T will ~ive v u $1500, and you can |go away and enjoy your money.” | Neilson declined to accede and Cer- vantes finally gave up the attempt to purchase his claims. Meanwhile Isaac Silva had informed his attorney, Archibald Campbell, of have told other friends of Vidal that|vVidal's death and together they went only zemgved & portion of the fur. to Chief of Police | Lees, who, after | Neilson says the woman had flve} very valuable diamond rings and other | jewelry, which she usually carried on her person. Where these are now no- | body seems to know. | | | | HE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 1898. were there for. They hurried away. | Hearing there were some relatives in San Jose, and feeling that there was ,something wrong, I telegraphedto them on Monday to come up and they ar- rived to-day. I took them to Attorneys Archie Campbell a~~ Koch and they advised sending a power of attorney to Mexico for the sister of the dead wo- man to sign. Mrs. Messa, in company with friends, called on Coroner Haw- kins and gave him an outline of the facts of the case, and asked him to ex- hume the body to find out whether foul play had been committed. After lis- tening to them, I understand he refused to touch the matter, as there was not enough evidence to warrant it. I hear they paid him another visit to-day, but do not know what success they had. ‘T am sure there is something wrong about this, as they told the court on Saturday that the estate was valued at $1000. Before she took the lease of the lower place on Pinckney place she went to see Mr. Burke of Madison & Burke, and offered him $3500 for it. I advised her that the property was not worth it and she did not buy. That is why she still has that money. That woman must have $6000 in gold coin be- sides her jewelry.” Mrs. Erdly conducted the house in which the unfortunate woman died. ‘When seen last night she related the circumstances of Mrs. Cervantes’ death, but refused to express an opinion whether or not the woman had been murdered. “I know she was madly in love with Cervantes,” not surprised at their being married. A few weeks before their marriage he bought the house in which she died. After she was taken ill he had her removed to his house. A short time before her death a dark woman, whose name I do not know, visited her room and gave her some gruel. After par- taking of the nourishment she seemed to grow worse and in a few hours she breathed her last. “Whether or not the gruel was pois- oned I am at a loss to state. Since her death I have heard mutterings that Mrs. Messa was the victim of fout play. “I know she madly loved Cervantes, and frequently expressed her intention of marrying him. If she was murdered I do not believe he was a party to the crime. “I saw her a few months before she passed away, and it seems to me that if she had been poisoned, knowing she was about to die, she would have told me.” Mrs. Erdly admitted that the unfor- tunate woman possessed considerable Jewelry, but what had become of it she could not state. J. E. Artigues, the physician who signed the certificate of death, was seen last evening, and said: “I was called in to attend the woman two days before she died. I found her suffering from asthma and in a bad condition. Her heart seemed very weak, due to her being so fleshy. She told me she had not slept for five nights, and to the best of my recollection I pre’ scribed a sixth of a grain of morphine powders and also my regular prescrip- tion for asthma—a mixture of lobelia, fodine, potassium and belladonna, com- posed of about two drachms each. I then left, and about thirty-six hours later the undertaker called and asked me to sign a death certificate. “I refused his request, as I had only once attended the patient. Some hours later he returned and told me I had to sign it, as he could not find any other doctor who had administered to her. I then signed the paper, giving the cause of her death as due to asthma, and stating that I had only visited her once. I understand the undertaker took the certificate to the Morgue. “The next I heard of the case was when an officer called at my office look- ing for information. I told him that I was sitting in my drugstore when a man rushed in and begged me to come with him, as a woman was very low. I went with him and prescribed. He told me not to say anything about the matter to any one, and I should not have told you, but you seem to be fa- miliar with the facts. “The medicine I prescribed was filled at my store, but I cannot, without au- thority from the police, give you an or- der to my clerk directing him to allow Cervantes’ claim to the estate will be | bitterly contested by the relatives of | | the dead woman, and Carmen D. Meza, | a sister-in-law of Vidal, arrived from | San Jose yesterday for that purpose. | Besides Mr. Silva has had a power of attorney prepared and will forward it to Vidal's sister, who is living in Mex- ico, for her signature, and he will then be in a position to protect her rights. Detective Anthony was most reluct- ant to discuss the case when seen by a representative of The Call last night, and expressed his regret that the mat- ter had leaked out. He admitted, how- ever, that he had been working on the case for several days and that the result of his investigation had con- vinced him that the woman had been murdered. He would make no charge |as to who the guilty party, or parties, were, and said that no arrests had been or would be made until the body had been exhumed. % On the result of an analysis of the | stomach, Anthony said, depended the | whole case. He believed that traces of poison would be found, which would confirm his belief that the woman had been foully dealt with, but he could make no move toward apprehending the guilty party until that analysis was made. He could not understand why Coro- ner Hawkins had failed to exhume the body before this, as he had been re- quested to do, but he belleved the Cor- oner would take that step to-day. When the stomach was examined, if poison | was found, the detective said he would be in a position to act promptly. Yesterday Isaac Silva, the friend of the dead woman, said: “I have been a friend of the dead woman for many years and used to transact her business for her. She did | not tell me she had married, but tried | to conceal the fact from everybody. I| | was told about it some time later, and on last Thursday I told Attorney Archie | Campbell that I was going to bring | him a divorce suit and he said: that so; why? ‘Well,’ I said, ‘Vidal won’t stay with that fellow; he has been in State Prison.’ Campbell re- plied: ‘You are too late. I am going to bury the woman at 2 o’clock.’ “I was surprised and said I would go immediately to her house and see her. He said: ‘You have plenty of time.” I went there at 11 o'clock. I saw a woman and some fellow who I after- ward learned was her husband. She ‘Wwas running around from one room to another calling this man, Cervantes. She kept asking for the hearse and asking why they did not take her {away. I didn’t say anything, but within |five minutes the hearse came and they ‘were ready. “Two days later they appeared before Judge Coffey, applying for letters of ad- ministration. While they were in the courtroom, I had a man who was once |a guard in San Ouentin to look at the | man and he told me he was once in San Quentin and that he thought his | brother was there now. When they { came out of the courtroom she said: ‘What business have those men there meaning the bondsmen. She was tremb- ling and extremely nervous. Campbell told her who they were and what they Is | you to copy it. I know there was no danger if the whole bottle was admin- istered to her. As to the morphine powders, there was some danger. I really think the woman died from a weak heart, which was caused by fatty degeneration.” A member of the firm of Valente, Marini & Co., the undertakers who buried Mrs. Cervantes, said: ““Mrs. Cervantes was taken from 636 Vallejo street. She was about 41 years old, and died on March 30. She died at midnight, and being a fleshy woman, weighing in the neighborhood of 300 pounds, her husband was advised to bury her immediately. ~7e took her from her home and kept her in our parlors all the next day, and on the 1st of April she was interred. “There was nothing the matter with her. T heard there was a fuss being made by the relatives and other persons because she had some money. She mar- ried this fellow Cervantes about three weeks before she died. He, in my opin- fon, was a sucker. He was earning $25 a week and was younger than this woman. T understand he comes from Los Angeles. “‘Cervantes did not order us to bury her immediately. A woman by the name of Tomasso, whom I would not belleve, started this trouble. Every- thing was done according to the strict letter of the law and this fuss amounts to nothing.” The undertakers deny that they re- ceived money from Cervantes to place the body of his dead wife in the grave. Mrs. F. Habidad, an old friend of the dead woman and at whose house tle sister-in-law is staying, when asked what Mrs. Cervantes was worth said: “She had about $4500 in bank, with which she i. tended buying a house, also a lot of jewelry.” She gave the follow- ing list of jewelry as possessed by the dead woman: ‘A bracelet with eleven diamonds, valued at $380; diamond earrings, $150; a breast pin, set in diamonds, valued at $180, and another at $120; a $200 dia- mond ring, another valued at $40; an- other ring set in little diamonds, valued at $50; a gold pin with three ten-dollar pleces and two five-dollar pieces; a set of earrings made from five-dollar pieces; diamond scarf pin, valued at $30; three men’s gold watches, one valued at $70: three ladies’ gold watches. One worn by her was worth $150 and the chain $30. Three silver rings, one set with a diamond, and a half-dozen carved Mexican earrings and rings; gold raourning bracelets: a man’s quartz chain, which she paid $40 for.” Continuing, she said that Mrs. Cer- vantes’ son died in Mexico, and that the only relatives in this State were her sister-in-law and three children. “I don’t know whether she was poisoned.” she said, “but every one says she was given something in her medicine. Last Saturday = as she passed my mother’s house she showed me a pocket-book containing fifteen $20 gold pieces.” Florentin Cervantes, the husband of the dead woman, was seen in .his rooms at 636 Vallejo street last evening. He was in deep mourning and wore a sorrowful expression on his coun- tenance. When not being interpreted by his friend, he would break forth in broken English and tell what he knew about the death of his wife. ‘When asked to show the medicine that was zdministered to her in her last illness he acted nervously, and said he could not find it then, but would produce the bottles to-morrow. During the interview he showed how the medicine was given Mrs. Cervan- tes by {llustrating with two glasses. He filled one half full of water, and | taking a small medicine glass he pour- she remarked, “and was| ADVERTI! SEMENTS. New Goods. This week we will exhibit the very latest NOVELTIES in the following de- partments. LAGE DEPARTMENT ! NEW LACES, Gene. Point Ven 16e an in Point Applique, Point de d Chantillu. Also an elegant assortment of Fancu Embroidered Chiffons. TRINMING D NEW TRIMMING Beaded and Silk Fronts of New Belts and fine F EPARTMENT. S in Passementeries, . Also a full assortment eather Boas. RIBBON DEPARTHENT. NEW RIBBONS in Plaids, Checks and Stripes. Scarfs—fringed—and a Also French Ribbon Sashes and n elegant line of New French Taffeta Ribbons. GLOVE DEPARTMENT. NEW GLOVES in light Easter shades, in the celebrated Reunier make, both Suedes and Glacie. PARASOL DEPARTMENT. NEW PARASOLS Chiffons and Taffetas: of Carriage Parasols. in Plaid s, Bavaderes alsoa full t assortmen SKIRT DEP NEW SILK SKIR Stripes and plain, wit Van Duke flounces. ARTMENT, TS in Plaids, Checks h corded, ruifled and ’ Oren208y 1892, m, u3, us, U7, 19, 121 POST STREET. ed out a tablespoonful and thrusting it in the light said that .-as the amount of cherry pectoral he gave. He said he first swallowed it, but found it a trifle strong. He then poured out a smaller dose and gave it to his wife. She drank the cordial and scid it w too sweet for her to drink, and asked him to get some other medicine. He said that he then went to the drug store for some other medicine, and the clerk gave him some that was to be taken three times a day. She found that to her satisfaction, and was taking it up to_the time of her death. He then went on in his own way and gave a detailed account of what was done the night his wife died. He said: “At 8 o'clock on the night she died she said she felt hungry. ‘What do you like?’ I asked her. and she replied, ‘Hot cakes.’ ‘Shall I make them?" I asked, and she said, ‘No, tell the lady.” While they were being made I took her to the kitchen. The lady made three or four, and she gave me one first, to see if it was good to eat. I put butter and sugar on it and put it on a plate, and then cut it up in small pieces. I gave her half and ate the other half. After eating she said she would like one more, and I fixed another one. I cut it up in pieces, and ate half again. Once in a while she would give me a piece of hers. Pretty soon she stood up, and I helped her to her room, and she sat down in a chair. She said, ‘I feel better, and wiil be well in two days.’ She also said, “‘When I am not sick I will make up a paper and give up my business to you.’ I said, ‘I have mine.’ Sheé sat in her chair some time, and other times I would walk her up and down the kitchen to her room to relieve her asthma. “About 11:30 o’clock she tell me, ‘You lle down, as I can’t sleep. During the | last three weeks I can’t sleep. I like to walk.’ I lay down and sleep for a little while. “Pretty soon, about 12 o’clock, I see my wife at the foot of my bed, and she tell me, ‘I feel sick. I think it is asthma again.’ She coughed two or three times. I get up and take my wife to her room and she sit down in her chair. Pretty soon she tell me, ‘I feel cold in“my hands, in my feet and neck.” She says, ‘Make a hot cloth on the lamp and put it around here.’ After I do it, she tells me she wanted to breathe but could not. She told me she felt a big ball in her stomach which came up to her throat and that was the only thing troubling her. I put clothes on her feet and rubbed her hands. Thinking she was bad, I tell her I will call the people in the house, but she say, ‘No, 1 don’t want to give them any trouble.” 1 call for help by knocking on the door and they come in. “Mr.- Adrian he went to gct a doctor but the first time he could not find one. He tell me he ask the sergeant of police and the officer &irected him to Dr. Le- land in the Commercial - Hotel, but when he return with the doctor my wife is dead. “While he was away I told him to help quick. She began to breathe heav- ily and then she tell me to put hot clothes on her, as she was very cold. She has no feeling in her hand and I rub some more. Five minutes after she sat down. Pretty soon she tell me ‘I like to lie down.’ She stand up and I tell her I will help her and she says no. She lay down on her side with her arm holding her head and then gave a long sigh and die.” Hans Neilson, who for the past three years acted as agent for the dead woman, was seen in 18 Pinckney place last evening. He hinted at what he could tell, but was loth to talk on the CASTORIA For Infants and Children. subject, fearing that he would be shot by Cervantes, whom he thought a dan- gerous man. | “I was employed by Mrs. Cervantes | to look after the house, attend to re- pairs in the houses she rented and do | her collecting. Although I heard of her marrying again, I did not see her husband until the dav of her death. I | had gone up the street to buy some | groceries, and when I returned I was | surprised to see an express wagon in | front of the door. I tried to enter the | house, but found that the bolt had been drawn on the other side. After ham- mering on the panel the door was opened by some woman whom I had never seen before, and she says to me, | “This is Vidal's husband and Vidal's | dead.” “I was surprised at hearing the news, but was more surprised to see what they were doing. During my short ab- sence they had taken every dress be- longing to Mrs. Cervantes and had them tied up in a bundle. Everything of any value was bundled up and they loaded the things on the express wa- gon. They then removed every bit of furniture in the house and left it in a deserted state. With the keys that he must have found on Mrs. Cervantes he opened a closet and took from it about $20 in gold, that T was saving for Mrs. Cervantes, to be given to her on her next visit. “Mrs. Cervantes was worth a good deal of money, because I used to col- lect from $3 to $10 a night for rental of her houses. To-night I took $9 50 to Mr. Cervantes, which amount I have either brought to his house or given to him "here since his wife’s death. “I learned later that Mrs. Cervantes died at 12:15 o’clock, and they came to the house eight hours after to remove her belongings. “I don’t want to say anything else about the matter, because I am not in a position to do so.” ADVERTISEMENTS. YOUR EASTER SHIRT, ec’lar or cuff should be as immac- ulate in their color as Easter lilies. We will guarantee that they will vie with them in snowy whiteness, and perfection of finish, if they are done up at the United States Laun- dry. If you don’'t care to buy a new set of linen, let us launder it; you will be pleased at the result, Office, 1004 Market street. Telephone South 420. THE PRICE OF CROWN FLOUR it erery WIappe | HAS THIS DAY BEEN ADVANCED 25c¢ PER BARREL. San Francisco, April 6, 1888,