The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 26, 1898, Page 16

16 THE GATTRELL Raymond Miller, His Fellow Clerk, Remembers the Candy Store Incident. The Accused Woman Engages Counsel—Rela- tives and Friends Hurrying to Her Assistance. juntor clerk in 4 the Wave C tore at Stockton, 4 corroborates Gattrell's story of the 4 ctrange woman who bought candy 4| from him three weeks ago and sub- 4 stituted some bonbons she had with 4 pe of those in the bo + ] probably go to the City + and will be given 4 an oppor ; to identify Mrs. 4 Botkin, the cted poisoner. A + number of o women will be 4 presen 1l be brought + d asked to point + who bought the + + 2 of Stockton has made a 4 1t concerning Mrs. Botkin's 4 ile she was hysterical. + as the statement, but it 4 for publication. 4 ght will defend the 4 As soon Detective McVey of Delaware arrives with the wrapper + | sed the poisoned candy + | which was inside the + | n chirography will be 1 upon to make comparison be- s and the hand- kin. A dispatch David N. Car- ed writing ex- ccompany McVey to this ted thi taking special precautions the police are against Mrs. Botkin taking her own life. late dispatch from Dover says J. P. Dunning admits that he dentified the writing in the letters received by his conjunction Botkin was evidence is to weigh very imprisoned ymou likel. pgainst he FOUS TSP OUURS IS SRS S e LR e R SR S B R o e e e e e e S iller, a boy now living in ; prove an important wit- nection with the ttrell, clerk in t to the city last was made through tef Lees to allow . with the object ald identify Mrs. Botkin in the candy-store. ngly to the propo- that it would not take the boy into the Mrs. Botkin and himself the test should be de- , when Mrs. Botkin r street costume, which t to all concerned. The Chief d the test will be made some y is received from Dover. be first shown the box, and | > one he handed to the ladv in | part of July its identification him in positively saying | ot Mrs. Botkin is the woman | al estate man, re- street, Stock- 1s been employed at the Wave latter city a little over a year. the past few days he and his - been visiting friends at 659 | yurth street, East Oak- ad the story of the Dun- or mother h Twenty- ning polsoning case yesterday and that part \g to the circumstances sur- rounding the purchase of the chocolates d his particular at- special Wave attra P.r\yr;mnd saw this in the g ed the matter with me,” . Miller last evening. ‘He be- purchase referred to. not certain that he could woman should he see her | gain, we are willing to do everything in our power that will lead to an identi- fitation and will tend to bring the guilty | e remembered thi is he party to justice. The boy’s story runs as follows: “about two or three weeks ago a lady dropped in at the Wave and called for some choco- | lates. Mr. Gattrell waited on her. She had some other candy in a small bag and | wished Mr. Gattrell to arrange them in a box such we usually do chocolates up in. Mr. Gattrell told her that we are not in the habit of putting up other peo- | ple’s candy in the Wave’s boxes, but she urged him and he sent me to get several ordinary bonbon boxes. One of these Mr. Gattrell selected and did up the package to accommodate her. She left and we said nothing more about it, and 1 would yiever again ve thought of it, had I not seen the articles referring to it in the papers.” g MES. BOTKIN WAS NERVOUS. Suffered From Hysterla About the Time the Candy Was Mailed. STOCKTON, Aug. 25.—Dr. Stone, who attended Mrs. W. A. Botkin while the ac- e e e ADVERTISEMENTS. EGZEMA FOR YEARS CURED TWO REMARKABLE CASES. 1 have been an intense sufferer from Eczema for five years. I tried medicines, four doo- tors, one a specialist in skin , with no almost frantic three bot- mprovement, and setting me with dreadfuf itching. ‘using tles of CUTICURA RESOLVENT, CUTICURA SALVE, 1 was compl GEO. A. LOWE, 907 Mar) 1 had Eczema for seven years, and my scalj was in a bad state. Three inches of my huxg ‘was covered with a dry scab. The if Was 80 bad I thought it would drive me mad. I tried all remedies, but could not getcured. I used five bottles of COTICURA RESOLVENT, five cakes of CUTICURA 0 Ay ana o SRR LK UTICURA ane ‘was com; C. LONG, 325 Wilton Ave., &fl)fl&, Can. BrEEDY CURE TREATMENT 7OR TORTURIG, Disrio- RiNG HUMORS, WiTH LOSSOF nm.-—lmh.fl Comeon Bou?. gentle anolatings with CuTicuRs, mild doses of CuTiCURA RESOLYENT. o o Eetom ABa Pk and one box of letely cured. t 8t., Phil., Pa. sused woman was in the city, has 1de a statement to Chief of Police Gall hls believed, has an important bearing on the guilt or innocence of the woman. Dr. Stone was closeted with the Chief some time, and it is said that the er took down his statement very care- fully and forwarded it to Chief Lees by the first mail. Chief Gall refused to talk of the matter, saying it would do no good and might do harm. Dr. Stone sald to a Call reporter to-day: ngly that I have been 1 assure you it “I regret exceed dragged into this ¢ was not of my own volition. Tuesday evening I passing the jail on my home. and noticing the commotion went over to ascertain the cause. I saw Mrs. Botkin in the corridor. a prisoner. Knowing her hysterical condition and that she had the morphine compound I privately informed the jaller to watch out for it. apd, of course. it soon became known that I had been her physician. “I am free to say that I have an opin- jon of the guilt or innocence of the ac- FRANCISCO CALL, FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 1898. S STORY CORROBORATED 0000UO00000000000 3 THE ANONYMOUS LETTERS IDENTIFIED A Strong Link in the Evidence That Is Being Forged Around the Defiant Woman in the City Prison. DOVER, Del., Aug. 2%.—Attorney General White to-day talked freely on the main evidence in his possession of Mrs. Botkin's guilt. other things he divulged was an important link in John P. Dunning’s statement to him, which had hitherto been a secret jealously guarded— Dunning’s reason for picking Mrs. Botkin from the many whom he had intimate relations in San Francisco as the one that unques- tionably sent the box of poisoned chocolates which killed his wife and his sister-in-law. thing to me. ner Dunning identified the writing inciosed. He had received many le CCOoO00CoO00000000000C000C000000 writing. for use in the trial.” 000000000000 00000 “Dunning,” sald the Attorney General, “made a clean breast of every- He held nothing back. be in his desire to bring the flendish murderess to justice. he was shown the anonymous letters that were sent from San Fran- cisco to Mrs. Dunning, telling her that her husband was paying promis- cuous attention to women there, he recognized said it was that of Mrs. Botkin. We had already been on her trail and that statement from Dunning made us doubly confident, for it was the first piece of sure evidence we had obtained against her. with love and terms of affection that he could never forget the hand- Unfortunately, he did not have any of Mrs. Botkin's letters to him in his possession at the time, all of them having been destroyed. He expects that when his delayed mall is forwarded to him from Porto Rico it will contain several of her letters. 00000000000000000 Among women with He was as sincere as he could The moment the handwriting and In a like man- on the wrapper of the box and note tters from her, letters so teeming These he will turn over CO0000CCCO0CO0C000000000000 DOOOQO0000 000000000000 0000 CLAIM TO HAVE STRONG EVIDENCE A Fear in Dover That Mrs. Botkin Will Commit Sui- cide. DOVER, Del., Aug. %.—Attorney Gen- eral White to-night sent to San Francisco the requisition papers for Mrs. Botkin, who is under arrest there, | approaching the door from the corridor w}‘u t‘he room where Mrs. Botkin is con- | fined. | When asked what legal steps would be | taken in behalf of Mrs. Botkin her attor- ney said: “Nothing can or will be done until the Delaware officer arrives in San Botkin. No legal steps to secure her free- dom or release on bonds will be taken for a few'days at least. Mrs. Botkin is in the hands of the law and is perfectly satisfied to remain there. She has nothing to fear. ““All I know about the case has been obtained from perusmg the newspapers, | and as I have been at Sacramento all the Bevery Borkin PresceieTION e!\{En"ro MRS PBorrin €oruME's MEOICAL “u " e s . wae G vt FoR weTema . 0" T w STONE. v 77 (32 Cone Y o | Francisco with requisition papers for Mrs. | money and her husband gave orders to a restaurant to supply her meals in the City Prison. r. Botkin returned to Stockton yes- terday afternoon. HAS REGAINED j HER COMPOSURE Mrs. Botkin Is the Star Board- er at the City Prison. Mrs. Botkin dropped her tragedy queen airs yesterday and came down to the realities of everyday life. She addressed her jailers like twentieth century men and put aside the hallucination that they were her vassals and retainers. The luckless garcon to whom fell the task of bringing to the prisoner her morning meal got a gratuitous dose of the emotional wrath that survived a night spent in the City Prison, “Boy,” said Mrs. Botkin, with the air and the deep bass of a barnstorming Lady Macbeth, “you are five minutes late. Let it be understood that I am not to be kept waliting one moment beyond the -appointed time; otherwise I shall have to give my orders to some other restaurant.” The boy trembled, the lady waved him Mrs. Botkin has made herself perfectly at'home and as comfortable .as her cramped quarters will permit. Yesterday afternoon. she seen in a white ‘silk peignoir, the loose folds of which half dis- played yet half concealed the lines of iier rather ‘too plump figure. _ The which reached- only to the shoulder, showed “to_advantage the rounded con- tours of perfectly modeled arms, on which gleamed bracelets brilllant with precious stones. She spent the better part of the day In the matron’s sitting-room, and rocked incesantly in the ~shabby little cane-seated chair. Her pose was what Delsartian, disciples would call “artlessly negligent,” with the white arms encir- cling her head, which was thrown well over the back of the low-backed chair. a star at the City Prison. All day long a line of morbidly curious’ women Sought admission to the prisoner. Some came in sympathy, some to give advice and still others impelled by the law they call “women for women.” However, the ma- jority brutally admitted that curiosity | alone brought them there. All were ae- nied admittance. Mrs. Botkin still adheres to her resolu- tion not to be interviewed. It is her de- clared intention never again to see or speak with a press representative her jailers maintain that they have every rea- son to believe she will e The Letter From Dunning. What shall be done with the letter in transit from Dunning to Mrs. Botkin on its arrival here is a problem that is puz- zling the Chief of Police. The Chief declines to say what' action he will take, but it is suppoged that the solution of the problem will rest with the postal authori In ordinary intercepted and opened, but in a case where the interests of justice would be subserved, such as the probaonity of giv- ing a clew to a poisoner, it is a question whether the courts could not be resorted to in crder to have such a letter inter- cepted and opened. Fhe letter is about due now, and its final disposition will be watched with the keenest interest. - COMES FROM A GOOD FAMILY Mrs. Botkin’s Parents Are Highly Respected Citi- zens of Ferndale. HEALDSBURG, Aug. 2.—Mrs. Bot- kin's parents, Colonel Richards Brown and wife, 76 and 75 vears of age respec- tively, have been for twenty years or more highly respected residents of Fern- dale, Humboldt County. Colonel Brown is a native of Tennessee and acquired his | military title in the Missouri State mili- tia during the Mexcan War. He was a pioneer of Nebraska and was the founder of Brownsville in that State, which was named in his honor. ~He was a banker and merchant in Brownsvilie, and was a member of the Nebraska Territorial Leg- islature. Colonel Brown came to_Cali- fornia twenty-three years ago. He is the father of seven daughters and one son, Mrs. Botkin being the fourth daugh- ter. The son, C. Brown, was at- tached to General Dodge's headquarters at Omaha during the rebellion. Three of Mrs. Botkin's sisters live with the old folks in Ferndale, one married sister lives in New York, one in Kansas City and her eldest sister, Mrs. McClure, is a resident of Healdsburg. Mr. and Mrs. McClure are highly respected residents of this city and feel deeply the trouble and aside and then sat down to her breakfast. | sleeves, | Mrs. Botkin has attained the dignity of | and by her word. | ties coming in day by day, {0 SR ORRO SO O SO OatOs O Ot OO OOl O OO g O g O O Ol piliow cases 200 doz. hemmed pillow cases of i white muslin curtain lappet flannclettes t store stand—Monday, sale from Kearny street : 0 0-OO-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-O-0-O-O-O-© logue, 2000 fllustrations and 100 pages, sent free to our out-of-town patrons only.) (OOmOm0; ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® ® @ ® ® ® ® ® ® ® @® ® ® ® ® ® ® Just now storekeeping is an actval pleasure ; novel- to what last season’s fashions were. We are getting things in shape for a grand fall opening. (and we've a name for house linens) One case White Muslin, cambric_finish, good quality; a limit of ten yards to a customer. Over a’thousand yards White Curtain Lappet. wide, for sash curtains, in fancy stripes .. = 2000 yards, in fancy stripes and light colors ...... The shirt waist sale continues—our grow- ing mail order business has made us increase our mail order department, and our millinery workrooms have just been doubled—watch for fall millinery opening—to-morrow after- noon 2 to 5 concert on our new band jes’ 20 dozen Ladies' Black 1a]]-Silk Plain and Moire Taffeta }:’dles Cotton Hose, fine sauge. §9 al; silk Bt o Masortea dwlil§ng fast acl spliced heels air ors, light and ar] | 080 - 237 toes. seamicas. e bonszn-ens. yellow, orange, corn, 9 navy, brown, purple, Nile, gray, cardinal ete’: No. 4o, 8% ' inches [ @ ® 100 dozenLadies' Black| @2 | Wide, 15¢ No. 6, 4 inches 1 & better (), & Hose, Germanl6r.1c wide' . . Yard 5 make, Hermsdorf dye, of _ Pair . hose ke, e rane hish-splicea dollap Z2clasp. fn all shades, 5% to i, heels, double soles and toes. Warranted and fitted; one of the P |glove best, Ladies Gloves we carry. ¥ Men's 1-clasp Pique Walking 8 ‘dozen Ladles’ Fanc Glove, In red, ox blood and I glaid Plald Cotton Hose, hlac§d25P01 brown, all SizeS........c... ONE DOLLAR ose ground, with yellow, res air| 2 laids, high-t PBlack Enamel Darners.......2¢ @© heels, e Pt e spliced notions E3c Dhorters in blacikand | white, lisle elastic and button clas) (Note—Our New Fall and Winter Cata-} I 037-039-9041-043-045-047 Market St. B W B O S O O O OS OB O OO0} O O S OB S OSYOR OB OZRO O OO} ® OO0 0-0-O-0—-0-0--0-0-0-0--O-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-P-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 and everything so different heavy quality muslin, 45x36 7c Clcll 36 inches wide; 4¢C yard 36 Inches Sc yfll’d ~4&C yard ncws: of the Cook stock see Sunday's papers = St Pair Whalebone Casing, 3 yards piece, enough for one dress, in blue, pink, red, black and gray ic Plece of and financial circles for a number vears. Mr. Botkin came here from Joplin, Mo., where he had amassed a small fortunc. He became connected with the M Valley Bank and remained with tha stitution for several years. Later he e gaged in the grain business in a small way. He was neyer a Board of Trade, at least none of the old- time grain men remember him. Mr. Bot- kin was a large man of genial personal- ity, and Mrs. Botkin was a refined, mo..- erly woman who made many friends. -—— Sent as First-Class Matter. The fiend who sent death disguised ! tempting sweets was evidently fan with the postal regulations. The box sent as first class matter and had cents in stamps on the wrapper. The postal rules forbid the transmission of candy through the mails unless it is con- tained in tin boxes, and the a: knew this, and to prevent the p; being opened by an inspector it was sel as first class matter. Chief Lees thinj the 25-cent handkerchief was placed in the box to deceive the postal authorities if the box was opened #nd not examined closely. —_——— No Clue at the Postoffice. The postoffice authorities, in a quiet way have been attempting to assist the police in ascertaining in what part of the city, if at all, the poisoned bonbons were mailed. Most of the carriers have been interrogated, but no information of s/ Y People Who Are Trying to Unravel the Duhning Poisoning Mystery. I have no occasion to withdraw this statement. but to say upon what_grounds I form this opinfon” would be a breach of professfonal honor I would not consider for a minute. If my state- ment to Chief Gall is of any value, all right. What I sald s eafe with him. But it would be unprofessional and out- rageous for me to express opinions on the characters of my patients. I have no objection to stating that Mrs. Botkin was suffering from hysterfa and nervous cused woman. | prostration. The prescription which I gave her is one for that trouble, as any | physician will readily recognize.” “‘Hysterical women sometimes talk a great deal, do they not, doctor?” “Yes, but remember this has no bearing upon the condition of Mrs. Botkin. Fur- ther than this I have nothing to say.” The late Dr. Luke Robinson was Mrs. Botkin’s physician for many months, and it is said he probably knew more of her temperament and characteristics than any other man. (%hlf'l Gall and his officers are engaged in making a careful search through the registers kept by the drug stores for poison purchases. The detectives refuse to discuss their da; work. f they can discover Mrs. Botkin's signature or even one which she used as an allas the evi- dence will at once show where the polson was purchased, and also her handwrit- ing about the time she addressed the package of poison. Young Gattrell stated to The Call cor- respondent this afternoon that the more he thought over the event of the strange woman the more he was convinced of the correctness of his statements of yes- terday. When asked if he was sure he could identify her he said he could not tell till he was brought face to face with her. Her appearance might recall some characteristic by which he could make a positive identification. Gattrell says he put the candy in loose, mixing that which she brought to the store and that which he sold her. He says he is reasonably posiuve he can identify the box. Proprietor Kuhn has none of the class of boxes on hand at present which Gat- trell sold to thd strange woman. They were made for him some time last Feb- ruary by Fleishhacker & Co., 520 Market street, Ban Francisco, and he has sent to the firm for a duplicate of the stock in order to assist the officers In their in- { vestigations. His conclusions of the dimensions of the box arrived at, from comparison with another the same size, but of different stock, are as follows: Length 6%, breadth 8%, depth 113-16 inches. he boxes also had a ‘?ecunar lace paper on the inside for folding over the candy, and this will assist in the identification. Beverly Botkin is complefely crushed by the calamity which has come upon his family, and the efforts of his friends to {erluule him to take a hxmeful view of e he situation have been fu charged with the poisoning of Mrs. Dun. ning and Mrs. Deane by means of candy | sent through the mail. The affidavit to secure the papers was sworn to by ex-Congressman Penning- ton, the father of the two polsoned women, and the papers charge Mrs. Bot- kin with murder in the first degree. Before leaving here for Georgetown to- night Attorney General White sald: “We have the murderess and we have evidence that no defense can shatter. Tne only thing we fear is Mrs. Botkin'syse.- destruction.” It is stated here that Detective Witsil and a police matron will g0 West to bring Mrs. Botkin here. The California witnesses will not be summoned to Dela- ware until the trial is called, but their affidavits will be taken at San Francisco. The trial will probably bo called in Oc- ober. \ WILL NOT FIGHT EXTRADITION Attorney George A. Knight Will Defend the Accused Poisoner. Mrs. W. A. Botkin, the suspected pofs- oner, has employed George A. Knight as attorney. Mr. Knight returned from the Republican State Convention yesterday morning and at his office he found a mes- sage from the accused woman, asking him to take charge of her case. He im- mediately dispatched a note to Mrs. Bot- kin, informing her that he would call at the City Prison at the earliest possible moment. Knight is an old friend of Mrs. Botkin's family—the Browns of Ferndale, Humboldt County. The attorney went to the city prison late yesterday afternoon and had a long con- sultation with his fair client. He was ushered into the matron’s room, where Mrs. Botkin is incarcerated, and remained talking with her nearly two hours. After leaving Mrs. Botkin Mr. Knight had a short talk with the prison officials, and asked them to protect the prisoner from interviewers and curious individuals and to frustrate any scheme to secure a state- ment from her by any underhanded trick. A peremptory order was immediately given to the sergeant at the desk, who bosks and assigns prisoners to the several cells, to obey the request of Mr. Knight and not place any other female prisoner who might be arrested in the cell with the alleged murderess. The jailer was also instructed to prevent any outsiders froms | week attending the Republica vention, have not followed the story very closely. However, I am satisfied that the accused woman fs innocent of the charge against her. I have known her family for years, although I never met her until to-day. Her parents live in Ferndale and are highly respected by all who know them. Her three sisters are | all most estimable women. The parents | are_quite well-to-do. “My client has acted wisely in refusing | to grant interviews to reporters, and 1 have advised her to maintain strict si- lence, so far as the newspapers are con- cerned. My reason for silencing my client is based on the presumption that the Delaware authorities have what they consider strong evidence connecting her with the tragedy. Were it otherwise her arrest would not have been ordered. ““Now, I assume it is more than likely Mrs. Botkin will be taken to Dover for trial, and as all the newspapers contain- ing references to this case are sent to the State’'s attorneys it would be unwise for the accused to grant any Interviews. I know, of course, that the newspapers endeavor to be fair and just in these cases, but discrepancies and mistakes will occur and, while not materially af- fecting the result of a trial, they cause a vast deal of trouble. If the papers were full of interviews written by differ- ent reporters, although corresponding in substance, the shading of sentences would involve the accused in an endless cross-examination. The prosecuting at- torney would read the statements, note all inconsistenctes *and- demand an expla- nation from the defendant. The publi- cation of all Mrs. Botkin could say in reference to this terrible double crime would not incriminate her, but to save time, trouble and expense for myself and herself I must forbid any further news- paper interviews. “The laws of Delaware are most string- ent and the methods and practices of the courts diverge wideiy from ours, and ‘when I go back there to defend Mrs. Bot- kin, which I shall probably do, I do not want to become involved in any technical controversies during the trial, if it ever State Con- takes plmcer ““There will be no technical fight at this end. If the requisition papers are all right Mrs. Botkin will consent to return with _the officer to Delaware. We will not begin habeas corpus or any othen proceedings Which will delay the speedy ermination of the case. “Mrs. Botkin hag told the cfm&.lca the story of her life, giving all incidents and details in full. Nothing she has said can be construed into evidence against her.” Attorneys McGowan & Squires of this city will assist Mr. Knight. rs. Botkin's brother-in-law and sister will arrive here to-day m_ Ferndale. "l‘nhax telegraphed to tr{; :or W&lnesgl.y o eV trzln( o - Sher's Somlort Snbil they teschiod they suspected mn‘:hn plenty of o i MRS. BOTKRIN _CONFERS wiTh HER AT TORNEY notoriety that has been brought upon the family. Mrs. McClure returned a few weeks ngo from a visit to her aged par- ents and was met at St. Helena a few days after her return, on August 4, by Mrs. Botkin, who had come from San Francisco, after repeated invitations, to ay her sister a visit. They drove over to Healdsburg on Sunday, August 7, and it was in her sister's home in Healds- burg that Mrs. Botkin first learned through the city papers that she was suspected of being connected with Mrs. Dunning’s death. AR T Lived at Kansas City. KANSAS CITY, Aug. %.—Mrs. Ada Bot- kin, the woman under arrest In San Francisco on the charge of sending a box of pdisoned candy which caused the death of Mrs. J. P. Dunning and her sis- ter, Mrs. J. R. Deane of Dover, Del., lived in Kansas Cltr twelve or fifteen ago. The famjly was prominent in fociat value has been obtained. It is pretty generally conceded by the officers that the package was malled at the general postoffice or at one of the sub-stations. The box of candy is supposed to have been put in the mail about August 3 or 4, about the time Mrs. Botkin left San Francisco for Healdsburg, and had the package been taken up from any of the boxes the carrier would doubtless have some slight recollection of the matter. Officers have visited many of the drug stores in the locality where Mrs. Bot- kin roomed, but were unable to obtain any clews. Dru ts keep a record of the purchases of poison, and thus far, it is sald, no incriminating evidence hhs been discovered. Many of Mrs. Botkin's acquaintances have been ‘questioned by the police as to whether she had inquired as to the effects of on. It is more than probable, though, that the persion ‘who so skillfully planned and executed the horrible murders was cunning enough to n operator on the | { erable mail. s | letter or two would come from Florida | obtain the arsenic from some source that will not soon be easily divulged. In the vicinity of The Victoria, on Cali- | fornia_street, where the accused woman f | resided from the time she left 927 Geary reet until her departure for Healds- | burg, is a drug store. The poison record | kept by the proprietor shows that not a single sale of arsenic has been made since last November. s Anxious About Her Mail. | -Additional light has been thrown om | Mrs. Botkin's private life at The Victoria by Thomas Kida, a well-educated Japan- ! ese domestic, who is a graduate of a San ancisco business college. Speaking of matter last evening he said: Mrs. Botkin lived at The Victoria while I was employed there. She had a small stove in her room, on which she cooked her meals. Frequently she tipped me to run errands. She received consid- Almost every other day a and in these she was particularly inter- ested, and if for any cause they were not received when expected she would send me downstairs to the mail box sev- eral times during the day. Once she told me that the letters were from her cousin who was one of the crew on the battle- ship New York. “In a little room adjoining I frequent- ly found empty whisky bottles. She re- cefved very few visitors, one of whom was a young lady about 25 years old, medium build and of dark complexion. ‘When her son, who was about 14 years old, came to live with her she stopped recelving company. “‘She was absent from the house the latter part of July for two or three days, but between July 28 and August 3 or 4 she was in her rooms every day. “I_am positive that I never saw_any candy or candy boxes or poisonous drugs in her apartments. She was quite talka- tive but never mentioned anything about her husband or acquaintances. To my knowledge she did not make any home- made candy In her rooms, and she never gave me any letters or packages to mail.” Kida is an intelligent Japanese, and readily - told his story in good English. He seemed to entertain a very high re- gard for Mrs. Botkin because, as he said, she frequently gave hlm a quarter for running errands. - IR Besieged by the Curious. Several ineffectual attemipts were mades last ‘evening to see Mrs. Botkin, and as a final resort Chief Lees was appealed to. The Chief positively declined to be a party to forcing any one into her pres- ence, and Captain Seymour, who is in charge of the prison, also turned a deaf ear to all requests of a similar nature. “Attorney Knight,” said the captain, “gave me positive instructions after his interview with Mrs. Botkin that on no ac- count should any one be permitted to see her, and I shall rcifiect is instructions. Some one awoke rs. Botkin about 2 o’clock this morning, demanding to see her, and both she and her husband com- plained bitterly to the Chief and myself about it. It will go hard with any one in the department who permits her to be annoyed by any outsiders.” Clever Detectives at Work. Detective Ed Gibson has done the bulk * of the local work on the Dunning case. He has demonstrated his shrewdness and »bility on many mysterious cases, and is cunsidered one of the best men on the force. Detective Wren, Gibson's partner, another able officer, is also detailed on the case. DSt o Fred Nordholz’ Denial. Fred Nordholz, the clerk in Hadeler's grocery and liquor store on the southeast corner of Gear{ and Larkin streets, says the interview in The Call wherein he is uoted on the Dunning case is a mistake. 'he reporter got his name confounded with another clerk. ‘Want to Hold Primaries. At a meeting of the Democratic Central Committee, held last night, the following resolution was unanimously adopted: Resolved, That it is the sense of this club that primaries be held to determine the con- stitution of the coming municipal convention in the city and county of San Francisco, an that sald primaries be held under the a: of the State Central Committee; and jt is fur- er Resolved, That a committee consisting of R. . Mann, 'J. D. Powers, E. J. Reynolds, T. Carl Spelling, Thiele, Charles ~Keisel, James Heal, Charles McCarthy, W, P. Strad- ley and Charles Holcomb is hereby appointed (to attend upon the new State Centfal Commit- tee at jts first meeting and request_sald com- mittee t0 hold primaries in the manner indi- .cated in this resolution. A committee consisting of Charles Hol- ‘comb, W. P. Stradley, Joseph Leggett, T. E. Tracy, Charles Keisel and John Cur- tis, was 'appointed as delesates to the Silver Republican convention to be held in Los Angeles soon. 5 = e General Fitzhugh Lee tells about Cuba’s political future in next Sun- day’s Call, ~