The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 3, 1898, Page 14

14 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1898. TRAILING IN THE TRACK OF THE DOVER ASSASSIN The Was Purchased at the Lace Handkerchief City of Paris. SEEKING TO TRACE THE POISON Detectives Obtain New Clews, Only to Be Baffled by New Mysteries — Revelations Made to the Grand Jury. The tragic mystery of which Mrs. | these facts and s sufficlently convinced Cordelia Botkin is still the central|of their importance to be almost ready figure is as far from a practical solu- | now to indict the woman for sending tfon as it was when the authorities were | poisoned confections through the maiis. informed that a dreadful crime had | Such an indictment will serve the pur- been conceived in this city. The police | poses of the accused woman’s defend- have now, howev logical and defl- | ers. Mrs. Botkin does not wish to go . basis upon which to build a case. | to Delaware, and her lawyers insist that she cannot be forced to go if she be indicted on any charge of felony in this city. It is evident from these facts that the police have only an indirect case at best against Mrs. Botkin. Unless the almost hopeless obstacles presented by the City of Paris and Hass' candy store are overcome and the purchaser of the ar- nic is found the case against Mrs. Botkin must remain In a most unsatis- factory condition. The Chief of Police has not yet changed his original posi- tion. A most horrifylng murder has been committed and certain suspicious incidents force upon Mrs. Botkin the necessity of an explanation. That ex- or not Whether dence will point the Incriminating evi- s a certainty toward arrest remains to be | the Stockton episode and | ations faded into nothing | authorities were forced to begin | their search for testimony. As | mystery presents itself now the de- know that the candy, which 1 its ram the ives hment of | There is a presumption, nothing more, that the purchase ade early in August, perhaps on third day of the month. Emma | Herber, the girl who sold the candy, not believe that she can identify | who bought it. but she is v and will be given an the police. This covers far as the candy incident portunity ground a the is concerned. | The police have also another baffling clew. It has been discovered that the flend who murdered two innocent wo- s bought the handkerchief at the €ity of Paris. The dainty lace fabric was neatly folded in the box of pois- oned confections. In one corner of it s'a price mark used In this city only v the City of Paris. The records of s establishment show that on Aug- st 4 some one purchased such a hand- kerchief for 25 cents. No one at the store has reason to remember the incl- dent The clew is lost in the maze of a daily routine where hundreds of sales are made and hundreds of people pass in and out without exciting attention or comment. But Mrs. Botkin is very well known at the City of Paris. She went there time after time and made many purchases. Her face was a fa- miliar one to more than one person at the place, but they cannot say that ghe bought the handkerchief. The trail s here and there seems to be no in which it may be found again the seekers. The authorities have drawn from the incident of the purchase, however, a strong hope. The candy and the hand- kerchief were bought in the same neighborhood, as the City of Paris is only two blocks distant from Haas’ candy store. The detectives argue that the poison was also bought in the vieinit thorough inquiry was made v . but nothing was dis- covered. Every down-town druggist 5 closely examined, but not one could recall the sale of arsenic that might -shed light on the case. So 0 P ot \"‘.J"' N N NOTE AND HANDKERCHIEF SENT WITH BONBONS. kerchief to the clerk at the counter where these articles are sold, and it was imme- diately recognized as a duplicate of stock which had been on hand for nearly a | year. The Chief received duplicates and sent'a detective to other drygoods estab- lishments, but no other store in the city had these identical goods. The pricemar! on the handkerchief is almost conclusive evidence that it was bought at the City of Paris. Nearlv all the retail stores in the city use printed pricemarks, which are obtalned from stationery-stores. At the City of Parls, however, the clerks in tre several departments prepare the price- marks with rubber type. These marks are consequently irregularly printed, and the figures are frequently out of alignment, which 18 not the case where they are printed by machinery. The manager of the store and also the clerk in the handkerchief department un- hesitatingly express the opinion that it was bought there by the person who sent the poisoned candy to Mrs. Dunning. But none of the employes of the City o Paris can tell who purchased the hand- kerchief. At tho request of Chief Lees, Manager Rainey of the City of Paris ordered an immediate and systematic investigation, to discover, if possible, the identity of per- sons who had bought handkerchiefs with- in the past sixty days. Cash tags, which are made out in duplicate for every sale, were examined by the bookkeeper, but with no definite result. Since June 1'hun- dreds of handkerchiefs, singly and in lots, have been sold by the six clerks in thaf | her attorneys. ADVERTISEMENTS. Jury Chief Lees made a long and fervid appeal to the jurors to find a bill against Mrs. Botkin, that she might be held a prisoner until evidence strong enough to convict her of the double murder could be secured, In his sfl&(‘(‘n the Chief sol- emnly declared he thought the accused woman was gullty of the diabolical crime with which she is charged, and said that he only needed a short time to procure indubitable testimony which would send her to the gallows. He also informed the jurors that Mrs. Botkin had admitted the authorship of one of the anonymous let- ters which had been sent from San Fran- cisco to Mrs. Lunning. 2 Mrs. Botkin and her attorneys are greatly surprised at the new turn in the case, although the lawyers have repeat- edly’ expressed a desire that their client would be indicted. The statement by Chief Lees that the defendant had ac- knowledged she wrote the anonymous letter is characterized as a deliberate falsehood by the imprisoned woman and Mrs. Botkin emphatically declares that she never wrote one of those letters, and states that she has not admitted to Lees or any one else that they were written by her hand. Mrs. Rauof’s testimony, before the Grand Jury was startling and sensational. She did not actually swear that Mrs. Botkin confessed to her that she sent the arsenic-charged chocolates which killed the two unfortunate sisters, but she strongly intimated that the accused woman made admissions which practical- = 5 e 6B S o v, The strong=st point so far adduced to connect Mrs. Cordelia Botkin with the murder of Mrs. J. P. Dunning and Mrs. J. D. Deane is the remarkable use of quotations, an idiosyncrasy which occurs frequently in her known writings, in the note which accompanied the poisoned candy and in the anonymous letters. This strange characteristic convinced the Grand Jury that she should be indicted and held pending the accumula- tion of evidence with which to convict her, if possible, of the double murder. Beyond these facts the police have very little else in the nature of evi- dence. The case of the prosecution, as it now stands against Mrs. Botkin, may be very briefly summarized. In the first ce-she knew Dunning very well and ed ‘on many occasions the deep- est regard for him. These expressions -were made to her friends and in letters to Dunning. There is no doubt that the woman knew of Dunning's purpose to return to his wife. " In the second place Mrs. Botkin dis- <ed with every evidence of deep in- st the subject of poisons and their effects. This was done a few days be- fore the box of poisoned candy was sent from this city. Mrs. Rauof and Dr. | Stone, the physician who attended Mrs. Botkin at Stockton, heard the discus- slon and noted how particularly the woman talked about arsenic and its effects. In the handwriting of Mrs. Botkin and in that of the anonymous letters and addresses there are certain .peculiarities indicating that the same person wrote all of the epistles and su- perscriptions. The Grand Jury is In possession of planation may be given in a general denial, which the accused woman, over her own signature, has made in The Call. LEES STARTS ON A FRESH CLEW The Handkercnief Bought at the City of Paris. Mrs. Botkin Known at the Store, but None of the Clerks Re- member Her Purchases. Another incomplete link in the Dunning poisoning case was found yesterday by the police. It was learned that the Ifnen handkerchief which was laid on top of the deadly chocolates was purchased at the City of Paris drygoods store. Whether Mrs. Botkin bought the handkerchief is vet to be ascertained. Yesterday morning Chief Lees went to the City of Paris and handed the hand- DQOfififififlfi!DfiflQfiflfiflfififififififlfififififififlfififl BELIEVES SHE SOLD THE CANDY. Iiiss Emma Herber Thinks She Might Have Sold the Confections That Carried Poiscn Across the Continent. Miss Emma Herber, the young lady who has been brought into prom- inence through the fact that she is said to have sold Mrs. Botkin the bonbon box of candy that was con- verted to an unlawful end, is a very much aggravated and annoyed per- son. Since her name has been brought into the case she has been an object of interest to every one who visits Haas' candy store. Newspaper men have tried to interview her, but her solemn promise made to Chief Lees not to talk she intends to obey. She has not yet seen Mrs. Botkin nor does she think she can identify her as the person to whom she sold the candy. “I sell about fifty or more of those boxes a month,” she said, “and it will be difficult for me to identify the lady as having bought# one. ;I will not attempt to do it un- less I am sure of her. I do not care to visit Delaware as a witness and will object to going. “It will be most difficult for me to remember Mrs. Botkin. I wait on so many people daily. The bonbon boxes are fllled with fancy candy and cost 76 cents. We have numerous calls for such packages and very little attention is paid to those who buy.” Pt -3 b= f=3-F-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-F-3-2-3-3-8-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-§-3-5-3-3-3-3-3-3-3"1 foReBoR-R-RoRaFoReRaRaPeRaFoo-ReFagegugaRoRaRegePeyegege ey gey-g-] | pald for no name is on the salesman’s tag. | Whenever a purchase is charged, sent | c.0.d. or delivered there is, of course, an accurate record by which it can be traced. The delivery clerk’s books and the_ books of the firm were rigidly examined, but nothing to indicate that Mrs. Botkin had | bought’ a_2-cent handkerchief was dis- covered. Neither have there been any de liveries to Mrs. Botkin or the Hotel Vie- torfa, where she resided for several | months. Any one of the six clerks In the lace department of the City of Paris might have sold the handkerchief in question, but all declare they would not be able to identify any one who made a purchase from them unless there were some pecu- liar circumstances in connection with the sale, or the customer attracted special at- tention by strange demeanor. Mr. Hack- ett, W. Johansen, V. Kehrlein, George A. Rice and Miss L. Gorman are the clerks who wait on customers in the lace de- partment. They are all very positive tney could not identify the person or persons they walted upon a month ago. Mrs. | Botlun is not known to any of these clerks and they do not remember selling a handkerchie! to a woman of her de- scription. Each clerk has sold from four | to six single two-bit handkerchiefs since June 1, but they cannot recall a single Individual customer who made the pur- chase. Mrs, Rcthin was a frequent customer at tne City of Paris, and she visited the store almcest daily. Two floorwalkers and cierke remember her very dis- Some time ago a young man cyed at the store was very friendl her and she called to see him of- wit] tener than the proprietors thought neces- sary and the young man was discharged. The employes who knew the accused woman say that she always came to the store alone, and they do not remember geeing her h another lady. Chief Lees had men out scouring the city for a lady who was belleved to have accompanied Mrs. Botkin on a shopping tour late in July. The Chief heard a rumor that the imprisoned woman had visited the City of Paris at the time men- tioned, and that she was accompanied by a lady of Mrs. Seeley’s appearance. It was also reported that Mrs. Botkin purchased a handkerchief on that occasion. This strange woman has not been found. MRS. BOTKIN IS TO BE INDICTED Quotation Marks Are Used Against Her. An Alleged Similarity in Dots Ap- pearing in Her Known Writing and the Anonymous Letters. The secret proccedings of the Grand Jury in the Botkin case came to light yes- terday, and it is given out as a certainty that the alleged poisoner will be indicted under section 2347 of the Penal Code. The indictment will be granted on the state- ment made to the jury by Chief of Police Lees, the testimony of Mrs. Raouf and a remarkable characteristic which was found in the anonymous letters sent to Mrs. Dunning and the chirography of Cordelia Botkin. In presenting’ the case to the Grand department, and when the purchase was | ly amounted to an ' acknowledgment of glult. These admissi were made while Mrs. Botkin was under an intense nervous strain and suffering from hys- teria. The nurse then told of Mrs. Bot- kin's pointed inquiries of Dr. T. W. Stone as to the effect of arsenic and what quan- tity of the mineral poison was necessary to produce death. According to Mrs. Rauof, the accused woman’s questions re- garding arsenic were made in a jocular vein, and she intimated jokingly that she might commit suicide. This evidence made A strong impression on the grand jurors, and when Chief Lees B.ddafi that Dr. Stone would substantiate Mrs. Rauof's as- sertions the effect was instantaneous and marked. The turning point, however, in the cas: against Mrs. Botkin, notwithstanding lhg moral effect of Mrs. Rauof's statements @nd Chief Lees’ speech, is a peculiar idiosyncrasy which appears in the anonymous letter, the note inclosed in the box of candy and the known handwrit- ing of Mrs. Botkin. This characteristic is the use of quotation marks. “Lhe sig- nature to the note “With love to yourself and baby” is Mrs. C., and the Initial is ;leur(tl!eg, tv;‘;nhl 'i‘glo dot; uboved and to the « e letter and two dots beneath the final stroke. e Mrs. Botkin was very quotations in her letters, and she fno variably used the old German method of indicating the words of another. ‘When the attention of the jurors was called to this remarkable coincidence in the hand- writing exhibits they became intensely interested in the writing and made a rigid analytical examination of all the writings at hand. Very few J)eople use auotations in this manner, and the fact that Mrs, Botkin has this remarkable character- istic, which is also found in the note and anonymous letters, convinced the jurors fil“lhsf"' is h:.’somahw:;lyhconnecte( with ¢ helnous crime which has sta; whole continent. S Another strange element In this remark- able case s the great difference belw:e{n the writing on the note and the super- seription on the wrapper which inclosed the bonbon box. ocal _experts have carefully examined the published repro- ductions of these writings and they ex- gress the opinion that thefi were written v different persons. If this is the case the poisoner efther had an accomplice or used a friend, who unwittingly contrib- uted to the death of Mrs. Dunning and Mrs. Deane. It is barely possible that the erson who directed the box has been ound by the police. Chlef Lees is known to have statements in connection with the case which he refuses to give to the newspapers or even give the names of the arties who made them. His objoct in eeping these things hidden is known only to himself, and like all his official acts passeth all understanding. —_—— THE POLICE GROPING FOR EVIDENCE fond of using Examining the Ink of Mps, Botkin’s Letters. Chief Lees put in the better part of the morning with Kytka, the department photographer and expert, who is prepar- ing bromlde enlargements of all of the documentary evidence that has ween gathered in for the Botkin case. The anonymous letters, the paper in which the box was wrapped and the specimens of Mrs, Botkin's script are now in shape A 1 to introduce as evidence at the prelim- inary hearing in Police Judge Joachim- sen’s court on Wednesday next. | The Chief has also been having a chem- | ical analysis made of the inks used In| the different writings for the purpose of | discovering whether or not Mrs. Botkin's | letters were written in the same brand | of ink that the writer of the anonymous | letters and the director of the polsoned | candy used. Detectives McVey, Gibson, Wren and | afternoon concert 2 to 5 to-day Dinan spent the day Inspecting the poison sales lists of the different drug stores for a clew to the person who bought the ar- senic that took Mrs. Dunning’s lite. They have not yet finished with their quiry. Mrs. Botkin spent a da" of nervous un- rest. The maudlin howls of a drunken female lodger in a cell across the cor- ridor from the matron's quarters had driven away her sleep in_the night and this lack of rest, coupled with the ef- fects of her recent luness, have left her in a distressing condition. Her sister, Miss Dora Brown, of late spends nearly all of the da¥‘ with the accused woman. Chief Lees has had prepared copies of all of the prosecution’s exhibits of evi- dence bearing on the case, and these, With a transcript of the evidence so far in hand, will be expressed to the Attor- ney General of Delaware. Mrs. Botkin's Sunday will be spent in the company of her son, Beverly Botkin, who will arrive this morning from Stock- ton on the steamer T. C. Walker. Her | husband, W. A. Botkin, is expected to arrive this afternoon on his regular weekly visit. Chief Lees has given rigid injunction to all of the witnesses of the prosecution to say nothing whatever to newspaper men of whatever information they may have concerning the case. This pressure has been screwed down hard on Candyman Haas, and he has Instructed the b of damsels who h. no interviews. The nyproach of a news- pusmr man is_signal for a general stam- pede to the basement. Mr. Haas posi- Uvely declines to give out any and all in- formation without first having permission to do so from the Chief. — Lees’ Ostrich-Like Caution. Chief Lees is carefully guarding fromin- spection, a_letter written at Healdsburg by Mrs. Cordelia Botkin to Mrs. Price, proprietress of the Hotel Victorla at Hyde and California streets. ' The reason that the Chief assigns for this absurd se- crecy is that the letter contains matter of the utmost importance, and that Mrs. Price has asked him to not give it pub- licity through the newspapers. In an in- terview yesterday Mrs. Price talked | freely of the letter, and sald that it was simply a request that all of Mrs. Bot- Kin's mall be forwarded to her at Healds- urg. @ METHODISTS IN CONFERENCE. | Second Day’s Session of the German | Members of the Denomination Yesterday. | The second day’'s session of the Cali-| fornia Conference of the German Metho- dist Episcopal Church was held yester- day in St. Paul's German Methodist Epis- copal Church on Broadway, between Stockton and Powell streets. Rev. G. J. | Schultz opened the day's proceedings with prayer. Bishop Jokn Fletcher | Hurst occupied the chair. set of the meeting he appointed Rever-| ends F. Bonn, W. C. Schmitzler and E. | H. Baab a committee to draw up suitable resolutions which would express the sent- | iments of the conference on the “state of | the country.” Rev. Otto Wilke and Rev. | R. Steinbach were appointed a committee | on resolutions. Acting on a resolution adopted on the first day those in attend- ance paid over to the treasurer of the ewards, Rev. F. Meyer, one- t of their salary for the spe- fund The following ministerjal visitors were introduced and addressed the conference: Dr. 8. D. Simonds, Dr. J. A. B. Wilson and Dr. Bovard. It was decided that the next meeting of the conference be held in the First Church of Los Angeles. The committee on Freedmen’s Ald Socletyread its report, which was adopted. The report on_home missions was also read and adopted with the amendment that the conference col lection of 1897 be credited to St. John's Church It was unanimously agreed that equal lay representation be permitted In future | meetings of the conference. igoumxng Rev. L. Kroech was elected to ead in prayer at this morning’s session. Bishop Hurst delivered an interesting address on ‘“Higher Rducation” last night. The church was crowded and the learned divine was attentively listened to. ——— e OPPOSED TO CIVIL SERVICE. Before aa- Lively Session of a Conference Com- posed of Members of Various G. A. R. Leagues. Representatives from the Union Veter- ans’ Patriotic League of California, Ger- field League, Harrison Camp, Army and Navy Republican Veterans' League ac- cepted the invitation issued by the Anti- Civil Service League to attend a confer- ence at 405 Montgomery street last night, and a spirited session resulted. James J. Moore of the Union Veterans' Patriotic League was elected chairman, and J. 8. Ramsay, a representative of the Anti- Ctvil Service League, secretary. In opening the meeting the chairman stated it was the purpose of the confer- ence to solidify the organization and dis- seminate the principles of the league throughout the State. A lvely discussion then ensued, after which a committee of two from eachorgan- izatlon represented was appointed to con- stitute a campaign committee, the mem- bers to be selected by the chairman by the next meeting. A nominating convention will be heid in the near future. It will V= composed of delegates selected by the different organi- zations In the conference and those who desire to affillate. A resolution was introduced by Mr. Schubert that the conference indorse the entire ticket nominated by the recent Re- publican State Convention. This pro- voked a spirited and animated discussion, and the wisdom of such action without having the nominees declare themselves on the civil service matter was severely questioned. A number of members were in favor of the candidates being requested to appear and address the conference. It was decided to lay the matter over to the next meeting. —_———— The famous old JESSE MOORE WHISKY is recommended by physiclans for family and medicinal use becave it s pure. —_———— ‘WOODMEN ADJOURN. They Tender a Special Vote of Thanks to The San Francisco Call. The work of the Head Camp of the ‘Woodmen of the World was closed at & o’clock yesterday afternoon. There were during the day a number of amendments to the constitution, the prin- cipal one being that the committee on laws shall meet in the city where the Head Camp be in session three days be- fore the session and arrange all amend- ments that may be proposed. The Head Camp officers were installed by Sovereign Commander Root. A special vote of thanks was tendered the San Francisco Call for its reports of the sessions _and entertainments gotten ugrlor the officers and delegates. he citizens of San Francisco were complimented for their uniform courtesy to officers and delegates and the reception committee was given a vote of thanks for the manner in which it had entertained every one connected with the Head Camp, and a special vote was given to Golden Gate, Redwood and Oakland camps for courtesies. ¥ The cam; Salt Lake —_————— “Australia’s Greatest Kan, Drive of the Year,’” in next Sun- day’s Call, then adjourned to meet P 1500, t in in- | andle his wares to grant | At the out-| ‘Darktown Parade’ , *In the New Home'. (Introducing ‘‘Home, Sweet Home || 3 Overture, ‘“Stradella” = |} 4 Trombore solo,” “Love's Gid" Sweet | Song” . A ~Molloy | Soloist, N Klotz. Selection, *'Ernani 5. (Introducing popular airs vorite opera.) 6. Medley, ‘‘College Songs (Introducing *‘Farewell, y Love,” ‘‘Litoria,” ‘‘Funiculi and Funi- ‘The Bulldog,” *‘Bingo,” cula,’” bambuli,”” “Good-night, Ladies, many other well-known college songs. pruning time saving they made when they bought at end-of-the-week prices dallas sheeting 9-4 width, for double beds, bleached, good quallty. cretonne 5c yard| 24 inches wide, fine twill fabric for comforters, coverings and draperies. towels 9 each Huckaback, 19x40 inches, all linen, guaranteed, fringed colored borders. spreads White crochet, large size, hemmed, ready for use. $3.50 reefers For children, in naval and military blues and reds, all-wool Kerseys, nicely trimmed, epaulettes on shoul- ders, finished seams all through, ages 4, 6 and 8 years; closing them out. | blouses Our entire line of Children's Russlan Blouses, all wool, navy, red and latest military blue, trimmed in gold and black, finished seams, sizes 4 to 12 years. boys' hose 19 pair Of black cotton, extra-heavy Maco yarn, corduroy and narrow ribbed, | double knees, heels and toes, sizes 6 to 10. children’s hose »ncy Cotton Hose, black ground, vl:th Yo colored tancy stripes, spliced heels and toes, sizes 5 to 9; regular value 86c. | program by Bruck’s famous Boston Elite Orchestra. is nearly over. a smaller one, but a better - one: with pruned stocks; and the pruned tree is kept healthy—the pruned stock is kept clean. shrink from losing money at the right time, for the money is ot really-lost. The merchant loses it, truly, but his customers find it, and remémber the (great crockery sale on in basement.) 135¢ yard | pique glove fite Jouvin glove 40c each|new meckwear $6.60 | mew veilings 037-039-941-043-945-047 Market Street. Saiprdgy, is.éptemb'e 7. Solo for horn, - *“Voice of Lov ann Soloist, Mr: Eugene_ Keller. 8. Selection, ‘Journey ~Through Af- rica” . Covennieesvesieesin s ASIDDE: 9. Descriptive plece, “Charge on the Hussars™ Spindler €A realistic martial composition.) 10. Waltz, “Vienna Temper” 1. *“Mexican Patrol” 12. March, “‘Annivérsary “Star-spangled Bannér. You know the pruned:tree is So it is The healthy store: does not the pruned prices—clean-up prices. for thoroughly dependable “come-for-some-more” ~ goods, $1.00 pair Another shipment -6f our well-known Ladies' 2-clasp Pique Walking Glove, in 12 late colors, sizes 5% tG' 73%. $150 pair The Great French Kid: Glove, 3-clasp, with 3-row embroldered backs in two- tone and plain colors, the latest fancy shades, 5% to 7; staple colors, 6% to T 3150 With the return of our fancy goods buyer all the noveltics are being opened up. The ‘‘Admiral,” one of the newest creations in ladies’ fronts; made of Japanese silk, trimmed ‘with butter-colored Valeneiennes iace, ‘and has the four-in-hand’ ends. colors, cream, black, pink, blue, yeliow, -car- dinal and lavender. T5¢c. yard The “Hobson,” . in silk - Bra with silk-embroidered spots decidedly new and extremelyrich colors, black on cream, with cream with * black edge, edge, black on and black. cream, Other Silk-edge ings. :.25¢ yard trimmings, new 35c yard One of the most striking garnitures of the new arrivals is the narrow, colored silk applique trimming; the avtumnal tints are so delicate, and upon cream, white and other light colors this particular finish is hand- some. NEW COMEDY THEATER OPENS, | ACrowded House Greets “The Leading Man.” |IT IS A LAUGHABLE COMEDY‘E‘ | THE REMODELED THEATER IS g VERY PRETTY. A Cordial Reception of the First Pro- duction, Recalls and Flowers Galore and Everybody Happy- The New Comedy Theater, bright and handsome as a new Easter bonnet, opened its doors to the public last night under conditions that made glad the hearts of Managers Leavitt and Ellinghouse and | thoroughly pleased a fashionable and critical audience. The alterations and improvements are so complete that the old-time patrons of the former famous Bush-street Theater could hardly realize it. Everything is up to date, uniformed ushers, cozy retiring rooms for ladies and gentlemen and all things in the way of comforts that could be expected. In addition to this the curtain went up promptly and the play was produced without a hitch. “The Leading Man,” as presented by the Pacheco comedy company, is an original and decidedly amusing comedy in four acts from the pen of Mrs. Romualdo Pacheco. The story revolves around the compulsory exchange of names between a_ wealthy young Callfornian, Robert Fletcher, who stutters dreadfully, and Frederick Maitland, a prominent ‘actor. The scenes are lald in two country houses | in Westchester County, New York, and the embarrassing and laughuble situa- tions growing out of the efforts of the two men and thelr intimate friends to maintain the deception create the major portion of the fun. The comedy part IS eatly assisted by the introduction of a gzctor, who is a crank on the subject of the curatlve powers of electricity, which eventually heals the man with the im- pediment in his speech. In the second act the leading man, Brigham Royce, is af- forded an opportunity to thrash a bully- ing prize-fighter and put him out with | Fitzsimmons’ pet blow, and the last act ends with a fast, furious and funny solu- tion of the somewhat complicated puzzle. Mr. Royce, as leading man, had a con- genial part and played it well, making a_very favorable first impression which will no doubt be maintained. He has & good stage presence and, above ali, s natural The hit of the evening fell to George S. Probert as the effeminate and stutter- ing young Callfornia millionaire. Thve part is a 5m’cul'. one, but was most clev- erly handled and won for the young man unstinted apbroval. He has the right Kind of stuff in him to become a favorite comedian among__San Francisco pla?-' goers. Thomas M. Hunter, as the Jq:‘) scheming husband with a young W 2 who he Is disciplining, has a part thai is suited to him and plays it satisfac- torily. Miss Hattie Schell, in the char- acter of a spirited and charming young 1ady in love with the masquerading lead- ing man, was deservedly well received and made friends with her auditors at once. Miss Carina Jordan, In the trylns role of the unwillingly deceitful wife, di not make of the part all that it s capa- ble of. Less effort in the matter of fa- clal expression would be an improve- ment. Stewart Allen, as a deserted and dis- nuedr husband; Harry St. Maur, as the doctor with a fad; James Willard, as | clothes and wore -a suited to thelr respective parts. Tho minor characters were also properly pre- sented. “The Leading Man” and hearty reception, s given a w curtain call flowers being plentiful. The play deserves and doubtless . and the new for public -favor, AN OLD LADY - MISSING. Sudden Disappearance of Mrs. Abbie M. Bettles—Police Unable to Locate Her. Mrs. Abble M. Bettles, an elierly la left the home of Willlam W. Deamer Broderick street, on ‘- Tuesdiy mornir last and no trace of her has yet ‘bhée found. Th . had ‘been: tn bealth, n. of, “Mr: Deamer went out for a short: v on the c Whether s or became lost has. not .yet ‘beer ered, although: the: police searching for her., .Whe left home she. w: colored border. of stature and During the T made her home W no time has she derangeme She notif the v -evening, -and :sin then has s trers: . a throughout the surroundin hope of findin he without suce lady’'s age at — e —— CLAIMS UNDUE INFLUENCE. Mrs. Bridge: McDermott of Chicigo Contests Her Granddaughter’s WAL - Mrs. Bridgét McDérmott .of vesterday “filed -a cont to the: her granddaughter, M ret Taylor, who died. in this cit¥ Miss Taylor ileft 1 the bulk of: will, by prafsed friend: york, M 1 8. Tucker of this cit aileges that her granddaughter wa riously ill at-the time' thé .instrumen was exccuted and was weak in body.and Tind from the excessive use of drugs While in this condition”Mrs. MeDermott alleges that she was_influenced by- Tuc- fer ‘and Miss Demming to_such. an..ex- font as to cause her to almost distnherit her nearest relative, the contéstant. —_—————— The Alhambra Opens To-Night. To-night will witnéss' the Gpening of:the Alhambra Theater with what is' claimsd by the management to bé thé biggest ad to vance sale ever .- known . vaudeville theater in this country. house is all sold out, and even Managér de Kannet had to give up. his own priv- ate box. Applications sufficient_to -fill .a house of four times its. dimensions :are said to have been recefve: : Miss Edith Hall, comic opera sotibrette; has accepted an engagement ‘at thi :Al- hambra and will be another attraction of the opening programme. - & . Mr.’ and rs. Sydney Drew,Corinné and Del Puente are all- here, . taking & little rest at their respective hotels,: and express themselves confident that :the: &l- hanibra will be an instant and lasting success. - Del Puente will be the’ fitst - nisrmber on the programme, so'it-would be wise for the lovers of mus 1 hear one of the greatest bar has ever appeared in reach the theater before 8: tain hour. to -as thé cur- will be rung up promptly at ‘that’ —_———— The Howards’ Picnic. B The popular Howards ‘Club, composed of some of the elite of theé Mission, wilF hold its ninth annual picnic. to-morrow": ‘at Harbor View. There will be'a full brass band in attendance and a pleasant time is anticipated. & S ——— 3 After five years of Successful business the firm of Mohns & Kaltenbach, proprie- tors of the Atlas wine vaults, 23. Market- street, have set apart to-day as an.annj- wversary, and have issued to their fiiends the pugilist, and Kate Vanderhoff, as the ado) n§’ wife of the electriclan, were well and their friends’ friends an invitation to be present and enjoy their hospitality,. - ¥ !