The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 14, 1900, Page 31

b - + B - + + - - = B RSSEER DSOS OOOPPUOUTR The G444 4444410000440 000004 ° Pages 31 10 40 R aaaasi s S e e e e aaadd ] SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14, LABOR BUREAU COLLECTOR TIRES OF LIFE AND SENDS BULLET INTO HIS BRAIN William Blechdon Found in His Bed at-the Winchester Hotel, a Pistol Beside Him, With Which He Had TO BUY SCHOOL BOOKS IN OPEN MARKET. FATHER YORKE ON THE 2 Inflicte d a Probably Fatal Wound. ucati parently dead body lying on the bed with the head resting in a pool of blood. On the floor near the bed was an old-fash- foned pistol, two chambers of which were | empty. | | shock she summcned assistance, and Po- | | liceman J. H. Tyrell had the unconsclous | | man sent to the Receiving H he was treated by Dr. Dra who at once pronounced the wound fatal. All last | night Blechdon remained unconscious, an his death 1s only a question of time. 8o far as is known the unfortunate man has no relatives in this city, and he makes no mention of any in his farewell letter. | Blechdon was formerly a collector for a | labor bureau, but when the director, Guy | Lathrop, w abroad, he stepped into the absentee’s For three months Lathrop rer , and during that ned a | time Blechdon enjoyed absolute control. ! | Lathrop returned a few davs age and | Blechdon w 1d ve had to resign his | | temporary and re me his for- mer dutles. | Biechdon's wound is over the right tem- | | ple. The bulict penetrated the brain three inches. Curic ¥ there are no powder burns about the wound, although | | the pistol must have been fired at close | | range, t the act was premeditated is shown the farewell note addre Blech- don to Lathrop, dz which is as follows inchester Hotel fend Guy: Wh i Oct aches you I shall 1, be. 1 am in owing bills EPUIY’S St onal Commis- D sion ProposesNew “p L aw profe presidents of RIEST IN POLITICS.” ecture for the Benefit of the Im- vement Fund of St. Peter’s ssaulte i cook at the Ahlborn House, ! 00k Parish. r the benefit of the im- Peter's Parish will p ct of the in Pol seats. parochial h street, and aiso Sixth_street; D. J. Ke Dawson's Valencia: armacy, Twenty mate’s Pharma ell at Football. f Mechanical Arts the defeat it suf- he Lowell High by taking the to the tune of 16 ng on the gridiron at som streets. A large #chool attend- > welkin ring agement and its own way. who upheld the colors om eac simply plowed through the | ation. i RS IS d by the First Cook. , who up to last night appeared at the Receiv to hase a broken nose re- ns quit work and presented he first_cook for his 0. K. instead of affixing his ini- broke \\'llkinl'nlfo-. with § “IDAL 2 HAD HELD S £ 8483 du R OF INTENT ME MONTHS, losed the boys my make a good nd the bureau unhappy "HDON count for for whom he , and in whom rity his ap- | iLL B { RIGHTS W Webster’'s Attorney Is to Begin Pro- ceedings. Acgs _delezate cert pow- to his deputy. The board, fe to get th in At . as he is guided wh rangely silent it at issue. It therefore ex- favorable verdict and a conse- for Webster. will in a fe ays be pre- suit to determine the right to represent me before the said Superintend I expect a dec ontention ina: t has already atters of education residence. from f the of the Political v the State Super- 1t County Superin- right under the law to and under the law a arge duty devolving pon his principal, s, of course, r sponsible for his acts. Attorney Gen- eral s further and holds that Deputy s of public schools of the the WEBSTER TO CITE BOARD. Wants to Know Why Kingsbury Was | Ignored. county m at a meeting of the Board of o o f Schools Webster will | B Education in the absence of the is of his attorney | Superinten n regard to the mat- | 4 ol AT he soundness of senting him at the-| claims county boards ation. The | only boards. This differ- s use why it | €n merely ~ technical in Kings- mbiguous terms of the charter are e mor« v to be submitted to the City At- Chairman Mark requested that spinion v ay as to whether janitors of the School Department are ol of the Board of Educa- of Public Works, The lat- control of the janitors of officiz the N ter board questions except those | public buildings, but the difectors are etary liabilit is involved. ;hv»prfiv! L lhouses do not enter vna and_ why _the | into The large patronage the decision of the State |involye ement of the question 1, who holds t u- | explains their hopefulness. Will T-1l Why He Opposes Bryan, THE CULINARY ART Though Still a Democrat !Cooking School Opened by Mrs. M. bon win R (e | Ehepherd Has Already Many s Pupils. ridge, who spoke t § Aera- Desio The Children’s Cooking School was e Dhembet pened last n at 042 Harrison stre 18 opposed to Bryanjsm | under : piclous circumstancy N ™ | The ch assembled at the schooi for McKinley and | ¢hortly after 8 o'clock and were treated | 10 a splendid impromptu concert. The | main hall was beautifully decorated for | the occasion with cut flowers and the ay night | ceiling was hung with many colored Japanese lanterns. Mrs. Maryland Shep- d zht, will start on_a second who has worked so hard to maka k, be E the s . had arranged every- night.” He will thing to ma dren happy and at co at Metropolitan the close of the progrumme gave the ijt- ight.. October 22, 1le tots sumpt supper. Among 2T Th sl i se who '\qi'fi“ i:]rlre l{lll‘lsl(-%lh pro- e were Miss Cralg, Miss S| Grand Patron Honor i "Mre, Taylor. o g G Chapter No. 1, er of the | On next Monday afternoon the school stern tendersd ption last | Will be formally “opeied and the firet e y Gate Hail <o arast | cooking _lesson &iv There are over thirty children who have registered and expressed the wish to_become proficient in the culinary art. They will also be instructed in 2l general housework, so that when they become older they can Patron G. L. rling on the eve of his retiring from oftic There were several | hundred members present, who were en- tertained with an interesting programme | 2 ® as domestic servant of musical and literary gumbers, after | Secure ~positions as i which Florin L. Jones, the patron, on | "IhCUt any difficul behalf of the chapter, presented the nd patron with a diamond set gold jewel of his rank. The evening closed with danc- | ing under direction of Mrs. Ada R. Dun- | can and the matron, patron and past ma- | trons and patrons, who composed the | | committe inmen Death of David C. Smith. David C. Smith, superintendent of sta- tion C postoffice, at Twentieth and Mis- slon streets, died yesterday at his resi- dence, 2030 Mission street. Deceased was well known in the Mission. having been connected witdh the late William Center in the drygoods business in that section for many years. Mr. Smith was a prominent Mason and a member of the Royal Arch Olson Called on the Lady. Alfred Olson, a cooper and a married man, started to call on a lady acquaint- | degree. He leaves a widow. | ance on Perry street, between Fourth | and Fifth, last night. He was met Mowry Hall Meeting Postponed. | on the sidewalk in front of the house by Julius Oppenheimer, who smote him three | heavy blows on the head. Olson was re- moved to the Receiving Hospital, where three abrased wounds on the scalp were treated by Dr. Dray. Oppenheimer was arrested by Policemen D. C, h: Sohn Shinkwin and charged s, 2nd sault with a deadly weapon, The Democratic meeting at Mowry Hall for next Tuesday night has been post- poned a week. as it has been found that J. H. Henry, candidate for Congress from the Fifth District, could not be present. The County Committee will devote its en- ergy to the success of the meeting of the Thirty-second District Democrats at 530 Third street on that night. As soon as the girl recovered from the | ital, where | E DETERMINED to municipal ) &rante ALL BENEFITS . hBANDONED BY THE PLAINTIF Stratton Files Report on Paraffine Paint Com- pany Cases. | S & | Criticizes Judge Belcher for His Methods of Trying the Suits and Extols Harbor Com- | missioners. | | At roey Stratton has filed a com- munication with the State Beard of Har- | bor Commission ning the final | terr@nation of pre and the aban- | donment by the plaintiffs of all benefits under the ns ded down by | Judge Belcher in the case of the Paraffine Paint Com against the commission. and that of Samuel C. Irving against the | same body. Mr. Stratton’s communica- | tion has been filed that “justice may be done” the members who composed the | board at the time the actions referred to were instituted and tri Mr. Stratton, in his communication, takes advantage of the opportunity to deliver undisguised thrusts Judge Belcher. The manner in which that t tried the sailed, and the virtues of the comm extolled. In the enda Mr. Stratton that the pre board, by resolution, cts done pro the by him pursuant to | their authorfty Whether or not the com- munication be ¢ dered pertion of the "ac fe to, Mr. Stratton refrains from asserting. D i rate. "Hled 1 Detembar, One was ed to enjoin the rd from s further for b tment of plles designed for whar dock pur- ., and the second brought to 1 ‘the board to enter into a con tract with the ! int Company, | glving it the & t the Gre street wharf and the exclusive Mght to treat with its preservative pr n Rranct fod of one year. went on_uninte; 24 to March ourt filled an opin- ntiff in both cases fter setting forth cted wid lic ven s ke ifrs or re nited nur ead attention, the press o n of the Iy any ut show- ancy, was such as fon on my witk ing its to pre ympete the ki r ca arked by the in that testime and s ary in its nature 1 to be introduced without con- | necting the same with the Board of State ¥ | bor 4 without showing its Commissioner relevancy o { of ultima ants. TH pressed expectation with' the defend- of evidence and of the Jlated. The defendants the right such irrelevant ani At festimoby” I hereatter it was n. ! show t- malterial, or bave conmection with the Harbor Commissioners. » This procedure was adopted throughout thi v th to strike out all trial, at which persons who had merely second. {:2ry knowledge were permitted to ve such | hearsay testimony, and books not kept by the Harbor Commissioners were brought Into court I‘and introduced evidence against the mem- | bers composing the board Attorney Stratton. continuing, says he made due n to strike out, but not until_just before the filing of the opinion Continuing, the could he get attorney says: Throughout this long trial nothing was pre- sented reflecting upon rd. and the chal- lenge was made te produce a lins of comy evidence which would in any way Impugn the me ves of the Commis t then, and still feel . two cases were one | be justified under either the the hearing, or any law court I at cnee notified the board of these opint a0 asked authority to forthwith appeal the Supreme Court. This authority by resolution, duly given and entered of record. Meanwhile. er, both court and counsel fafled fo enter any decis in these cases. There were merely opinions on file, but no decisions in the sense that the term is employed in the code. 3 The board desired to appeal the cases, and I could mot do €o until decisions were made ot joners. that could nct ts brought out resented to the a cakes t record. Finally, upon my written request, the clerk, althoush no findings had been filed, en- tered judgments In favor of the plaintiffs in This was done o that T coul peal the cases to the Supreme Court. The trial Judge, however, immediately set aside these declisions as unauthorized, and thus th were hung up. Mr. Stratton sets forth the facts of his filing petitions for writs of mandate to compel Judge Belcher to enter declsions. The decisions were ordered entered, the last one being recorded November 8. Ap- peals were then taken to the. Supreme Court and bills of exception were served upon opposing counsel. Mr. continues: I @0 not hesitate to state that the trinl Jullge has manifested impatience and objection that the defendants should seek to appeal from his decisions, and has stated from the bench that both case:. ap- the qu were “he board . 1898, court’ 3 Green- reasen that the nec f work was imperative and public conveni- ence could n y d It becam st to my was a decided opposition to having the Su- preme Court pass upon these cases, with the knowledge on the part of all concerne it, that reversals would |nevitab on . and after much s might be ed and ended, T received a written com- fcation from the attorneys for plaintiffs embodying prier verbal sugeestions and offeri to enter satisfac- and further scttlement of the bill of ex- ceptions which 1 had prepared, provided that the appeals and motions for new trial should be dlsmissed. In other words, the plaintiffs fered to relingmish all of the bemefits whic | they had securcd by these long trials, other than the construction of Green-street wharf, and by the decisions entered in their favor, | upon condt that the appeals to the Sul | preme Court we L Upon receipt ough T had determined personally that the Supreme Court ! must pass upan the correctness cher's decision: to fecl that it for the board t of Judge Bel- still I could not bring myself & my duty as special counsel put the State to the expense | of further litigation, in view of the fact that | oppesing counsel would stipulate to forego all «f the benefits of the judgments and to forego | the benefits of the trials. And particularly did T feel this way since such decisions could not be quoted as binding authorities on the powers of the board. In both cases judgments for costs were en- tered in favor of the plaintiff, and these were offered to be relinquished and satisfled with- cut any payment whatever by the board. T presented this letter to you and submitted the same to your attorney, ex-Governor Budd, with the result that it was decided that if the plaintiffe would in these cases relinquish all Fights under thelr judgments and waive ail | costs which they hed expended. and would fur- trer have settled the true biils of exception, then the appeals to the Supreme Court might be dismissed. Delta Chi Fraternity. The Delta Chi Fraternity on Thursd; night entertained its friends with a tr ley ride, followed by a dinner. Those who attended were: Mesdames Grace Horner, Estella_Acres, Alice Bremer, Jennie Bell, Lizzle Belirude, Ed®h Woodrum, Maud Hart, Miss Wheeler, Lena Belirude, Miss Kelly, Miss McDonald, Miss Lehman, Miss Smith, Dave Harris, Samuel Hammond, ‘Willlam Mentz, Thomas Meighon, Ray- mond Hurley, Morton Hart, Stanley Over- This Gonsgt, Mr. Hataet, Gregors Rogoss and Mr, Emerson. - exceptions to | ourt | “nt| “The shooting is the climax of the un- | that the decisions | Stratton | mind that there | WOMAN DRI | | 1 HUSBAN VES HER FORMER D FROM HER HOUSE WITH BULLET IN SHOULDER 'Mrs. Grace Clark Takes Desperate Steps to Prevent Her i \ | Children From Passing From Her Custody Into Hands of Their Father's’ Relatives. mind. No bullet marks or signs or blood ' | were found on the Noe street pre | and no eviden hat a crime had re been committed seemed to exi Fin Mrs. Clark prod the w n, from which ome cartri ad recently been discharged. Then some of the neighbors admitted that t b heard what might have been a pistol . stated tallied with t confessed sh began to lend Clark was the Justice and locke the police contir What puzzle abouts of the mysteriously been hit was sence of bullet where the won him. Captain Graham and they finally the Waldeck sanatorium mad: Clark's presen | | LMER F. CLARK, an advertis- ing agent, was shot but not serl- ously _wounded- by his former wife, Grace Ciark, in the latter's home at 445 Noe street yesterday afternoon. Clark had gone to the house to take his oldest child away from its mother. The frenzied woman ordered him not to cross the threshold of the house, but he refused to heed the wa ing and was stopped by a bullet. Clark then gave herseli up to the police | and told them what shc had don Her former husband, carrying the leaden pellet in his bod zled the officers for some time. He was finally located in the Waldeck Sana- torium, where he had gone to have his wound attended to. happy married life of the couple, their divorce and the struggle of the woman to provide for her chilaren and keep them with her. 4 Clark marrled Miss Grace Davidson over elght s ago and two children were the result of the union. Albert, the oldest boy, was born seven years ago and Harold two vears late hortly after the birth of the youngest boy the seed of discord was sown in what had once been a happy household. The infelicity grew until two vears ago the couple | separated and have not lived toget | since. Proceedings for divorce were | brought and an annuliment of the ma riage granted. The question of allmon had been considered and, according to the woman's relati Clark had been or- dered to payv a month for the main- tenancé of his former wife and the children. £ Mrs. Clark says that Clark failed to comply with thc mandates of the court and that she_seldom received any money from him. She worked hard to support herself and babies 4nd guarded them jealously. Through all the court pro- ceedings the old fire of strife between man and wife never died out and it on burned with more fury when Clark made known his Intentions” of taking one of the children and of making his mother its | guardian. Mrs. Clark resolved not to part with the boy and prepared to take even a life if necessary to thwart his purpose. Friday afternoon Clark wrote a note to his former wife, saving that he would call at her house about 1 o'clock Saturday afternoon for the Wdest oy. Albert. Whom he proposed to take away with him. | “The note caused the mother much an- guish. She had lived in constant dread of her ex-husband since their separation and says she regarded him as a dangerous man. His determination to come and take the child from her spurred her to action that almost culminated in murder. When ! the appointed hour arrived she took thc Mrs. | | | | | ! | | . hurriedly left the scene | of the shooting and his whereabouts puz- | | WHEN ELMER F. CLARK CAME TO TAKE HIS CHILD HE W DERED TO PAUSE AT THE DOOR. HE REFUSE | A BULLET STOPPED HIM. o+ two boys and hid them away in a closet. | they failed in that tried to pledge the of- Then she armed herself and waited for | ficers to secrecy | the man’s coming. Mrs. Clark when seen at the prison About half- 1.o'clock Clark rang the | refused to say rauch about the ca Her bell. The woman who lived on the second | children had taken home of floor of the building stood at the h their auat. on he woman's the staircas ung oven the father, J. F . talked Hardly had Clark entered when she ques Captain Seymour and that his tioned him as to his business and he re ighter had bee logged plied t his letter had expl: by her husband. He said that Clark had Then the mother ordered him to hali. and | refused to contribute anything to the sup warned him not to take another step in | port of the children and that but & fev her direction. Instead of heeding the | d; in court’a Judge had made him warning he began to ciimb the stairs, at uce $12 as part of the alimony that the same unbuttoning his coat. The wo- s still due. Davidson accuses Clark man says she thought he was about to | having resigned his position with Ho draw a revolver and fired at him. brook. Merrill & Stetson, which pai Mrs. Clark’'s alm was sure. The bullet | him $75 2 month, to aveid paying the al- struck Clark in the right shoulder and |lowance to his wife. Rec he has with a cry of pain he staggered back to be business as an adv agent, the foot of the stairs, opened the door and | with an offic n_ Market It # ed out into the street. With the blood | not thought that the wound in_ Clark streaming from the wound Clark boarded | shoulder will prove serious, as the pis: a Castro-street car and rode downtown. | a small, cheap a; | ,,After the shooting Mrs. Clark concealed | the revolver in a_tlour bin and took the two children w the home of a neighbor. statement Is that he went to his wife's home for the purpose of little boy dow purch: She then boarded a car and rode to the f¢ b | City Hall. To the officers in the Southern ' not antic any trouble police station the woman told the story | quently taken the children out. of the shooting. She said she did not | went with him to the last cireus. | know how. badly Clark was injured, but | consequently surprised when Mrs. Clark | was positive that she had hit him. She | fired at hi He knew that he was hit, was detained and finally Policeman A. J. | but did not believe he was seriousl F, Nolting took her back to her home. | At a late hour last night Clark had The: police immediately began an inves- | not been operated upon. He was restin tigation of what threatened for a time to | easily. be a very mysterious case. The injured | man could not be located, and it began to | ly charged with assault to mur S | ook as though the tale of the shooting = was immediately released on $1000 cash | had been but the ramblings of a crazed | bail, furnished by her father Late last night Mrs. Clark w: HOFF'S TRIAL SET FOR NEXT MONTH. | POLICE | PRI Sy AL Porter and Nelson - Receive Their i Sentences. S | The case of Albert Frederick George Vereneseneckockockhoff, called Hoft for short, who was charged with the murder of Mrs. Mary A. Clute. was called. The case was set for trial on November 21, Quentin and produce him in court at that time. Hoff, after being sentenced to death, was granted a new trial by the Supreme* Court on the ground of error in the Judge's charge to the jury on the question of motive. Mrs. Legg, who is an fmportant witness in the case, will come from Chicago with her husband to testify. In Judge Lawlor's department of the Superior Court a# the Hall of Justice ve: terday Harrison Porter, a young “tough,” who was convicted by a jury on Septem- ber 18 of an assault with a deadly weapon upon Policeman Hugh McHugh in a barn at Twelfth and Harrison streets, appeared for sentence. The court ordered that he serve two years in San Quentin. This is the maximum penalty for the offense and was imposed because a prior conviction on a charge of petty larceny was admit- ted by the defense, and the assault unon . ’ and an order was made instructing the | Sheriff to bring the accused from San | ARE SEEKING SAFE-BREAKERS i i cowardly and nnprn-l |Cracksmen Attempt Jobs in Three Places. ] McHugh was a mos voked one. A ten was granted. In Judge Cook's court Peter Nelson ap- | peared for sentence on a charge of bur- glary. He broke into a house at 113 Clin- ton street and stole a coat, vest and hat, | iwhl(’h he was wearing when arrested. Seven prior convictions for petty larceny | had been put In against Nelson, and the | | Judge remarked that if he took cognizanes | | of them the sentence against the prisoner | | would be life. Instead of that he would | sentence him on the charge of burgiary | i in the first degree and would impose the | highest penalty, fifteen years in the Fol- | som State prison. { BUSY BURGLARS. | They Tamper Unsuccessfully With | Mission-Street Safes. | The police have ample evidence of the fact that a gang of daring safe-crackers | ays’ stay of execution had booty. The second attempt w. office safe of the Pacific R Mission street, las k. broke the combination and open the safe by means of again failed. Then they pri drawers in the cou of getting some me Their third attempt w: o - es lishment of the Bauer Lamp and Refl Company. 529 Mission s carly Thurs- day morning. The place s entered from to I 1 open the | . P eakers made thef |15 in the city, and the surprising thing I8 | sy tors (o coroToakers made thefr [ that they are confining their operations to | means of a trapdoar to the office. As in | one street. They have made three at-| the Brooks-Follis store, th had con- tempts to crack safes on Mission street, | Nected a wire with the wi the are lights. with the object of driliing a hole into the safe after knocking off the com- bination, but were not successful, as the but in every instance have been unsuc- cesstul, although their mode of operation | has shown that they are skilled in the | distance was too great. They then foreed business. o'x:enkxhe till and teok $1 15, dhut left Their first attempt was on the safe in | Checks and valuable papers undisturbed. the -establishment of the Brooks-Follis | DT2Wers and cabinets had been thorough- - ly ransacked for plunder, but none was Electrical Supply Company, 523 Mllfll'm] found. Three rolls of brass had been street, about three weeks ago. They tried ; locked together and so piaced that they to °§°“ the safe, after knocking off the | could be ea: removed in the event of combination, by bringing the power from | being disturbed. but as they were left the wires ori the reguiar circult by means | benind 1t i - prosumed that the safo: of a connecting wire and using it in drilling ! crackers were dfsturhed and fled preeipi- a hole through the steel. but failed. They | ~ tatelv.