The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 25, 1905, Page 1

THE WEATHER. Forecast made at San bours ending mid San Francisco and muuw—!‘ur; fog in the morning; A G District § ~ fore News Than Any Other Paper P-ublish_ed in San +' THE THEATERS. ALCAZAR—“A Fool and 'ALIFORNIA—“The Unwelcome Mra Q) Hatch.” lone." CENTRAL—"The Convict's Daughter.” CHUTES—Vaudeviils. COLUMBIA—"“A Romases of Ath- GRAND—*Way Out West." LYRIC HALL — Lecture, Work. ORPHEUM-—Vaudiville. Matines to- l TIVOLI Comte Opera. | the Libragy.++++ His Money." ‘“Weltare + JLUME XCVII—NO. 178 LS SAN FRANCISCO, THURSDAY, MAY 25, 1905. PRICE FIVE CENTS. MURDERS WIFE AND FIVE CHILDREN, THEN ENDS HIS LIFE WITH PISTOL B St dwin B. Stephens killed his wife and five children yesterday morning as they lay sleeping in their home near Ross Vazlley Station. After attempting to shoot two pas§ers-by ‘ ephens finally shot himself fatally. Stephens and his wife were college graduates and well connected. Poverty and privation are supposed to have driven the husband insane. [ Family of Edwin B. Stephens Killed by the Father as They Sleep. MANIAC RUNS AMUCK Rushes From Slaughter Pen Shouting and Shoots at Passersby. HIS AIM IS DEADLY DICTIMS OF MOUNTDIEW TRAGEDY | EDWIN B. STEPHENS, father, aged 36 years.| MRS. PHOSA P. STEPHENS, mother, 34. JOSEPHINE STEPHENS, daughter, 12. MAUD STEPHENS, daughter, 8. EDWIN STEPHENS, son, 6. HERBERT STEPHENS, son, 4. FHOSA STEPHENS, daughter, 14 months. by despair, Edwin B. Stephens mur- d and committed suicide at Mount y ing. hey lay sleeping, each through 12, and Herbert, aged 4, lived hed bare- en Butter- his left , but the in- ains. Edwin B. Stephens, old 36 Josephine Ste- in Stephens, 6 Stephens, 14 Phosa just as the prospects e, married at an early been a failure at every- e couple, =nd the husband ther Sends Money to I v was the wife’s v. The green canyon, all the hills elieved, everything they and began to study But he succeeded d moderate com- an he expense left very lit- “But wait till the chickens 1 the chickens get big,” echoed He was not satisfied he with his lot. , he felt that he was destined t he was crushed by circumstances, and age, nor in the hour of her direst poverty mes, when there was barely enough to keep ive, she wrote to her friends and her mother a,” her pretty children and her happiness. threatened and when husband whined and despondency had been pronounced of late, so 1d, Josephine, was heard to say, “I am afraid on 2 cot on the veranda of the little cottage on nking over what he considered a misspent and wasted r came over him and his mind gave -way. n b murder in his heart. ly Deed at Dawn. ward morning, he crept into the house ahd picked up Gently he opened the door of the room where his of dawn streaking in through the window lighted the muzzle of the pistol close to her temple and Before the report died away he sent a bullet into son, Herbert, who lay beside his mother. ere the light fell upon her placid baby face was the ep in her cradle. Her tiny arms were outstretched ed to be lifted up. The insane father fired a shot into the r bedroom he stole. Maude and Josephine were in one er myst have proceeded with the work with swiftness and g of a maniac. Both children were shot through the head. ave reloaded the revolver, for it only contained e dispatched Edwin, his namesake, the eldest son. the murdered rushed into the road, still Linden Butterfield, a dairyman, and John were passing in a wagon, heard him shouting. They stopped and waited for him to approach. Suddenly Stephens lifted his and fired at them. They drove rapidly to Ross Valley and Sheriff W. P. Taylor.o Maniae Pursues the Passing Milkman. Stephens ran zafter the men for about 300 yards, then halted. He stepped under an ozk tree and fired 2 bullet into his breast. As he lay —_—— e ] Continued on Page 4, Columns 3 and 4. | HRRINAN DVERRALLS B SISTEN Deposes Agler, Pro- motes Palmer and Ingram. Southern Pacific to Be | Divided Into Two | Districts. General Manager Calvin has taken: the | first step in what is expected to be a general overhauling of the various de- partments of the Western system of the | Southern Pacific Company. Yesterday it was - formally announced from Mr. Cal- vin's office that Manager James Agler had resigned and that when his reslgnation becomes effective on June 1 the position long held by Agler will be abolished and thereafter the Western system, under the direction of two general superintendents, will be operated as two separate districts. W. S. Palmer, now superintendent of the Western division, with headquarters at Oakland, is to be made general super- intendent of the Northern district and Division Superintendent R. H. Ingram, with present headquarters in Los Angeles, is to assume the title of general superin- tendent of the Southern district. Palm- er’s position as division superintendent at Oaklend is to be filled by R. W. Bcott, at present superintendent of the Salt Lake division at Ogden, and H. V. Platt, superintendent of the Oregon Short Line divisicn at Salt Lake, will take Ingram’'s place in Los Angeles. All these changes will become effective on June 1. As yet it has not been decided just where the dividing line of the newly- created districts will be drawn, blit it is expected that it will be somewhere south of the local rallroad yards, which will be included in the Northern district, presided over by General Superintendent Palmer, who will have his headquarters in this city and probably in the offices occupied now by Manager Agler. The two districts will include the same territory now with- in the Western system; that is, the lines as far north as Roseburg, Ore., eastward to Sparks in Nevada and southward as far as El Paso. The changes are the re- sult of correspondence between General Manager Calvin and Julius Kruttschnitt, director of maintenance of way and oper- ations of the Harriman lines, who have long appreciated the fact that the West- ern system of the Southern Pacific Com- pary is too big a stretch of rails for one man to handle. The announcement was also made at the railrcad offices yesterday of the resigna- tion of John C. Hill, lease and right-of- way agent of the company, who has been connected with the corporation for twen- ty-four years. His resignation takes ef- fect June 1 and immediately thereafter Hill will enter upon the duties of vice president and general manager of the Monterey County Gas and Electric Com- pany. It was said that he would be succeeded in lus present posi- tion by his chief clerk, B. R. Shrader. | Hill 1s one of the best known men in the | & employ of the Southern Pacific and re- ceived an appointment to his present po- | Pes FEOSA P - SOLRHENS o BABY HCSH PEAE PLENE BETWEEN ML D HARRINAN Late Rivals to Join in Construction of Railroad. Special Dispatch to The Call. NEW YORK, May 24.—The warfare between the Harriman and Hill fac- tions over the Northern Pacific s now ended, a harmony agreement between the parties having been signed to-day. This means that the Northwestern railroad situation, over which there has been such bitter strife, has been finally eliminated as a stock market disturber. The deal is in the form of a joint agreement between the Union Paclific and the Northern Pacific Railroad companlies for the construction of a connecting road between the = Union Pacific and the Northern Pacific roads in the Clearwater district. The connecting road is to be opened- jointly by the two companies, which will itself be, it was said, the most convincing proof’ of the harmonious relations between the systems. & 'The whole market was very strong in expectation of such announcement, Union Pacific and merger issues mak- ing sensational gains. Reports of a final settlement of- all difficulties grow- ing out of the old Northern Pacific “corger” were current during the day. It was sald that when Morgan re- |- turned from FEurope his services as peacemaker and’ general harmonizer would not be required. The details ‘of the harmony agree- ment were worked out at a conference held yesterday between representatives of the various interests involved. - BANK FAILURE DUE TO FRANK COULD'S LOSSES Trust Company Stock- holders May Sue to Recover. Special Dispatch to The Call. NEW . YORK, May 24—Frank J. Gould was a director of the collapsed Merchants' Trust Company in March, 1903, when the directors decided to fn- vest $504,625 of the depositors’ money in the bonds of the Hudson Valley-Rail- road. Gould was then heavily inter- ested In the Hudson Valley Railroad. He was ambitious to be a trolley road magnate. 5 ‘When the State Banking Department learned how the depositors’ money had been squandered upon $1,500,000 se- curities of Gould's Virginia Passenger and Power Company, a vigorous pro- test was made. The result was that the members of the Gould family paid $1,400,000 in cash into the treasury of ‘the trust company and. took back the $1,500,000 of questionable bonds. . The loss of $100,000 which the- little trust company sustained through its transactions with the Virginia Passen- mand Power, Company crippled it y. The loss It sustained in its dehis with the Hudson Valley Company wrecked it. . ~ The great body of stockholders, who bought their shares as an investment and knew nothing about high financ, tricks, are indignant and talk of-suin Gould. ¢ —_— | | THE HUSBAND AND FA’ e THE WIFE AND FIVE EEAUTIFUL CHILDREN WHO W F. AS HOME NEAR ROSS VALLEY STATION YESTERDAY MO ERE THEY LAY SLEEPIN PLANS FOR A GOVERNMENT INSURANCE BUREAU, President Directs Drafting of Bill Special Dispateh to The Call " WASHINGTON, May 24—As a result of the Equitable Life Assurance Society scandal, the, President is consldering a Trecommendation to Congress for Gov- ernment supervision of insurance com- panies, to be exercised through a Bureau of Insurance in the Department of Commierce and Labor. This recommendation has already been prepared, but whether it will be sent in will depend upon the report of Commis- sloner’ of Corporations Garfleld, who Is making an exhaustive inquiry Into the Government’s right to assume control of insurance companies. The question whether the business of insurance companies constitutes ~inter- state commerce is regarded as a serious one.. The decisions of the Supreme Court in almost similar cases seem to conflict. If it be found that the assumption of Government control is supported by law of Federal supervision are upheld by the times be subject to Inspection by experts, who would at various intervals inquire into their transactions, examine their in- vestments and securities and report om their condition. FAMILY IS POISONED « BY RESTAURANT FOOD Mother and Three Children Become Il1 After Eat- Special Dispatch to The Call - FRESNO, May 24—Mrs. John Pimental, the wife of a wealthy sheepman of Fow- ler, and three of her children are dan- gerously ill at a local sanitarium as the result of eating poisoned pudding. Mrs. Pimental, it is feared, will die. P husband and father whfi.“: - dergonig a dangerous operal ate dinner at a cafe and all but.the