Los Angeles herald., 1892-11-12
ROBBED AND HANGED BY THUGS,
A Sensational Crime Commit
ted in San Jose.
The Manager of the Fredericksburg
Brewery Murdered.
Bis Body Found Dangling from the
Limb of Tree-RObbery Was
the Evident Purpose of
the Strangers,
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
SAN JOSE, Nov. 11.-Henry Planz,
aged %, recently appointed manager OF
the Fredericksburg brewery, was found
this morning hanging to a tree on Julian
street, near the Guadalupe bridge, his
hands tied behind his back, his feet tied
together and handkerchief over his
mouth. The ground near the tree and
for distance of 80 feet showed evidence
of a struggle. The affair is thus lar
ehrouded in mystery. 1t is not known
what could have been the motive OF any
one TO get him out of the way. A dia-
mond ring was found on his finger and
robbery is not thought to have furnished
the motive.
From Investigations made by officers
and reporters, it seems probable that
robbery was the motive of the murder.
Planz attended the theater last night,
and went to the Oberon saloon alone for
lunch. He had lunch and drank two
glasses of beer, then left the saloon
alone and was seen soon after, and about
12 O'Clock on First street, by Henry
Jouvanel, lunch man at the Oberon.
They talked together and walked to
st. James street before they separated
to 90 home. Jouvanel said it was strange
that young man in his position should
walk home at that hour.
Planz lodged on stockton avenue,
about mile from the center of town
and a quarter of mile from the brew
ery. The route is through a rather
thinly populated district for the latter
half of the di tance. Plsnz said he was
not afraid and laughed at the idea.
Jouvanel remarked "You have got q
long pair of legs to take you out OF
harms way"
Planz was feet 8 inches high. The
men separated and no one else saw him
alive.
The theory now is that Planz was at
tackled by two or three men and killed
and robbed before being hanged, and
that the tragedy occurred 40 or 80 feet
f1om the tree where the body was
found. No marks were found on the
body to show how his death was caused.
except the marks of the rope around his
neck. 1t is supposed that the men
threw the rope around his neck from
behind, sliding loop of double beling
rope, and strangled him. They
robbed him of all but dia.
mond ring on his finger. His pock-
cts were all turned inside out. He
wore q fine gold watch presented 10 him
years ago by Mrs. Schnabel, wife of one
of the former proprietors of the brew
cry, duly inscribed as gift from her.
The watch and sleeve buttons, scarf pin
and money in his pockets were all taken.
He was hanged on limb II feet from
the ground, and his feet were 31a feet
from the ground. The rope around his
neck was a sliding loop, and was wrap
ped four or FIVE times around the limb
and tucked under go that the weight OF
the body held it, 1t was not tied at all
Evidences on the ground and stone
walk, and marks on the side of his
shoes, showed that the body had been
carried with the feet dragging for some
distance before the body was hanged,
but thus far the exact spot where the
struggle occurred has not been found.
The body was found by John Sullivan,
night yardman at the broad gauge de-
pot, as he was going home from work
this morning. About 6:l5 a. m. he
went across vacant property and as he
passed through break in the fence, he
saw hat, he looked up and the body
was hanging almost in front of him.