The morning call., 1893-05-27
Detectives on the Brown
Mystery.
HIS LATEST MOVEMENTS.
On the Back Trail for Motive, Prob
able or Otherwise, TO Account
for the Poison.

more than half an hour Just before Brown
went into the water?
When the identity of this man is estab-
lshed and the man found, it is probable
that some light may be thrown upon the
now mysterious death of Browu. That the
dead man when taken FROM the water had
over an ounce of laudanum in his stomach
has been established beyond question. 1t
has also been clearly demonstrated that
Brown did not die from drowning.
be was seen floating face downward in
the water. and when the body was brought
citation had been used, the men handling
Brown were aston shed to find that neither
his stomach nor lungs contained any water,
and the physician, DR.. d. E. Dunn, who
arrived from the Presido shortly after
the body was brought ashore, at once de-
clared that the man had no; been drowned,
although he might have died while in the
water.
The mystery is. Why did Brown take
poison? The most searching investigation
tails TO reveal even a clew TO a probable
reason. He was not short of money. but
on the contrary had ready cash to spare
and did loan only 4 day or two before his
death several hundred dollars to a friend.
HIS relations at home were more than
perament and generous nature. he was
The king not alone Of his own household
but of the households of his son and
daughter, who had married and were liv-
ing apart from him. His grandchildren
were his delight, and be had planned for
them grand, good time on Wednesday.
Then, why should Brown poison himself?
Although there was no reason to suspect
that there is "a woman in the case" yet
that phase of the mystery has been care
fully looked into. But the investig gation
proved barren of results. There is abso-
lutely no eleW as 10 the reason for suicide,
and it seems absurd TO think that a man
like David b. Brown, who had been police
man and had dealt with criminals of all
sorts, could be deludrd or forced into
drinking a dose of deadly poison without
making some sign or some QUERY, espe-
cially when help was at his very elbow.
Following Brown from his home on
Tuesday last it seems that ne first went
and secured the flags which were to con-
Stitute a po-tion of the prizes TO be
awarded at the picnic of the British Be.
nevOlent Association at Harbor View
Park on Wednesday last He then went
10 the office of Hogan & Co., cGoperS. at 81
and 3S Clay street, OF which firm he was a
partner. He talked with Miss Mamie
Hogan. the bookkeeper of the firm and
who bad charge OF all If Browns business
during the seventeen months he was in
Europe. and to her he Said
DO you need that $500 | drew few
days ago? Ii you do / can give you a
check for it now"
Miss Hogan replied that the ready money
was not needed, and Brown then urged
her 10 take some additional tickets for the
mex; days picnic, adding that "the bigger
the crowd. the better the fun" Miss
Hogan took five tickets for the picnic and
Brown left, gong down on the water front
nOOnnntpQ a IN
ordered from the north. He then went
direct to Harbor View.
Arriving there lie talked a few minutes
at the bar with the Hermanns, father and
son; had a drink with them and then
said he would go for a swim. Before
leaving the bar, as was his custom. Brown
left all his money, about 81, and his watch
ana chain with young Hermann, and jok-
iugly cautioned the latter to Look out for
that watch" as it had been presented to
him and he wouldn't lose it for twice its
value.
From the bar Brown walked through
the park, saw GuStave, the attendant, and
went into room /, on the outside, as ii is
called, and there put on his bath suit. AS
he cgB'e out of the room the man with the
gray whiskers andStraw hat accosted him,
and Brown. although only dressed in bath
ing trunks and shirt. sat down on bench
and talked with the stranger for almost an
hour. Tnen lie entered the water and the
gray-whiskered man went away, walking
quickly" the attendants say.
Brown swan far out into the sea and
came back Reaching the shore he stood
as II undecided for moment and then
said to Guslave that he believed he would
take another Dip" He plunged into the
surf and later on was found floating face
downward in the water.
At Harbor View there was Yesterday
morning a most peculiar air of mystery.
When Detective Rogers first went to the
place the attendant. GIstave, knew moth
ing, would say nothing and seemed fright
ened out of his wits.
On shelf in the towel-room were forty
six battles. most of them bearing the label
alcohol which, Gustave said, had all
been taken from the inside rooms. He
denied positively that he had ever found
bottle of any sort or kind in one of the
outside rooms, one of which Brown oceu-
piod on Tuesday.
Rogers rummaged around among the
bottles and found an ounce vial bearing no
label that contained a few drops of lauda-
mum. The bottle was practically hidden
away in 4 corner. and Gustave couldn't
remember ever having seen it before.
In the bottle the name Of Wakelee 65 Co.
was blown and after exhausting his pa
thence IN trying to get Gustave to re-
member that he was even alive on Tues
day last Detective Rogers went TO Wake
lee & Co.. 5 on Montgomery aud Bush
streets. There he found that Brown had
an account with the firm and the clerks
readily admitted that the vial found had
probably come from their store, although
no charge OF purchase of iaudanum by
Brown could be found by them on their
books.
Gustave, the attendant at Harbor View,
denies emphatically that he ever went
near the room in which Brown lett his
clothes when he donned his bathing suit,
and this in the face of the fact that Her
mann Jr. gave him positive Instructions to
take charge Of room as soon as he heard
that Brown, whom he knew very we'll.
had been drowned.
Young Hermann rushed away to the spot
where Browns body had been dragged
ashore. first sending TO the Preside Tor a
physician. aud it was at this time he told
Gustave to take charge Of the room which
Brown had used and see that no one en-
tered 1t. GuStaye says he never went any,
where near the room and that the first
persons To enter it were the Hermanns.
father and son, and the Deputy Coroner.
Gustave may be telling the truth.
In spite of all the work so far done the