The morning call., 1894-06-09
FRIENDS FEAR A MURDER.
They Criticize Inactivity of the
Authorities.
WITHOUT INVESTIGATION
Cards of Identification in the Mans
Pockets, but No Efforts Made
to Use the CleW.

A remarkable degree OF mystery SoeuS
TO envelop the death Of Paul Harmon,
miner. VINO was found in an unconscious
condition on a flight of steps in the rear OF
the Monterey saloon, $50 Market street.
early in the morning of June l, and who.
on removal to the Receiving Hospital,
died before recovering consciousness, and
was buried in the potter's field.
The case presents some features which
would indicate, if the allegations Of the
dead mans friends are true. that the man
was murdered. and that the city authoTl-
ties made DO effort to discover his identity,
but hustled the remains off to the burying-
ground, or, worse still, permitted them TO
find their way to the dissectingta
The deceased was a miner, about IS
years of age, feet l Z inches in height.
weighed 226 pounds and is said to have
been a magnificent specimen of physical
perfection. His fathers name is Robert
L. Harmon, and the family consists OF
the parents and brother and sister Of the
deceased. They live at 629 Stevenson
street. and the father, who is an old vet
eraD, last night gave a CALL reporter the
only particulars he possessed Of his boys
last known moments.
1--WE last saw Paul." said he. 'on the
afternoon of Thursday. He had been to
see James Swan about an application for
a position on the police force apd seemed
to be in high spirits as to the probabi
of his securing the desired place We
heard nothing more of him until his
brother and brother-in-law discovered he
was dead, and the reason we were not
alarmed at his absence was that he had
several times before left home suddenly
and turned up again all right. Another
thing that cause1 us not to worry and
seemed TO explain his absence was that he
had only a day or two before talked
strongly of going to the mines at Mokel-
umue Hill"
George E. Davis, the brother-in-law of
the deceased, who finally discovered the
fate of the missing man. succeeded in de-
veloping strong evidence against the sui
eide theory and much that would indicate
foul play.
The last that was seen of Harmon prior
TO his entering the saloon in the rear Of
which he was found when taken to the
hospital was in a saloon at the corner of
Fifth and Stevenson streets, known as
Grifhth's place. Harmon had eaten din
ner with J. W. Wright and family, who
reside at 413 Stevenson street, and had
parted with them about 900 P. NJ. lie i'm
mediately went to the saloon mentioned.
and remained there until about IL O'Clock,
after which time nothing is known of his
movements until he appeared at the
Monterey at an early hour in the morn
ing. Davis. the brother-in-law. is a plas-
terer. who lives at 507 Jersey street. and
has place of business at SOC Mission. In
IF no fubT
said:
Il started out TO look after Paul Thurs
day evening about o'clock. up to which
time we had not been very solicitous about
him. l went to the Receiving Hospital
and made inquiry and discovered an entry
On the books of the death Of a man bear
ing exactly my name. Now, l had seen a
notice of this several days before, and
when l explain the matter to you it will
appear reasonable, l think, that had not
given the man more attention. Some years
ago a man committed suicide who lived
over my shop, and the papers widely
spread the report that George Z. Davis
had committed suicide. Periodically at
times since then some fellow named George
Z. Davis has held up a man, burglar
lied store or otherwise gained con-
incidentally for me, until I have
grown weary of my many disreputable
namesskes. But to return to my visit to
the Receiving Hospital. When l got
through with my inquiries l found that
the officials there had made no effort at all
TO find out who the dead man was. l told
them that there must have been some Of
my business cards on tie body but thew
said there was no property left. and they
didn't know of anything by which he
could be identified.
Finally the man with whom [ was in
conversation said he would call Mr.. Jones,
and when the latter came in he went to
the safe and brought out my cards"
Mr.. Davis, the father, mother, and, in
fact. every friend of the deceased man
emphatically deny that he ever used
morphine or any similar drug in any form,
and that there was no incentive to suicide
would appear from the stories of those of
his friends who were last with him.
j. w. Bright said that his wife and chill
dren, accompanied by the deceased, had
gone to PERMITS restaurant on the evening
mentioned, where they parto0k of French
dinner. 1--WE came home about O'clock
said he, ''and Paul was in the best of
spirits. When he left us, about $50
o'clock, the last remark he made was that
he wanted to take myself and wife out TO
have dinner with him some evening, He
was in my house every evening for three
weeks or more prior to his death. and
there never was the slightest indication of
dependency about him. He was man
not addicted to drink and was strongly
attached to home life"
At the saloon where Harmon parted with
his friends at midnight few hours before
his death Frederick Hill was the barkeeper
on watch, and E. Carson, a jewelry- box
maker, and a friend of the deceased, were
with him up to the hour of his departure.
Both are emphatic in their assertions that
the man was entirely sober when he took
his departure.
At the Monterey saloon, where Harmon
was found unconscious, George Edwards
was on watch on the night in question. but
. he was not to be seen last night, being off
duty. James MeCarty, the young man
who discovered Harmon lying on the rear
steps early in the morning, was seen, how
ever, and made the following statement:
81 first noticed the man about 6 o'clock
In the evening on the steps and emf up to
him and gave him a shake, but he didn't
appear to notice me and acted so stupid
that | naturally supposed he was drunk,
and thought l would leave him alone and