The morning call., 1894-09-21
THE DECOY NOTE.
Light on Mrs. Oderkirk's
Disappearance.
It Is Now Believed She Has Preferred
Flight to Facing Tier Cross
Examination.

The whereabouts of Mrs. Ike Oderkirk,
who mysteriously disappeared on Sunday
afternoon, is as yet unknown, but there
is now every reason to believe that she
has not been kidnapped, and that she has
taken her departure without compulsion
on any ones part.
What has led to this belief was dis
covery made yesterday by Detective
BoheD, who has been working on the case.
When Mrs. Oderkrk went to the Grand
Hotel on Sunday afternoon she left the
following note for her son, Fred: IF you
come before l get back please wait for me.
l must see you. I'll be back about II,
maybe before" At the Grand Hotel she
left q card for Mr.. CassiD. her attorney,
and wrote on the back of it: Call at SO4
Geary street."
Bohen got possession of this note and
this card and also the supposed decoy
letter said to have been showed under the
front door OF S04 Geary street, puTporting
to be signed by G. NJ. Cassin. her attorney.
and which reads, Come to Grand Hotel
Sunday, 18th, at 4:30 P. NJ. Wish to see
about witnesses" The similarity of the
handwriting Of the note to Fred and on
the back OF the card and also of the decoy
letter struck him as peculiar.
An ordinary observer would say at once
that the three were written by the same
person. although there is an apparent at
tempt to disguise the handwriting in the
decoy letter.
important witness for Mrs. OderkiTk in
her suit against Capitalist Ely, was sent for
by Detective Bohen last night. He was
shown the decoy letter, and said at once
that the handwriting was hers, as he had
seen Il often.
Jacobs positively denied that he knew
where she had gone to or the reason for
her mysterious disappearance He ex-
planned his friendship with her BY the fact
that ne had store in Santa Cruz under
meath the lOdging-house kept by her.
When she came to the city he put some of
his clothes in her trunk, his was too
small, and it was these things that Fred
packed III the valise on Monday morning
and brought to him.
If it is fact that Mrs. Oierkirk wrote
the decoy letter it stands to reason that
she had been contemplating a secret de-
parture. And the only apparent cause is
supposed to be her dread of her cross
examination in the suit against Ely. 1t
was said yesterday that Ely has procured
affidavits from persons in Los Angeles,
H0llister and Santa Cruz regarding Mrs.
Oderkirk's past record, and rather than
face the disclosures she has preferred
fight.
MI Ou0IhiTk dHu his SOU fIeQ UaV6 PQU6
back to Tres Pinos. The husband Is
thoroughly wretched over his wife's dis
appearance. Before leaving yesterday
morning he saw Detective BOhen and told
him ne had done everything he could to
find his wife ana would go home and pa
tiently wait for Developments.
The son who accompanied him asked
the detective, "Do you believe that
know where my mother is?"
'You have asked a blunt Question re-
piled BoheD. ''and will give you as blunt
a reply. l think you do"
Fred said no more, but MI. Odetkirk
asked tbs same question and BOhen re-
piled 10 the negative. He added that Fred
had not acted In such way about the
of his mother as he would
expect son to act, which made him think
that he knew more than he cared to tell
his father or anybody else.
The adjourned hearing of the suit for
$50, 600 damages of Oderkirk VS.. Ely will
come up at Santa Cruz this morning.