The morning call., 1894-09-28
ALICE ALDERSLEY'S DEATH.
Her Father Determined to Be
Heard in Court.
BEFORE THE GRAND JURY TODAY
Additional Evidence Said to Have
Been SeCured-What One
Witness Heard.

w. IL. Aldersley, the father of little
Alice Aldersley, who died of poisoning in
the rooms of DR.. j. j. Leek on Monday
night of March last, will go before the
Grand Jury to-day and tell the story that
he has waited to tell for every day since
that time
Not single waking hour since that
night Of the 9Th of March when be stood
by the side of his dead girl and swore that
be would bring her murderer to justice
has the old man rested.
Certain that she had been deceived and
murdered he has plodded on patiently
and relen tlesslv in the tracks that the evil
dence, rs ii seemed to him, had left.
The Grand Jury was sitting at the time
of the tragedy and convened very shortly
thereafter, as will be- remem bered, and,
confident of his case and in the flusn of
his grief, the old man was eager 10 get be-
fore it, and impatient and chagrined that
they shouli put him off until the Coroner
had invest gated and made his return. The
Coroner did, in the slow course of time, go
over the ground with infinite adjourn
ments, and after the passage of weeks got
into legal form all that had been given to
the public III so many days by the news
papers.
A verdict that meant that the girl had
been murdered and did not commit suicide
was promrtly rendered, and again old man
Aldersley turned TO the Grand Jury eX-
pecting that IL would take action, but for
some unknown reason he was allowed to
pace up and down the corridors OF the
City Hall as he had paced up and down
before the Fifth-street lodging-house on
that night Of the 9Th OF March and was
not invited in. That Jury adjourned with
out so much as EXPLAINING why he had not
been given an audience.
Most any man would have been discour-
aged, and so was old man Aldersley; but
he went away only to go 60 work, and day
alter day he has gone over the ground
again and again. picking up thread Of
evidence here and unraveling knot there
and putting the little bits together, until
his mosaic forms a picture, to his mind at
least that seems convincing; and be has
returned to the doors of the present Grand
Jury with confidence that enables him
to demand what, before, he pleaded for.
That is not just the statement Of 1t
either, for the situation has changed com-
pletely. There are Grand Juries and
Grand Juries, and perhaps that explains
1t. For he has been asked by District At
torney Barnes, who reviewed the evidence
10 them some days ago, to come. at the
request Of the jury itself, and bring all the
evidence he has.
SO he will respond to-day. The new
evidence he has is of circum stantial
character, OF course, like all the other.
An important feature of it is the evidence
of DR.. Lovejoy. formerly practitioner
here. but who is now located at Vallejo.
On Thursday night, March 2, DR.. Love
joy. who was well acquainted with all the
parties. was in DR.. Leek's rooms when Ira
Leek and DR.. Bowers were present. At
that time the suit of j. j. against his
brother, G. w. Leek for SANDER vas in
full progress, and Alice Aldersey was ex-
pected to arrive the next day To appear as
a witness on behalf OF j. j. Leek.
There was discussion between the
three named concerning the situation in
which the girls name was frequently men,
toned.
j. j. Leek had got from her a con-
siderable sum, but he needed more, and is
reported as having said that ne could get
it 'from the Aldersley woman" Some
one asked j. j. what, having got so
deeply 10 debt to the Aldersley woman,
he would do with her, whereupon DIR.
Bowers answered: 'Oh! we will attend
to her," This is according to DR.. Love-
Joy. who recalled the odd remarks after
ward, and attaching considerable import
ance to it in the light of subsequent events,
voluntarily went to Adversely about it.
Alice Adversely came to town from
her home at Napa on Friday; on
Saturday she went to court and gave the
evidence that j. j. Leek required of her
in his behalf; on Sunday they went about
the city together, and that night went to
bed, and before retiring the girl tool the
draugnt that closed her lips forever.
And since then what has happened to
the other parties TO the strange story {?
j. J. Leek sold out his dental parlors that
had covered nearly the whole floor of the
Sixth-sireet house and disappeared from
business circles, at least for while. his
multitude of signs that covered the front
being withdrawn from view. But after
awhile be returned again and began in a
small way in the very room Of the tragedy.
He has no assistants now, but is carrying
on his dentistry alone.
The ianitor of the house. who was the
first to see the couple in the morning lying
upon the bed unconscious, as he alleges,
has left the country, the Coroner being
compelled to interfere to stop his depar-
ture before IN order to get his testimony at
the inquest.
There are other important witnesses,
however, whom Adversely claims TO have
located, whose evidence has never been
given.
Dennis Spencer, counsel for old man
Aldersley. has written letter to District
Attorney Barnes in which he expresses
the belief in very positive terms Alice
Aldersley was murdered"
pEMIC, IMDChCHMENT