The morning call., 1894-09-19
WHY DID SHE Go?
The Disappearance of
Mrs. Oderkirk.
1T IS STILL A MYSTERY
The Husband and Her LAWYER
Come to Town.
THEORY OF THE DETECTIVES.
They Intimate That She May have
Been Induced TO Stop
Proceedings.
THEORY OF THE DETECTIVES.

MS son telling him of their misfortune.
with him came Mr.. Langley Of Cassin
q Langley, counsel for NJ. OltrGirk il his
suit against William Ely Of Santa Cruz
Tor assault, which suit is thought t. be
directly responsible, one way or another,
Tor Mrs. Oderkirk's disappearance.
Together they spent the day in confer
ring with friends. the police and others in
what, at late hour last night. had devel-
oped into futile endeavors to gain the
slightest clew toward solving the mystery.
Mr.. Oderkink is a plain man who looks
just what ne iS-a WELT do blacksmith.
He has a sturdy figure and a straight-away
manner that has NJ hint about it of con-
eealmeDt He is probably IS or so years
of age.
81 cannot explain it in any way" he said
last night. ''and you may we'll believe it
has been a great shock to me. 1t is pos
sble that the constant strain under which
she has suffered has suddenly affected her
mind, and she has gone away or done
something to herself, but ! cannot be-
leve il.
''She was always clever and bright and
had her wits about her. l know that she
has worried about this case a great deal.
On the other hand she has stood in fear of
personal violence at the hands Of this man
Ely and with cause we know of his hav-
ing threatened 10 stick knife into her.
He said he would do so in tie presence of
Dr. Mahon and others We know in Santa
Cruz"
Mrs. Lenike. the landlady at S04 Geary
street, where Mrs. Oderkirk lived, and
who saw most of her during the past Two
months, and who, save the clerB at the
Grand Hotel, was the last to see her
previous TO her disappearance, and who is
much distressed about II, scouts the idea
that Mrs. Oderkirk's mind has gone wrong
as explaining ner absence.
Il tel you that she has been lea t. enter
a carriage, or in some such way has been
Kidnapped by her enemies The little
woman was as bright as dollar mentally
and was always composed and quick
witted. She was d clever little woman,
hut just when she needed her wits on this
occasion she didn't have them, as is often
the case with all of Us.
''When she saw that that note was q
fraud she should have remained right
there and tPlephoned for the police 10 come
and escort her home, because he was al
ways in a state of dread when she had to
20 out, for lie feared that man. If she
had done that. however they would have
probably then said she was crazy. But l
know she was al right, and furthermore,
l won't allow any one 10 say anything
against her character, because she was so
correct while living here.
''She was always at home ami preferred
TO remain here 10 going out at all. She
did little visiting except to her sister on
Ellis street, and when she went out she
always did so with fear, frequently saving
that she knew she would be Killed. Once
she told me If she never came back that
would rene mber what she said.
she came here because she had good
reason to believe that she was not safe at
Santa Cruz. She says that some one tried
to get IN the house there one night and
shortly after she came here she went to
the door in answer to the bell and a man
addressed her by name and said her law
yer wanted TO see her at some hotel
''She knew that was not so, ana
slammed tbs door, crying, L have no
lawyer
Now comes this note from the Grand
Hotel" continued Mrs. Lenike, playing
the same trick. If / had seen her would
have told her Dot 60. She was about to
run down TO see her sister having her hat
on, when my mother gave her a note that
had been left at the door, and she said. |
'Oh, here IS note from my lawyer asking
me- 10 cali at 4 O'Clock. and it is now ten
minutes after
'ohe hurried away just as she was, and
that ls the last we saw of her, The police !
say she couldn't be kidnapped, but | tell |
YOU there have been many quite as strange |
things happen in San Francisco"
There Is nothing IN our lives from birth, |
so far as / know, that might not be Put in |
the papers." was the frank way in which |
s
room on Gesry street last night. 1--WE |
were married twenty years ago at Tres |
PInos, where she had grown up and where |
we still make our home.
I'VE rented the house at Santa Cruz
from this man Ely, who owns it. and Size !
hoped to make some money keeping sum
mer boarders. Ely is a capitalist but not
liberal He is &c years old and dresses and
looks like tramp. He has an Office in the
building, which is on Pacific avenue. He
oil q
10 the habit of talking in an offensive way
to my wife. His conduct caused great an
noyance and she frequently told me
about it.
81 could not believe the man meant any
harm and told her he could net afford to
as he was a Mason like myself. and our
other relations made it seem impossible.
But told her to get girl TO remain with
her all the time. She did SO, but Que day
in May he found an opportunity when she
was alone and assaulted her. Her cries
brought Mr.. Jacobs, young man who was
in the house. to her assistance, and Ely
raE away.
my wife was taken sick with nervous
prnstratiOn after that and tor two weeks [
fed her on beef tea. as soon as she was
able she left aud came TO San Francisco,
where my son was employed and where
she thought her health would tie better. /
may say we have many relatives 10 this
city and we lived here for year, l work
Ing tor Mike McCu0 al Nluou anu 1aFkeI
streets"
Detective Bohen. who was assigned to
the case yesterday, made Thorough in
quiry into the circumstances surrounding
j. In his opinion il is next 10 impossible
that a well woman could be taken away
against her kidnaped-in the streets
OF San Francisco on any Sunday afternoon.
He is inclined 10 believe that her mind has
become unbalanced through brOoding over
the case, or else she has some reason for not
wishing to prosecute the case, which was
to come up for trial to-day, and has taken
this means of avoiding IT..
There are those who think she may have
been offered financial considerations for
keeping out of the way. Her friends in
answer 10 this suggestion say that if she
were capable of compromising it in that
fashion she could have avoided the public
scandal also by simply advising her friends
and going where her husband and son
could Join her, or they might even have
gone with her.
They say no such Interpretation can be
put upon her actions, for she was too intel |
lieent and would have been quick TO see
the scandal that must follow, ard would
have found way 10 avoid it. They insist
that if she has not wandered away under
temporary mental arrangement, then she
has cen MADE away with by some enemy
or agent of an enemy.
Mis-. Oderkirk when she left her home
wore a black Bedford corded dress, the