The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-06-12
OVER THE CLIFF.
Dead Man at Lands End
Identified
AS JOHN HOPES OF STOCKTON,
Lessee and Manager of the Grand
Central Hotel.
DASHED TO INSTANT DEATH.
The Victim of Saturdays Tragedy
Near the Cliff House Well
Known Citizen.
AS JOHN HOPES OF STOCKTON,
DASHED TO INSTANT DEATH.

Inc Identity OF the man WHO 16ll TO MS
death on the dangerous rocks between
Bakers Beach and Lands End Saturday
afternoon. as reported exclusively in Sun
days CALL, has been established.
He is John Hopes, lessee and manager
of the Grand Central Hotel at Stockton
and for long time steward of the steam
boat John d. Peters, which piled from
this port to Stockton.
The body was rescued from its almost
inaccessible lodging place in the rocks at
IL O'Clock yesterday morning and brought
in TO the morgue yesterday afternoon.
There it was positively identified. notwith-
standing It's Disagreement, by George Rob-
inson of the Belvedere and Henry Won
Bremen of 1882 Buchanan street, the dead
mans father-in-law.
Since Saturday afternoon, when John B.
Laying of 2309 Geary street saw Hopes go
over the cliff in search of his hat I'm til
yesterday morning efforts were made to
reach che body. The swift undertOw,
however, had carried it into one of the
water-worD caves in the rocks and it was
impossible to locate 1t from the summit,
200 feet above.
The Golden Gate life-savng crew took
hand in the search yesterday and from
without the surf located the position of
the remains. Then Captain Martin was
lowered from the rocks above and soon
reached the spot. he got line from the
boat, and, attaching it to the body. loos-
ened himself from the line above and
guided the dead to the lifeboat. 1t was
then turned over to the CoInner.
An examination by the Coroner showed
that the neck was broken, which must
have caused instant death. There was a
hole in the skull where it came In con-
tact wit h one of the sharp-p0inted rocks
and the body was black and swollen from
mum berless bruises. The face was tur ned
a reddish brown and was puffed entirely
out of proportion. The clothes had been
nearly torn from the body in its contact
with the projecting granite.
On the body were found several papers,
among them a wateT-sOaked deed from
George Robinson to deceased, and il
was through this means his identity was
discovered.
Deceased had been in town for about a
week, and his faith er-in-law was some
what perplexed that ne had not called on
him.
Deceased was SO years old at the time of
his death, a widower and the father of a
boy nearly years old, who is with Mr..
Won Bremen at present.
An Inquest will be held Wednesday.
STOCKTON. June 11.-John Hopes left
Stockton a week ago last FRIDAY for San
Francisco after having concluded dis
astrously about six months experience
as manager of the Grand Central Hotel.
During this time he was advertised as
proprietor of the house, but this was
merely for the sake OF convenience. He
had little OF bis money in the busiDe ss,
but was backed by Mrs. Henderson and her
sisters, the former proprietors of the hotel.
1t was hard season on most of the hotels
and Hopes tried to make the place pay by
making extremely low rates. Meal tickets
were sold during the last weeks at price
which was lower than any of the restaur-
ants could meet and, as the result, proved
lower than the hotel could stand. The
debts began to pile up and the earnings of
the house to come down, and finally the
h0usekeeper and Mrs. Henderson took
charge and Hopes was told he could 60
back to the position he had formerly filled,
that of runner for the house.
In this capacity it would have been one
of Hopes duties to meet all the incoming
steamers and trains and get what persons
he could as guests of the hotel. Instead
of accepting this position Hopes LETT for
San Francisco.
The day he went away he was complain
ing of i'll health. One reason that the man
prietor to runner for the Grand Central
was probably because he had for years
worked on the steamers as steward. He
was steward on board the steamer Peters
Tor not less than four years. all this time
being in the employ of the California
Navigation and Improvement Company.
1t was Hopes old business, that of steamer
steward.
He was an Irishman, but came from
Australia. He first came to California as
steward on the steamers of the Pacific
Mail line. On this line he was employed
on the steamers running to Panama and
also on the steamer running across the
Pacific. He was engaged by the old San
Joaquin Improvement Company while he
was running on the China steamers and
resigned his position with the Mail line to
begin running between Stockton and San
Francisco.
When the old company was bought out
by new company he was for a time en-
DlOyed as steward on the steamer Hum
boldt. ing between San Francisco and
Eureka. He then came back to the regu-
lar Stockton steamers and remained there
until he left 10 act as proprietor Of the
Grand Central Hotel.
Hopes was widower and had one child.
He was greatly worried over money mat
tiers and other matters, and had made him
self sick by worry when he left for San
Francisco. He was a man of more than
average height. with a bald head and a
mustache.
Ex-Secretary Tracy is quoted as saying