The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-04
Interest Turned Strongly to Ex-
Senator Buck Yes
terday.
HE IS DYING WITHOUT A WORD
The Gray Horse, the Frequent Caller
and a Cause for the Deed
Alike Untraced.

the my Slery IL was when the mangleQ ana
burned remains of the dead woman were
found on Saturday afternoon.
Ii the police have any well-deined
theory they are keeping it closely to them
selves, and if they have any information that
constitutes any important circumstantial
evidence against anybody they are also
keeping that to themselves.
The information and the clews of most
Importance that are in their possession
are undoubtedly found in the bundles of
private papers, letters and photographs
belonging to Miss Harrington, which the
detectives promptly seized and which they
are jealously guarding.
Captain Lees has everything of that ma
ture found among the dead womans ef-
fects, but there are no evident signs that
these things have afforded the detectives
anything more than foundations for posi-
bilities.
The case is as strange as the crime was
hendish. Interest yesterday ceEtered In
ex-senator Buck, the wealthy and widely
known fruit-grower, who lives in Oak
land. This man, who was quickly
shown by letters, documents and pho
tographs found at 1017 Ellis street
and by the frank statements of his fam
lily to have been an old and intimate
lIltDQ Oh MISS harrington. VINO called on
her constantly, was the first one whom
Captain Lees turned to when he had looked
over the letters three hours after the police
were on the scene. 1t was thought that he
of ali others could give the needed infor-
nation.
1t was strange happening that an acct
dent should seal his mouth with uncon-
seriousness before he had spoken and a
strange coincidence that he should reach
the gates OF death just at the time ne did.
Il think know what he wants " was all
that Mr.. Buck has said, as far as known,
since Chief Crowley's summons reached
him about P. NJ. of Saturday. Since then
he has been unconsc ious, and his life has
trem bled on the brink of death.
Yesterday the police and the press meta
phoricallv strained their attention toward
the apparently dying man, hoping that he
might speak. There was a fresh and re-
lated mystery which might have been no
mystery at all had horse not been fright
ened in the street.
Captain Lees laconically declines to say
anything in any manner about Mr. Buck,
and here and in Oakland the police are
diligently looking for information that he
might have supplied. Nobody else has yet
been, mentioned as the man with gray
beard and the frequent buggy, and it is
thought that his intimate knowledge of
the life and affairs of the deceased would
afford important clews.
Miss Harrington was friend of the
entire Buck family as well, and yesterday
Mr.. Buck daughter and niece visited the
remains at the undertaking parlors and
aided in little ministrations to the dead.
Miss Harrington was tiendishly butch
cred and her room and clothing set on fire
during the noon hour in a thickly popu-
lated street and in fiat in which another
woman was going about her homework,
vet no one saw anybody enter or leave and
70 MI nd 20 m vii
hour and escaped with his bloody weapons
without leaving a clew. The recurrence of
such cases lessons the wonder but little.
The only certainty about the crime be-
yond its preparation is that it was COM
mitted by somebody very familiar with
the house. The locking of the door that
when closed across the long, narrow hall
way separates the fat into two apartments
is one evidence of this. 1t was known that
Mrs. Kellogg was in her rear rooms few
yards away, and that locking the door
would bar her from the front part of the
fat. Then when this door was locked the
key was left in it, Mrs. Kellogg,
who has occupied the rear half
of the long fat with her hus-
band since March, says that the woman
who has been long coming to clean the
house states that she has often cleaned
that door, and that it never stood with
key in it. The one who locked the door
Harrington closed and locked it herself,
which had not been done for months
The doors into the hall from both the
front and back parlors were also locked.
The back parlor, where the murder was
committed, was locked with the key left on
the inside. The murderer left the scene
through the front door, locking it after
him, and the key was gone
There IS some uncertainty about the
condition of Miss Harrington's apparel.
AT II o clock she wore loose house wrap
per and when found had apparently been
engaged in dressing. Her bedroom was a
large front hall bedroom beside the parlor
and its door was but a step from the hall
doors of both the front and back parlors.
Her clothing, ETC., was partly kept in her
bedroom and partly in the back parlor,
which contained a closet and which was
used as living and general utility room.
When found she had Invested herself of
her dress and clean unfolded garment on
the bed lounge IN the back parlor, by which
she lay, showed that she was probably
dressing to go out.
The motive for the crime can be only
guessed, but it is fairly evident. The
drawers in which her private effects were
Kept had been hastily torn open and ran
sacked, but nothing of value was taken,
and the murderer evidently sought and
took something of no intrinsic value. The
story OF the watch chain being left was
1onno yesterday TO be mistake. The gold
chain was ascertained by the dead woman's
brother-ln-law to be one belonging to her
Eyeglasses. The watch is still missing.
The police let the house alone YESTERDAY,
for they, thought they had nothing further
to search for there. Mrs. Josephine Jack
son and Mrs. Mary c. Rae, the sisters of
Miss Harrington, who came down from
Sacramento with Mr.. Rae, had possession.
Many friends came to see them, some of
whom had known the family in Chicago
They learned nothing new about the crime
and simply stayed there and awaited de-
velopments. The remains of the victim
were cared for at an undertaking establish
ment. where they were viewed by Coro-
ner's jury. To-day they will be quietly
placed in a vault. The funeral will not
be set for some time.
Miss Harrington's life had been COM
monplace as far as the world was con-
cerned, though, as is the case with most
commonplace lives, it may have had joys,
sorrows and secrets as interesting in
themselves as some that are told to the
ages. She was born. as were her brothers
and sisters, on Prince Edwards Island,
end was in Milwaukee in babyhood She
was little girl when the family went to