The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-02
A MURDER IS limited At,
Relatives of DR.. Charles A.
James Want: the Body
Exhumed.
A. Bitter Contest + Over the Old
Mans Thousands VIII Soon
Begin. ~.

Begin. -.
DIR. Charles. A. James, who presumably
died of natural causes.on January. % last,
is. not to be allowed to rest in his grave in
peace.
Accusations have been made, and in or
der to test their truth or falsehood the re-
mains of the dead physician are to be ex-
humed and an autopsy held.
A contest for the dead mans money: is
also begun, and bitter fight between the
woman. who claims to be the widow and
the dead mans relatives is expected.
DR.. Charles a. James died at his resi-
d ence, 925 Howard street, on January %
last. and was buried ON the certificate of
City Physician Eide nmuller.. He left an
estate valued at $1,000 and a young lady
who asserts that she was married to him
by contract three weeks before his death.
AS there was no will Public Admins.
traitor Freese took charge of the estate.
About month ago the widow appeared in
Judge Coffey's* court and asked to be al
lowed to live in the upper partof the house
at 925 Howard street. until her child was
born or the estate distributed. The mat
before the Probate Court. =
DIR. James died suddenly. He had been
aiIing for some time prior to his death, but
would not call in a: brother physician. He
treated himself and evidently did not con-
slider his. case serious. On the morning of
January % he was not as well as usual and
in the afternoon he was dead. The city
physician certified that 1.-The cause was
heart failure i. - ~:
The Eastern heirs of the dead physician
are not. satisfied. They assert that DR..
James was. poisoned, and. have retained
George. D: .Shadburne of. the law firm of
Shadburne d. Herrin to look after their
interests. ...: i. s.. =.
Yesterday the latter wrote note. to
Coroner Hawkins setting forth the facts in
the case.as they understood them and ask.
ing that the remains be exhumed and am
autopsy held. :: The Coroner would; not
give decided answer, but said he would
look up the law in the case, and if he.
found that the facts: warranted it and the
law sustained him he would hold an inyes-.
tigation. There is considerable profess
City Physician Eidenmuller, who filed the
death certificate in the Health Office, is on
one side and Coroner Hawkins is. on the
other. These public officials naturally de-
sire to show each other every courtesy
possible. One thing is scertain-the au-
topsy will take. place; and everybody con-
nected with the case will have physician
there to watch the proceedings.
Laura. Milen, the young woman who
claims to be the widow of Dr.. Charles A.
James, is handsome brown-haired, brown
eyed girl who will celebrate: her nineteenth
birthday this evening. Her father is
doctor practicing in San Jose, and Laura
and her mother are living in the house at
925 Howard street. With the beginning of
her nineteenth year Laura begins a contest.
for the. 600 in bank and the $685. 0Oo in
wants it afl--part. for herself, and the re-
mainder to be held in trust for her unborn
child.
The Eastern heirs of the old man are not
idle, however. Miss Matte James, a niece
of the dead man, is out here. from Fort
Madison; Iowa, and she intends fighting
the case to the end. -:
An application to rent the entire house.
at 925 Howard street is. now before Judge
Coffey and will be argued. to-day. W. H.
II. Hart, who represents the supposed
widow, will enter a vigorous protest, and
George D. Shadburne, who represents the
Eastern heirs, will insist upon Mrs. Mflen-
James and her relatives. paying rent.
When. that point is settled the other ques-
ton will come up. One side will try to
prove that the old man died from natural
causes, while the other will attempt to
show: that he was poisoned. Altogether a,
very bitter contest is promised.
Laura Milen first met the old gentleman,
who she now asserts was her husband, in
December 1894. She was then Is years of
age and DIR. James was in his seventythird
year. The two became very friendly, and,
so the story goes the doctor finally became
infatuated with her, On Sunday. january
6 last, they were in the parlor together and
the aged doctor insisted that they get
married at once. She objected. say
ing that he could not: get a. mar
riage license. He overcame the difficulty
by saving they could be married by con-
tract. He, dictated the terms and Miss
Milen wrote them. down aud then both
signed the document. From that time
they assumed marital relations and
she lived with DIR. James as. his wife until
his death, twenty two days later.
/. 1.-THE contract entered into by Miss Milen
and DIR. James is now in the hands of Pub.
ney-General Hart last night. MRS. James
is a good, pure woman and she will fight
to the last for her rights and those of her
unborn child. The question OF renting the
entire property at 925 Howard street comes
up tomorrow and will be there to fight
it. If they want an autopsy held on the
body. of DR.. James, we'll and good. We
have no objection, but then We will ask to
have "a representative there; while the.
operation is being performed and the in
quest held
Langley's Directory has more pages and
1884 more names than, the opposition and is
less cum harsome.