The San Francisco call., 1895-11-26
It Inspires a Search for the Re-
mains of Andres B.
Pico.
HE DIED TEN YEARS AGO
Mrs. Gottliebson, His Sister, Receives
Mystic Word That He Was
Muir dered.


daughters of the late Antonio NJ. Plco,
Governor of California, and one of the
heirs to the immense Pico estate, startled
the police and Judge Low yesterday by
swearing out a search warrant for the re-
covery of the remains of her brother,
Andres B. Pico, who she claimed was muir
dered ten years ago at l07 Hayes street.
She claimed TO have obtained her infor-
nation of the crime and the location of
her brothers. body from Mrs. E. Young,
spiritualist medium at Cos McAllister
street.
The story told by Mrs. Gottliebson was
weird and full of horror, for it not only re-
cites the commission of terrible crime,
the murder of her brother, but the return
of his spirit from beyond the grave and
communication, in which he told of
his taking off and where his body was
placed. Mrs. Gottlebson in prefacing her
strange tale stated that in her religious be-
lief she is a Catholic pure and simple, and
that she is not Il spiritualist. She was
forced to take the step mentioned because
the information obtained through the me-
diumship of Mrs. Young substantiated
everything she had known for years, but
was unable to prove, concerning the death
of her brother
She said that her relative was SO years of
age. She last saw him ten years ago last
month. and he was living at l07 Hayes
street. One day a woman told her that
her brother had died in San Jose. Soon
after she met her sister who said that the
day before she had found her brothers
vest in her yard. Some one had thrown it
over the fence, and the garment was cut
and slashed as if with a knife.
Mrs. Gottliebson, then Miss Pico, went
to San Jose, but she was unable to find
any trace of her brother or where the body
was buried. Detectives were called into
the case, but to no purpose, ana the death
and disappearance of Andros B. Pico the
heir to a big fortune, became one of those
mysteries that clog the pages of criminal
annals.
As may be expected there was woman
in the case, but exactly what part she
played was not stated. That was a family
skeleton that has not been exposed in the
closet of the Pico family. Coming down
to more recent dates Mrs. Gottliebson re-
iterated that she is Catholic, and she has
always attended the Catholic church
in the southern part Of California
where she and her husband lived until
few months ago on one of the Pico ranches.
A few weeks ago lady friend induced her
to attend one of Mrs. Young's seances.
Mrs. Gottliebson said:
To my surprise a spirit came and told me
that he was my brother and gave the full name,
Andres B. Pico. He said that he wanted to
speak to me when there were not SO many
present, and the next day / again visited
Mrs. Young. Ny brothers spirit came again
and told me that he murdered
in his rooms at 107 Hayes street and that his
body was buried in the basement under the
house. Jealousy and revenge he said were the
causes of the crime. i will state that the Pico
estate has never been settled but will be before
very long. The absolute proof of his death
and the way of his taking off would cut con-
siderable figure n the manner OF the settling
of the estate.
was naturally astonished and panied, but
was not in hurry to proceed. From time TO
time visited Mrs. Ioung's and learned many
more things that corroborate the fact that l
was previously certain Of, OF; consult; ans
ceeding 1 called at 1O7 Hayes street with
Mrs. Young and an officer, and asked for per-
mission to explore the basement That was
last Saturday evening The premises are
cupied by r. Sideman as a cloak and dress
making establishment. Mr.. Sideman said that
lege, but tie officer advised US not to do any,
thing of the kind, SO to-day got out a search
warrant to search the place.
Last evening at 10:30 o'clock Officers
Smith and Benjamin received the search
warrant. The lateness of the hour was to
accommodate Mrs. Young, who had an
engagement earlier in the evening.
tanned, to point out the spot
where the remains had been burned. 1t
was an odd-appearing procession that left
the City Hall. Officer Benjami carried a
lantern, while in Officer Smiths belt
was the big Official document that gave
permission to search 107 Hayes street.
With the officers was Mr. Young, armed with
a long handled spade; Mr.. Gottliebson and an
other man. Mrs Gottliebson and the medium
followed, while interested reporters brought
up the rear.
Sideman submitted to the entrance of the
party to his premises. Before entering Mrs.
Young said:
81 know the body was there Saturday and 1
know that it has been removed since our visit
by people hereabouts who are interested In
concealing the crime. However, we will go
down there"
Without hesitation she passed through the
house, downs stairs into the basement and to
the north end, where there an opening in
the wall. She turned into the basement under
105 Hayes street and went to the east wall.
There she stopped and asked whore the sewer
was located, as the body had been placed
near the water and at a point where
the ground was kept wet. 1t was
the medium and waited for developments. Sud
denly she appeared to go into trance and
Mrs. Gottliebson called upon the name of her
brother Andros From the lips of the me-
conversation carried on between the
anxious sister and the alleged spirit
of Andres the latter said that his body
had been buried on the other side of the wall
and that when buried the basement extended
under almost to the corner. Furthermore that
the bones had been lately taken up and
partly destroyed, but that there was
plenty of evidence that the earth
had been disturbed or flooded, leaving q cave
or hole in the ground.
Mrs. Young subsequently became "con-
trolled" by the ghost of an Indian who said
he was not afraid OF the crowd and would just
as leave fight as not This did not alarm the
policeman to any extent.
The latter said that they could not proceed
any further on the warrant. Mrs. Gottliebson
says she will get out similar warrant in order
to continue the search through the other base
ments. The party filed out of the low base
ment, much disappointed and more or less dis
gusted that no human bones had been un-
eartqed. As they took their departure Mr.
Sideman took occasion to hand out his business
cards and request call when goods in his
line were wanted.