The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-04
A Woman May Have Been Con-
nected With the Stage
Murder.
RENDEZVOUS NEAR OAKLAND.
The Story Of a Constable Who Was
Watching Browning and
Brady.

| after the Stagg murder has added further
mystery to the case of the up-to-date train
robbers, footpads and murderers. 1t also
goes to show that Browning's and Brady's
companion may have been a woman
dressed in mans clothing. 1t is now we'll
known that Browning and Brady were fire.
| quently accompanied by a smooth-faced
| young fellow of delicate build on many of
their bicycling trips to the park, cliff and
the Ingleside, and this person-apparently
man of 20 years-may have been one of
Browning's and Bradys women friends.
| Miss Title Liljegrist, daughter of Bra
| dy's landlady, and Miss Minnie Besby, her
| neighbor, were the companions of the two
| murderers on trips when the four went to
the Cliff House, but they appeared always
in the costume of their sex, so far as is
known.
Charles E. Williams, Frank Shaer, J. E.
Healy and Joseph Ericsson, four young
men living in the vicinity of the corner Of
Twenty-fourth and Florida streets, went
out to the ocean beach on the morning of
March II and found lady's bicycle about
100 feet from the end of the wharf of the
Olympic Salt Water Company.
Williams took it from there and rode it
to the wheelery below the life-saving sta
ton and left it there in charge of special
policeman. The following Wednesday
Williams went out to the beach again and
asked the policeman whether any one had
called for it. Upon learning that no owner
had appeared Williams took the wheel and
rode home with it, leaving his address
with the policeman. He found the wheel
to be clogged with sand, and he noticed at
the time he first saw it that it looked as if
it had had hard usage through dust and
sand. He cleaned 1t up on reaching his
home and he and his friends have been
having good times riding the bicycle ever
since.
When the news came that the Stage
murderers probably used bicycles to get
away from the scene of the crime Williams
told Policeman Young about his discovery
on the morning after the murder. Young
informed Sergeant Burke, who took pos
session of the wheel and turned it over to
Captain Lees yesterday morning.
Mrs. Liljegrist's house was in darkness
last evening when a reporter called, but
the landlady came to the door. She said
her daughter was sleeping peacefully for
once and she would not disturb her. Mrs
Liljegrist said her daughter never owned
bicycle and furthermore she had not been
out with Brady for over two months.
They had had falling out, and her
daughter had refused to speak to Brady
ever since the first part of February. Mrs.
Liliegrist also said that Miss Besby had
had a falling out with Browning at the same
time her daughter had with Brady. Mrs
Liljegrist spoke very favorably of Brady
and said she believed that if he was guilty
he must have been led astray by others.
Another story comes from Oakland to
the effect that Browning and Brady had
rendezvous on the San Leandro road, the
exact location of which is only known to
Constable Benjamin Jones. His story is
as folloWs
1 knew both Browning and Brady WELL
though they did not go by those names while
on this side of the bay. About six months ago 1
learned they wanted to buy horse. l took a
run out and was directed to their house and
saw Browning, who went by the name of
George.
and finally one day he asked me whether I
was in any other business beside that of horse
trading. Brady was present at the time the
conversation occurred and when told them
that was q constable saw them exchange
startled look and after that the negotiations
for the horse Jagged.
l learned that the woman in whose house
they were stopping had rented it about six
weeks before. She was recognized by some
people keeping a resort on the road as person
who had kept free and easy house in Seattle,
later In Portland and recently in San Fran
cisco.
The two men never seemed to be doing any
thing except loafng about the place in
sweaters and bicycle trousers, and were very
non-committal when questioned regarding
their business.
They frequently left the house in the even
ing about dark, taking the cars running to-
ward Oakland, and usually returned on very
early car, though not always on the morning
following the evening they left. They would
remain at home for several days, and then sud-
denly disappear again.
1 was able to become perfectly familiar with
them during the visits that / made to the
house, and | am willing to swear, from the
pictures of them that have since seen, that
the two men were none other than Browning
and Brady.
The morning after Cornelius Stagg was killed
the two men came over from San Francisco on
an early morning boat and after taking
drink at Twenty-third avenue took the electric
to be excited about something and evaded the
questions of several people who knew them
from seeing them transfer there before.
few days later both men suddenly disap-
peared from the house; no one seeing them
leave. know this, because i was watching
them and went out to make inquiries. The
woman said they had gone to Nevada.
Then came the news that Sheriff Bogard had
Keen murdered, and from the descriptions
given of his slayers l knew that they were the
men had been trailing.
yesterday and at once learned that Brady had
returned, but that Browning, or George, as the
people about there called him, was still absent.
Brady suddenly vanished. Soon after came
down town a friend of mine gave him check
for $40 to get cashed in Oakland.
He said he would be back in a couple of
uouIsy puJ up w NOON to-udy ndO not put IN an
appearance. l think he must have grown sus-
picious through seeing me about and left for
some other part of the State cannot be mis-
taken about the men for their descriptions
tally to a hair with those given out by the
police. When saw picture of Browning
recognized him as George in an instant with
Herbert c. Evans, Who KEEPS e1 an express
wagon on Twentythird avenue, near Twelfth
street, was equally positive that the men he
often saw going on board the Haywards cleo
tric-carS xper
other than Browning and Brady, and 1 saw
them frequently, he said, and when their por-
traits were published recognized them at
once.