The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-12
District Attorney Ryan Tells Of
a Statement Made by the
Prisoner.
SAW THE CRIME COMMITTED.
Strange Admission the Exile Is Alleged
TO Have Made to His
Jailer.

SACRAMEN III, GAL, NOV. III udge
Jobnson's courtroom was crowded this
morning. when the case of Ivan Kovalev,
charged with the murder of Francis H. L.
Weber and his wife in this city last De-
cember was called. There was a fair
sprinkling of ladies present, and in the
face of each spectator there was portrayed
that morbid curiosity which is attracted
by a heartless tale of bloodshed and
murder.
The prisoners personal appearance has
changed greatly. His hours of freedom in
the open air of the Jail yard have dis
PEELED the deadly pallor consequent upon
the close confinement in his solitary cell,
and there is slight trace of color in his
emaciated face.
In his opening statement District Attor-
ney Ryan gave a graphic description of
the discovery OF the bodies of the aged
couple by their son, whose attention had
been attracted by seeing blood dropping
from the ceiling of the grocery-store above
which his parents resided. He told of the
position occupied by the bodies, of the
pools of clotted blood, the crimson finger
prints of the murderer on the lintels of the
door, the bloody tracks of his feet on the
porch, the twenty-six stabs and ak wounds
in the old mans body, the discarded gar
ments of the assassin discovered in the
refuse-barrel in the back yard, the finding
of Mrs. Weber's watch and chain in the
San Francisco City Prison, and the cloth
ing Of the murdered man purloined at the
time of the murder. The ak which had
been used to extinguish the lamp of life,
the Identification of the prisoner by George
ha ha hoI
around the Weber store on the evening of
the murder, and the thousand and one
links that had been so carefully welded
into a chain of circumstantial evidence
that may terminate in the snap of the
gallows' trap and the vindica ton of justice
were eloquently portrayed.
But the District Attorneys most telling
point was the reference to a confession
Kovalev had made. He said that Kovalev
one day called Jailer Beckley to his cell,
saying that he wante material on which
to do some writing, and that he wanted to
make statement. Beckley furnished him
writing material. KoYaIev, after writing
some time, said that he wished Lavine to
write from his dictation. He was taken
into large cell and, in the presence of
Lavine, Zakrewski, Jailer Beckley and
u
statement to Lavine. After the writing
had been going on for some time Beckley
told Kovalev that he was tired and wanted
him to come to the main point, and asked
him the direct question:
did you have anything to do with the
Weber murder?"
kovalev answered: Eyes, I witnessed
the murder
e1-oI - ~, 80. 4
Zakrewski was correct, and Kovalev an
swered YES" Kovalev was then taken
to his cell, saying that he would finish the
confession next morning, at which time,
however, he had changed his mind.
This was a complete surprise to the at
torneys for the defense. They claim that
no intimation of such a confession had
ever reached them.
At the end of Ryan's statement Senator
Hart made objections to the statement
until the alleged evidence had been pro-
duced. He argued that it contained mat
ter immaterial and irrelevant, and as
sumed that the facts had not been proved
and that the alleged confession was not
voluntary.
Coroner Clark, the first witness called
described the condition of things at the
scene Of the homicide and told of the in
quest. Clark was followed by Dr. Reith
Assistant County Physician, who per-
formed the autopsy and who described the
bodies. Other witnesses testified as to the
appearance of the interior of the dwelling
and the position of the bodies of the muir
dered couple; d escribed and fully identi-
fed the recovered articles of clothing and
lewelry stolen at the time of the crime,
and described the finding of the blood
besmeared, discarded garments worn by
the murderers while employed in their
work of butchery.