The record-union., 1895-06-27
KOBOLOFF's DENIAL.
Picked Cherries In December-Mrs.
Weber'S Watch.

Picked Cherries In December-Mrs.
Weber's Watch.
Koboloff denied the murder or that he
had confessed. He admitted that he was
near Sacramento then, but said he was
picking cherries. When his attention
was called to the fact that cherries were
hardly ripe in December he did not know
what he was doing there. According to
the confession the murderers went to
Stockton from Sacramento and then to
San Francisco, arriving there Decem ber
3lst.
kobolotf was identified as a man who
was arrested for drunkenness on January
% and with him was arrested an Alaskan
boy named George Petelon, who was ac-
cused ofstealing $40 from koboloff. Cap
tain Lees found the boy, and he told the
following story yesterday:
shortly after the bells had quit ring
ing last New Years eve Kobolotf came to
my room at 3l7 Third street and insisted
on me celebrating New Years. with him.
did not want to go, but be insisted, SO L
got up and dressed. | noticed that he had
watch-chain across his vest. and when
l started to examine it he would not let
me, and afterwards concealed it. He got
drunk on Barbary Coast, threw his
lnOdSJ dDOut-duu uC Sb6IIGu w udN0
plenty of it-and afterwards accused me
OF robbng him. We were arrested, but
released on January 3D."
The watch chain found in the cell
which kODOlOH was confined IN at that
time was shown the boy, and be identi-
lied 1t as the one he had seen on kobo-
I loft. His hiding it from the boy probably
accounts for the tact that it was not found
when the prisoner was searched at the
City Prison
NV hiie drinking in various places and
eating In restaurants kobolof insisted
on my reading the papers to him." con-
tlnued Petelon. Il asked what he wanted
read, and he said the news from Sacra
mento. | asked what particular news.
but be would not say. lie made me read
everything from Sacramento IN all the
Old papers, and then bought new ones"
Upon looking up kObolon's record the
police learned that his true name was
hovalev, and that he was one of the es
capped Russian convicts.
ZakreWskl, the carpenter, accompanied
hovalev, Nlkitin and Stchorbakov to
San Jose in March last. While there
they attempted TO rob little grocer. who
welded q pocke knife so theoretically
that one of the robbers was found dead
near by the next day. He was buried
the following day, but his body will be
dlsinterred in order to ascertain if he
wore any of the clothing stolen from the
Webers.
THE MAN AT LARGE.
kovalev. or Kobolotf, is a man about
3 feet inches in hight and weighs about
l50 pounds. He Las light hair, IA closely
cropped red mustache and weak blue
eyes, He has an expressionless face and
hangdog manner. He understands Eng
lish, having learned it since he came 10
this hlt ha Snaalyo
brokenly. Although he denies all COM
pliclty in the murder, he makes so many
contradictory statements that with the
evidence there is little doubt that he is
the right man. Zakrewski is positive as
to the details Of Kovalev's confession,
even when confronted with tho prisoner.
Altogether it looks like as complete
chain of circumstances as could be de-
sired.
There are several clews yet to be run
down, but enough evidence has already
been secured to warrant taking the man
to sacramento to be tried for the crime
The evidence secured shows that his TWO
associates were also Russians, named
kharlampi Nillitin and Mathieu Stcher-
bakov. OF these Nikitin is supposed to
have fled the city aud Stcherbakov is
supposed to have been killed in San Jose
on March Goth. The names OF the con-
victs. it will be observed, do not agree
with those names given them when the
Cape Horn Pigeon landed them.
WILL BE BROUGHT HERE.
District Attorney Ryan. Henry Weber
and Mrs. Beasley returned from San
Francisco last night. They are all posi-
tive that kObolOff is one of the murder
ers, but are greatly incensed over the
fact that someone caused a premature
publication Of the arrests, thus putting on
ua1 t.a nfh i
To-day Mr.. Weber will swear to COM
plant against Koboloh, and he will be
brought here for examination and trial.
WHO THE MEN ARE.
Last evenings San Francisco Post con-
tanned the following brief sketch of the
Weber murderers:
In the winter of 1898 the whaling bark
Cape Horn Pigeon sailed slowly into the
harbor and anchored OFT Meiggs' wharf
The Pigeons crew dropped The anchor
over the bow at midnight, and shortly
afterward Fourth Officer Griffin ard
three seamen pulled ashore and informed
the barbor police that the whaler had
pick ed up ten escapes from the notorious
Siberian prison of Saghslen, who were
found floating about i'll the North Sea in
miserable apology for a boat, half
starved, naked and wholly despondent.
The romance of Nihilist Stanslaus
kObrlski and his companions in misery
was printed the following morning in
the daily papers and thereafter, for weeks,
the attention of press and public was
concentrated upon the men who had
braved the perils of the Black Forest or
Rotouga OF Saghalien to reach the sea-
shore and pull seaward for life and lib
erty.
Six of the men came to America on the
Pigeon. and four arrived later on another
whaler. All that stepped ashore from the
aforementioned vessel told horrible tales
0. torture and Of cruel wounds received
from the lash in the hands of the Cars
hired soldiery. a popular appeal in be-
half of the rescued had its weight and the
men were allowed to go free, although
the Russian Government claimed that
they should be eXtradited.
There is another preface to the story of
the eXiles and then comes the sequel,
which shows to what an OK tent the A mer-
ican people had been deceived, and how,
in our generosity OF purpose, we enter
tanned wolves i'll Sleeps clothing.
SOCIAL AND PERSONAL