The San Francisco call., 1896-02-11
A Case That Bids Fair to Be
One of a Number of
Mysteries.
THE POLICE IN THE DARK
Robbery Appears to Have Been the
Only Incentive to Spur on the
Murderer.

Womens whose business it is to lure men
on to sin, and who, with a merry laugh
and bright sparkle in their eye, have
absolutely no compunction in the thought
that their wiles are causing the disinte-
grafton OF erstwhile happy families,
crowded about a slab a the Morgue yes
terday and wept as if their hearts would
break over the remains of one of their own
class.
They. had come to see Little May
Smith, who was strangled in her Morton
street den early yesterday morning by
some misereant, to pay her such tribute as
might be expected from sisters in shame.
They saw terrible sight in that back
room of the charnel-house. The vivacious
little blonde girl, whose bright laughter
and merry song enliyened them the day
before, whose coquettish dress and ways
were their envy, lay almost side by side
with an unidentified corpse more than
mutilated in flesh by the ravages of time.
Her short fiaXen hair, washed off her
forehead by the rude hand of the Morgue
porter, hung back as though it had never
been acquainted with curling-lrons or hair
dressers. The young woman's pretty garb
was replaced by cold damp sheet and her
usually rosy com pleXion had made way
for the dark red blotches OF congested
blood. Worse than all else were the
finger marks of the strangler on the girls
delicate neck.
1t was a terrible lesson May Smiths
sisters learned when they looked at her in
her sad state and it told to them more
than volumes of verbal sermons. No
wonder they wept and hastily deposited
their floral tokens before rushing into the
outer air. The silent story 60 them had
come home.
But the woman is deao now. The ques-
ton arises, Who is her assassin?
Her friends are asking it and the police
are unable to answer. Up till the
evening they were as unable to even
advance a tangible theory as they were
when the corpse was discovered. The only
evidence up to that time, or rather the
lack OF evidence, indicated that the case
will De handed down in the police archives
recording the mysterious murders of
Frederika Drell and Caroline Prennell, both
of whom died at the hands of unknown
strangers in this City.
The murdered girl was but 20 years old,
Turing five of which she had been away
rom widowed mother, who lives at %
Madlson avenue. She had pleasant
homo there for any child Of righteous in
clinaJions. but May had penehant which
she felt inclined to follow. She took up
with many men and dropped them after
time until she encountered Jack Smith,
good-looking youth hardly three years her
senior. whose wife she posed as and lived
in Erastus Morey's house at $50 Geary
street.
Smith was brought into Captain Lees
office yesterday, when he told of his liai-
son with the girl. and he was sent out with
Detective Gibson to verify the story he
told. He succeeded in proving all his
steps from noontlme until the moment
his friend ODonnell reused him from a
card table with the announcement that
Mamie has been murdered" He
was therefore allowed to go on
the promise that he would lend
his assis tance to the police in their
work of discovering the murderer. Aside
from the disgrace brought upon him bv
the revelation of his mode OF living Smith
is crestfallen over the loss of the girl whom
he appears to have held IN high regard as
a valuable chattle. He has informed Cap
tain Lees of the only clew the police had
up to 10 0o'clock last, night. He says that
the only person on earth capable of killing
the girl was a cook named Billy, who was
insanely jealous of her attentions IS other
men.
This Billy, it appears, according to
Smith, has written the woman repeatedly
from San Diego pleading with her to be
true TO him. Last Friday Billy reached
this City, and the girl now dead told
Smith of his annoying her nightly. Smith
committed the murder, and the police
hope to soon have him under arrest.
George Howard, the young woman who
more than any other was closely associated
with May Smith, and who had almost an
adjoining den on Morton street, likewise
made statement to the police. She re-
lated the movements of herself and friend
from the hour they breakfasted until after
their attendance at the theater and their
frequ ent libations with male friends in
their respective places.
The last George Howard saw of
May Smith was at 1855 o'clock at
night. At that time Nav was in
young men, both blondes. whom shecould
recognize if she ever saw them again.
They were well dressed people and behaved
in gentlemansy manner. They in no
way gave her the impression they would
be guilty of strangling the woman.
What is more, the general makeup of
the two visitors was absolutely unlike that
of the usual visitors TO the corner saloon
next to which is located the Smith den.
This is a strong point in their
favor, as their presence in the saloon
at any time during the night would have
been remarked. The full strength of this
statement is had when it is known that
the murderer must have passed out of the
Smith woman's house after the crime into
the backroom OF the saloon and thence
through the barroom to the street. This
is shown by the fact that when L. Spense,
the rent collector who discovered the MUIR
der, called at the girls house, the only
front door was locked and he opened it
with his pass key. The other, or rear door,
was found to be open
Many theories in regard to the murder
have been poured into the ears OF the
police, who have been placed by Chief
Crowley on the Morton-street blockade.
The officers in charge yesterday were z.
H. Herring. Tim Doogan, L. A Atcheson
and S. .Hinerman.
One of the stories told them by an ex-
cited individual, among few hundred
who attempted TO get a view of the house
where the murder occurred. is that jeal-
Gus woman chased man off Grant avenue
with horsewhlp shortly before midnight,
and she subsequently, went up Morton
street declaring vengeance against one OF
the denizens in that street. She was big
woman and fully capable of strangling
such being as little May Smith.
The police consider the most tangible
ciew they have is one which reached them
late last night ana they have followed it
up by arresting Charles Lemmerer, a
young barber, who works for d. ]. Simon