The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-15
IN Los ANGELES JAIL,
Mrs. Platt's Murderer at
Last Brought to
Justice.
CRIME OF AN INDIAN.
Francisco GuaviSh Arrested for
the Killing of a School.
Mistress.
CLEVER WORK OF OFFICERS.
Conclusive Proof That the Redskin
Slew the Woman and Gre.
mated Her Body.

LOS ANGELES, CAL, Jan. 14.-After
months of diligent work upon the part of
local officers, the mystery yelling the MUIR
der of Mrs. Mary J. Plat on the Pichango
Reservation, has. at last been cleared away,
and the fiend who took the noble womans
life and then cremated her body is soon TO
be brought to justice. The murder of Mrs.
Plat thrilled all Southern California with
horror. 1t was a most brutal crime, the
victim being Christian woman who had
left the world behind to instill the white
mans education and love of God into the
minds of Indian children on the reserva-
ton. 1t is certain her slayer is now in the
Los Angeles county jail, and it is learned
that the woman's life was sacrificed in or
der that the chief of the Pichango tribe
could be accused of the murder and gotten
out of the way, in which event the real
murderer would have succeeded to the
leadership.
Chief Mateo Pa was arrested months ago
upon the charge of having murdered Mrs.
Platt and of burning down the school
house after the murder. The woman's
charred remains were found in the ruins of
the building, and it was perfectly apparent
that she had been killed and the place
burned to destroy evidence of the crime.
A number of accusations were lodged
against Mateo Pa, but after long trial the
jury acquitted him. Pas entire past indi-
Gated that it was highly unlikely that he
could commit such crime, and he left the
impression upon those who heard the case
throughout that the guilty man had not
been caught.
Foremost among those who testified to
the chain of circumstantial evidence it was
sought to weave about Mateo was Fran
cisco Guavish, an Indian who resided upon
the reservation. During the trial Deputy
Sheriffs Martin Aguirre and A D. Marsh
were in attendance and listened to the
testimony. From Guavish's conduct and
from the thread of his story they were
satisfied that he had committed the
murder, and they went to work on the
case with that hypothesis in view.
Aguirre owns q ranch near San Jacinto,
and last summer he went up there to re-
main for time. He improved his oppor-
tunities of making the acquaintance of the
Indians, and being fluent in the use of the
Mexican language he soon had number
of cleWs which went to confirm his theory
about Guavish. Communicating with
Sheriff Burr and Deputy Marsh, a man
was sent to Ballona, whittier Guavish had
moved after the acquittal of Mateo Pa
and this man worked himself into the
good graces of Guavish and operated with
him.
At Ballona Guavish developed into an
all-around marauder and committed a
mn ha1- Of Nr1-D % ,oL, -
the methods of this desperate, was to bar
gain with butcher for the sale of a COW
and then steal the COW to fill the contract.
He also robbed Chinaman of some silver
coin and stole several horses, all of which,
the Sheriff's office being on the watch,
were recovered and returned to their own
ers.
Mr.. Agnirre on his trip to his farm dis
covered enough to convince him that Mrs.
Pratt had been killed through a con-
spiracy among the Indians, at the head of
whom was Guavish; that the purpose of
the conspiracy was to get Mateo out of the
way and to elect Guavish in his stead.
The murder of the woman was but a
means to this end. The failure of the
nefarious project, through the good sense
OF the United States jury and the depart
ure of Guavish from the reservation. to-
gether with the low moral tone of the
Indian nature, made them careless about
keeping the matter secret and enough
was obtained by MIR. Aguirre to use as a
lever to extract more.
During the holidays, under the direction
of Sheriff Burr, Aguirre ana Marsh went
off for a week, ostensiblv for cunning. In
reality they went to the reservation
taking with them a warrant for the arrest
of Guavish upon the charge of murder.
and when they returned the redskin was
their captive. He is now in the County
Jail.
Gauvish's co-conspirators on the reser-
walton now tell all about the crime and
say he is the murderer. The officers will
take Gauvish to Riverside tomorrow
where he will be duly arraigned on the
charge of having murdered Mrs Platt
and then he will be turned over to Sheriff
Johnson. According to the instructions
of United States District Attorney Denis
Gauvish will be tried under the law of the
State and the Federal authorities will do
nothing in the case, inasmuch as all the
evidence has been worked up by the
States officers.
There can be no doubt as to the conyic-
ton OF Gauvish and he will probably be
hanged, and thereby will one of the most
singularly atrocious and savage murders
ever committed in this county be
avenged.