The San Francisco call., 1896-11-17
Whereabouts of Real Estate
Agent Walthall a
Mystery.
Accused of Having Appropriated
Money Paid for Others
Property.
Believed to Have ESCAPED on
Bicycle While Officers Watched
the Trains.

SAN JOSE, CAL, Nov. 16 After en-
tangling himself in web OF crooked
transactions, ]. w. Walthall left this city
suddenly last Friday evening and his
present whereabout is unknown. For
some time Walthall had been trying to
explain away suspicious circumstances
surrounding q number of business trans
actions, and while he was hard pressed
for an immediate settlement of one matter
he dropped out OF sight completely. His
downfall Is due to gam bling.
No criminal proceedings had been be,
gun against WalthaIl. but they had been
threatened, in the hope that he would
thereby be frightened into making set
tlement with persons whom he had swim
died out of considerable sums OF money.
His principal crookedness, and the matter
that was being pushed against him the
most persistently, was his action as agent
of the w. H. Ware estate. This fine
property is situated on the San Jose and
Los Gatos road, near Campbell Some
time ago the tract was subdivided and
number of lots sold. ]. Robbins, who
lives in Connecticut, is the trustee for the
The lots were sold on contracts, notes be-
ing given, payable at intervals.
As soon as all the notes were paid 1t was
expected that the deeds would be forth
coming, but such was not the case. When
Walthall was appealed to in regard to the
matter he stated that he had forwarded
the money In payment for the land to
Robbins, but he had failed to send on the
deeds He also managed to put off set
tlement from week TO week and month 10
month by saving that he could not hear
from Robbins; that the latter would not
answer his letters.
Among the injured persons were F.
Smith, who had paid to Walthall $1,000,
and John Hanger, who had paid 500.
District Attorney Harrington was con-
suited in regard to the matter. lie cou-
templated civil proceeding in order 10 Sc
cure the much desired deeds. In order to
know how TO proceed he was very desirous
of securing from Walthall full state
ment as to the status of the case. The
latter protested that he was innocent of
any wrong-doing and told q plausible
story. He declared that Robbins was at
fault as he refused or neglected to send IN
the deeds, although the moneyspaid over
had been faithfully sent to him.
In one OF the interviews Walthall told
Attorney herrington that he would prove
that he had sent money to Robbins By
he had received from him.
''Walthalf made number of appoint
ments TO come to my Office and show me
those papers, but he never came" said
District Attorney Harrington in an inter
view. Last Friday l started out after
Walthall and found him at his home on
South Second street late in the afternoon
He. then promised faithfully that he
would attend to the securing of the papers
Immediately. He said he would hunt up
the pookkeeper and have him open the
safe at the granite works, secure the pa
pers and report at my office not later than
O'Clock. l waited for him, but as usual
he did not put in an appearance.
"a bout this time IT began to be sus-
pected that WalthaIl would make an at
tempt to leave the city. The depots were
watched by officers after last Friday. but
but he was not seen leaving on II train,
and he probably left on a bicycle that
night after he saw me.
"One of my clients who consulted me
had paid Wa!thall $1,000, and held con-
tract calling for q deed, but it was never
delivered TO him. l have never heard
directly from Robbins but | understand
others have had cores pondence with MIN.
and he claimed that Walthall never sent
him cent OF money in connection with
the land transaction"
John klee, one of the holders of lots in
the Ware Tract, took mortgage for S2000
on the Waithall residence on South Sec
ond street, to secure HIM for money he
had paid 10 WaIthall. The property was
assessed for S566l. Besides the $1,000 mort
gage there are said to be other incum-
brances on the property, and to-day two
attachment suits for amounts agsreeating
s1S16 were begun in the Superior Court
h. =. Singletary brought suit for siIOO
and the Garden City Bank began a suit
for Sis.
Walthall also got into embarrassing
complications in connection with his
transactions as agent for the Roberts
building on South Fourth street. He rem
resented to the owner of the property. r.
r. Roberts, that he could not rent the
upper portion of the building. The fact
of the matter was that the upper story
was rented for lodging house. and the
Iandlady paid her rent regularly to
Walthall. One day the owner of the pron.
erty cbaDced To go into the building on
tonr of inspection. To his surprise he
found the landiady in possession and
learned from her how matters stood. He
then took his agent to task, and immedi.
ately deprived him of the agency of the
ouliding: No criminal proceedings was
begun, Waithall promising to make a set
tlement soon. After long delay he paid
$500. -
Is agent for the national Insurance
Company of Hartford he issued policies
for which he did not account, but this
matter was also compromised
Walthall was candidate for Supervisor
in the recent election. During the cam
paIgn the Roberts building transaction
was published in weekly paper and Wal
thall caused the arrest of the editor for
libel, but In Jew days dismissed the case.
He was defeated.