The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-21
Did Not Speak of the Existence
of Mrs. Langfeldt to Any
of Them,
BUT PLAYED UPON HIS FRIEND
SHIP FOR MRS. MARKS.
The Identity of the Murderer Is
Absolutely Fixed by Daniel Eisner,
Who Knew Him in Austria.


that on the morning of the murder J. L.
Blanther brought to him some diamonds
and that he himself pledged them and
turned over to Blanther the money, created
a profound sensation. 1t not only re-
moved all doubt as to the guilt of Blanther,
but it presented a picture IN detail of the
working of the murderer's mind for days
before he struck the blow.
There was the man driven to extreme
ties by poverty. He had known Mrs.
Langfeldt for some six weeks had called
upon her with letter of Introduction at
that time. She had received him well,
but he was not impressed. He had not
run out of the funds he had brought with
him from the East. He disappeared sud
denly, giving no notice to his friends. He
went to Portland and returned two weeks
ago-a gentleman without money.
He sent note to Mrs. Langfeldt asking
if he might call. She replied with an in
vitation. He called, and called again, and
called again. His circumstances grew
worse daily. He wrote, but could not sell
the product. He pawned his clothes and
spent the money. His landlady was press
ing him for the rent.
Night after night as he played cards
Langfeldt was flashing her diamonds in
the eyes of the disappointed and desperate
man-unwittingly inviting her doom.
The idea of murder and suicide had
grown familiar to his mind. 1t was a
common theme with him. He had wearied
his intimates with talk of suicide.
He was even then writing tale of muir
der-"Why [ Murdered Ny Wife"-that
he hoped to publish. The thought of kill
ing this old woman and relieving his own
distress with those diamonds laid hold
upon him. He became fascinated with it
as lack of money made him hungry and
threatened to make him homeless. He
could not keep away from the house.
He called upon the woman every even
ing and often through the day. He made
up his mind to do the thing. That de-
termined, he straightway began to formu-
late plans for realizing on the diamonds
and for escape before it might be dis
covered.
His friend Dodge believed in him and
had served him in many ways. He would
employ him in this.
VolubIe to a degree, he had yet never
spoken of his intimacy with this old
woman. He was not proud of it. 1t was
not conquest that young nobleman
and professional lady's man might
boast of.
In this silence lies the evidence that
from the very first there must have been
dark thoughts in the young mans mind
with regard to this pliable old woman,
with her fingers full of diamonds
And with this evidence comes the sug-
gestion that a man who could so easily
turn to thoughts of murder, who could
plan with such elaboration of detail, ex-
ecute with such dexterity and with the
bloody thing done face his friends and go
through the routine of the aftermath in
such matter-of-fact fashion, surely muir
der to him could not be thing of such
moment as it is to those others of us who
have not yet killed their man. The thought
arises easily that the author of this dex-
ferrous crime must have done some such
thing before.
He had boasted by the hour, however,
of the beautiful Mrs. Genevieve Marks
Mrs. Marks is young woman of 25 or
thereabouts; brunette, petite and at
tractive. He had been much in her com
pany and had talked of her continually
to his intimates. He would now turn all
this TO account-he would employ her
name with Dodge under which to pledge
the diamonds.
Dodge falls into this plan easily. He
will transact the business upon. warrant
from the lady herself. That was easily
done. Blanther writes the warrant in her
name. Dodge says 1t is sufficient. and all
is ready. For four days then the young
man looks his crime in the eyes, with
holding his stroke.
woman, probably with his weapon in his
pocket, plays cards with her, iests and
laughs and drinks her beer and estimates
the value of her rings. Every morning he
tells Dodge that ito morrow will bring
those diamonds"
On Friday evening he did it. He had
taken French dinner with Dodge. and
when he left him, perhaps nerved with his
bottle of claret, he had said again: 81 will
see you at o'clock in the morning; | am
going to San Jose with Mrs. Marks; will
bring you those diamonds"
With that he went straight to Mrs.
Langfeldt's room. At 10 o'clock he heard
Dr. Kleineberg i'll the hall and knew that
he bad turned out the gas and retired
He waited half an hour longer. The cards
had been put away; it was about his hour
W ltdNc. 1ue Time ndu come. lie stepped
behind the feeble old woman, placed his
left hand upon her mouth, drew back her
head and with his right hand drew his
razor-blade across her throat.
She sprang up. took step forward and
he could not prevent the heavy fall of heI
body that caused the man in the room
overhead to look up from his book with a
quick heartbeat.
The murderer had placed This left hand
too low and had cut it, and when he turned
to throw the bolts on both doors he left
the marks of his bloody fingers there.
He did not touch the body again except
to strip the rings from the fingers. He
washed his hands in the basin, wiped
them on the towel, but could not stop the
bleeding fingers.
He had engaged to meet Dodge at s
O'Clock in the morning and have the
diamonds with him. He must prevent