The San Francisco call., 1896-06-04
Accuses DR.. James Scott of Kill.
ing Mrs. Philipina
Langfeidt.
HE PROMISES TO SURRENDER.
But He Will Do So Only if Assured
That His Liberty Is Not to
Be Cur tailed.

cate It's location, as IN the case OF MS 1el-
low-m urderer, Dunham. The festive Aus
trian ex-officer cut Mrs. Philipina Lang
feldt's throat on the night of May Is in
this City, and, in the coolest manner possi-
BILE, he washed his hands of the whole
affair, including the blood of his victim,
and quietly slipped through the fingers of
the astute detectives in Captain Lees
corral.
The latter have sent out hundreds of
circulars describing the murderer each
having two portraits of the man who is
wanted and a copy of Governor Budd's
proclamation of $1,000 reward for his
capture and conviction.
| From the most recent developments
| Blanther does not propose to be hunted
up and found by buzzards. He wants to
give the detectives another guess as to his
whereabouts, to see if they can do better
| than before.
What purports to be letter from the
murderer has been received in this City
and Is now in Captain Lees possession.
1t is postmarked Atlanta, Ca, May %.
1896, and declares boldly that the writer,
j. E. Blanther, did not kill Mrs. Ian gfeldt,
but that he is now on his way TO Cuba,
where the real murderer, one DR.. James
| Scott, has sought refuge and where he
proposes finding him In order to bring
him back, dead or alive.
But according to the writer of the let
| ter, should he fail to capture this DR..
James Scott he will return to this City
| anyhow and stand trial on the charge of
| murder.
| There is but one condit imposed,
that he be not placed under arrest or his
| liberty curtailed in any way before or dur
ing his trial. He is satisfied that he can
! present such strong case that acquittal
must necessarily follow judicial hearing.
Captain Lees as well as George Dodge,
| who was Blanther's friend, believes that
the letter is genuine; but they likewise be-
! lieve, from the statements made therein,
| that BIanther is as big liar as he is
| bold murderer.
Reviewing the many statements in the
letter, evidently made to prove his inno-
cence, Blanther speaks of his having
| Washington street, Oakland. He had
gone there, so it is stated, not to sleep but
| to think over the situation, as he had
been apprised of the murder through read
ing Saturdays afternoon papers. In these
| he mad seen his name il big type as the
murderer, and having no means to pro;
cure bail preferred to keep shady. !"
| Then, again, his visit to Oakland that
evening was for the purpose of discover
| ing DR.. Scott to hand him over 500 which
he had obtained by selling two diamonds
the physician had given him the day
previous.
Captain Lees sums these statements up
| briefly:
"They are lies," he says. "Blanther has
| no doubt seen some OF the publications
about himself and the murder case before
we got on his track. He does not know of
| subsequent events and he makes state
| ments we can easily disprove.
"For instance, he claims to have been in
| Oakland on the night of May 16. That is
not o fact, for the ticket which was re-
| turned to this City from Ell Paso shows
that it was purchased Saturday night, the
10Th, at Martinez. Blanther rode OF that
with Conductor Bell clear to Les Angeles
and continued his trip to Ell Paso.
LAS to DR.. James Scott, there is no such
man. The name is fabricated.
"The man is unknown to the Kleine-
bergs where Mrs. Langfeldt lived, and they
were personally acquainted with all the
old lady's visitors.
"No, Blanther is the true murderer, rob-
Der of the dead woman, his victim, anu the
man who, having secured the diamonds,
handed them over to George Dodge to
borrow money on them as collateral.
Captain Lees does not believe, as is
stated in the letter, that it was ever writ
ten on the train eastward bound. The
WTlCng Is lIDe, regular anu e4eCuleU W1Ln
fine steel pen. His idea is that some
where down south BIanther penned the
letter and gave it to some acquaintance
made on the train with instructions to post
it in Atlanta The letter is not dated ex-
cepting by the postmark on the envelope.
II do not care to say where | believe
Blanther is" stated the detective, but
do not believe he mailed that letter in
Atlanta"
George Dodge was seen last evening as
he returned from trip to Alameda. He
had just heard for the first time of the al
legged Blanther letter. Said he:
THE fact of letter having been re-
ceived in this City from josef Blanther is
no surprise to me, as from ny knowledge
of the mans character / expected just
such thing 10 happen. l believed, how
ever, that letter would come TO me if to
any one. as | always felt that Blanther,
though he might be guilty of the murder
imputed 10 him, would make an effort to
communicate with me to give me some
evidence which would prove my entire IN
nocence in the matter l believe YET that
l will hear from him in some manner.
"Of course, ! am ready to grasp any
straw OF evidence that may tend to vindi
cate man for whom l had feeling of
strong friendship.
"The story which Blanther tells in his
letter-an attempt to throw the crime onto
lbC VI LII. DCOtt, SOuuuS eA-
tremely fimsy, perhaps, to many, but to
me it expresses a theory that l have al
ways had vaguely in my mind that per-
haps there has been some one else con
cerned in the death of Mrs. Langfeldt.
THAT Blanther had met and talked
with person answering in some degree
the description given in his letter OF the
mysterious DIR. Scott is fact to my GER
tain knowledge.
son two occasions while walking on
Market street in my company but few
days previous to the night of the crime
Blanther had stopped and spoken with
gentleman who, if there be any truth in
his statement, may be the party he refers
to in his letter.
II have carried on. simply for my own |
satisfaction, quiet little Investigation on
lines following certain ciews of my own |
that mcy or may not have any bearing on |
the ca e. | have for several days been on |
the lockout for the individual whom Ban- |
ther had met and talked to, but SO far |
have been unable to find him.
'Of course, the statement in Blanther's |
letter that the diamonds he had in his !
roSooasiop tho Safurdov ffor tha -, |