The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-05-24
MORE LIGHT ON
BLANTHER'S LIFE,
Miss Beatrice WE'LL Be-
lieveS He Stole Her
Diamonds.
POSITIVELY IDENTIFIES
HIS PORTRAIT.
Was Quite Well Known to Her
Under the Name of Louis
WeiSSer.
He LEFT BEFORE MRS. LANG
FELDT DIED.
Hungarians Who Also Think That
the Fugitive Murderer Robbed
Them.
HE LEFT BEFORE MRS. LANG
FELDT DIED.

the career OF josef Blanther, the suspected
murderer of Mrs. Langfeldt, by the story
of Miss Beatrice WE'LL, a young woman
who firmly believes that she escaped by a
hairsbreadth the fate of Blanther's aged
victim.
The police evidently place much Gre
dence in the story, for number of detec-
tives were at work on it Yesterday separat-
ing truth from con lecture and striving to
find some ciew that will lead to the arrest
OF the missing assassin.
Miss WELLS statement is plain and to
the point in most particulars, and while
some of the circumstances she relates do
not seem to fit into the character of the
man as represented by those who have
already been interviewed by the police the
shady life he undoubtedly led only makes
these particulars seem stronger.
Miss WE'LL absolutely Identifies Louis
Weisser, the Hungarian Count" who
she claims robbed her of her jewels on the
9th inst, as Blanther. Her statements
and those of others who knew Weisser are
strongly corroborative of this belief and
if true place Blanther in the light of a
cunning daring, persistent criminal, who
robbed friends and acquaintance right
and left and covered his many trails by
living in as many places and under as
many names.
The strongest point in Miss Wells story
is her absolute Identification of Blanther
through his portrait, as printed in The
CALL and by the published descriptions.
Every line of that face is familiar to
me-" she said yesterday, land 1 know
further that Weisser and Blanther are
identical by his medals, for 1 have had
know them well.
81 first met the man about q month ago
while rooming at 81 O'Farrell street.
He accosted me one day while 1 was
buying a pair of shoes and, though 1 at
first refused TO have anything to do with
him, afterward permitted him to call on
me. We became very friendly after q
short time and 1 thought him very much
of gentleman, but can now see that he
was playing part and preparing to rob,
If not to kill, me.
''He was evidently needy and lived in
q cheap room though he dressed well and
apparently tried to keep up appearances.
Out of pity l paid his room rent and
when he left with my jewels 1 came into
possession of many of his belongings
which l still have.
His N edals-those that are now in the
possession of the police-were generally
kept with number of letters and papers
that he seemed to value very highly, in a
travellers valise, and on more than one oc-
casion he took them out and told me with
pride how he had won them lighting for
his country. No matter how short of
money he was, or even hungry. he would
not part with them, though he pawned
everything else he had.
ION the evening of the 5th of this month
he was in my rooms for several hours, and
acted so queerly that l became afraid of
him. He talked wildly at times, and
seemed to be very much interested in the
contents of my jewel case, that was on the
bureau.
Something told me that he meant me
some harm, and to insure that he should
not attempt to strangle me as l am now
certain he did other women, l left the door
partially open in order to be able to call
for help should l need it.
THE next day he came into my room
looking very plae and with his shirtsleeves
covered with blood. He said that he had
been in a fight during the night and that
his nose had bled. He appeared i'll, and
lay down. 1 put hot towels on his head
and gave him hot drinks TO make him feel
better, though all the time the remem-
brance of the previous night was on nv
mind.
Toward evening left the room for a
few moments, and when 1 returned he was
gene.
II thought nothing of this until l
noticed that my bureau looked disturbed.
and then l discovered that my two
diamond rings lone a solitaire and the
other cluster of five stones) and silver
watch and fob were missing. At first be-
lieved that he would return them, but
when the next day came and the iewelry
was still missing l consulted an attorney,
and couple of days later swore out war
rant for his arrest on a charge of grand
larceny.
az supposed, of course, that he would be
arrested at once, and when a few days
later l saw him on the street one evening
and demanded my iewelry. which he re-
fused to return, l notified the police that
he was in town, and asked them to try and
arrest him at once.
81 learned later that he tried to sell the
rings to Louis Meyer, ieweler at d Mason
street, for $110, at which they had been
appraised. He was accompanied at that
time by another man, who did the talking.
''Since the murder of that poor old lady
have not seen him, and from the pictures
that have been published and the descrip-
tions given of his personal peculiarities
and his medals am sure that Blanther is
the man that took my diamonds. He
had the military carriage and the
mustache, wore glasses and carried cane.
His accent was decidedly German and he
always claimed to be of good family in bis
native country, which understood to be
Austria Hungary. In fact, he said that
he was of Hungarian parentage but born
in Austria.
81 have learned since from different
people that he had rooms on Geary street,