The San Francisco call., 1896-03-12
DREAD THE STRANGER.
His Work Has Caused a Panic
Among the Demi.Mond.
aineS.
The Police Are Unable to Fathom the
Mystery of the Berthe Paradis
Murder.

It has cost the lives of two unfortunate
women-May McDermott and Berthe Par
adis-to somewhat relieve the congestion
Of bare-faced crime in some of the arteries
of:vice of this City.
The women of the haIf-world for whom
the mysterious strangler appears to have a
particular preuilection are terror-stricken,
and are stampeding in all directions.
Three of the American and two of the
japanese women on st. Mary street va
Gated their dens yesterday, but the French
women, who require more time to gather
up their effects, remained over night, and
many OF them will to-day put up "to let"
signs on their windows.
Many of these women and their con-
sorts own small ranches in the country,
some of which are located in the neigh
borhood of outlying towns in the surround
ing counties. 1t is their custom each sum-
mer to spend couple of weeks in the
country, and thev will take advantage of
the stranger scare to hasten their depar-
ture and lengthen their stay.
The detectives, directed by Captain Lees,
have interrogated every habitue and ever y
resident of ST. Mary street and its entour :
age, hoping to obtain some clew that
would lead to the identity of the MUIR
derer. Their researches, however r, have so
far proved futile. Those who knew the
woman regarded her as sickly thing who
should have been sent to the hospital long
since, as the stamp of death had placed it.
self on her brow nearly year ago. They
were aware that while her "frend and pro-
tector,' Caesar Chabert, was magnanimous
enough TO refrain from beating her, he
still insisted that she, broken down and
suffering, continue at her Infamous traffic
to earn money for his support.
The males in that sphere OF degradation
had little to say about the dead woman.
To their blunted sense of justice and mo-
dread epidemic that might sooner or later
be visited upon their own bread-wlnners.
They filled the ears of all listeners with
praises. for their fellow-idler, Cesar
Chabert They regarded it is an outrage
that his belongings in the way OF letters,
papers and clothing had been removed
from the dead woman's room, and espe-
hand in the crime. "Why should he kill
her?" they asked, and in the same breath
answered the question themselves, saying:
"Why. he just worsbiped the ground she
walked on. Every night he would call and
escort her from her room, and at times
when she was sick and too weak to walk
he would pick her up like child and
carry her to their lodgings at 52S Pine
street."
Captain Lees questioned Cesar Chabert
very closely last night in regard to the
financial condition of the woman. His
statement was to the effect that she had
but little money when he saw her last alive.
She had then but 81 and $40 piece be gave
her, out of which she spent $6 for wrapper
S3 for the rent OF her room and SO cents for
face-powder. The remainder OF the money
was found in the dead woman's purse.
Cesar Chabert on Tuesday night sue
ceeded in gaining permission to have the
body removed to an undertaker's estab-
lishment, whence she will be buried to-
morrow afternoon. Yesterday afternoon
the body was returned to the morgue for a
few minutes, where it was viewed by the
jury which is TO sit on the case this morn
ing, and it was subsequently sent back to
the undertaken,