The San Francisco call., 1896-08-03
Proof That the SLAYER of Mrs.
Richardson and Daughter
Was Not A'one.
TELLTALE TRAIL OF TWO MEN.
A White Horse Tied Near the Villa on
the Night of the Double
Tragedy.

a,
There are many who believe to-day that
man is walking the streets of Santa
Barbara before whose eyes hangman's
moose is dangling and IN whose ears are
forever ringing the piteous cries OF two
murdered women. Already discriminating
circumstances involving him in this crime
are known, and sooner or later, it is be-
lieved, the network of evidence will close
its meshes around him and he will meet
his deserts. This man is now under sur
veillanee. His arrest is likely to occur at
any hour.
The tragedy which disturbed Santa Bar
bara's peace less than a month ago is still
fresh in the minds of CalIfornians. Mrs.
Richardson, widow of the late Henry
Richardson and lady of means, lived
alone with her daught Ethel, in pretty
villa three and half miles from Santa
Barbara. On Sunday, the 9th of July, they
visited friends, afterward drivins to the
cemetery, half mile below them. to in
struct the sexton to permit the body of
friends child to be temporarily inferred
in their own lot
They returned home about dusk to their
large, lonely house, standing in an open
space fronting the sea, their nearest neigh
bors being the Wallen family. residing
about an eighth of q mile distant. The
next morning Ethel Richardson's body,
almost nude and pierced with bullet
wounds, and with deep cash in her
throat, was found lying in the stubble-
field below the house. and on breaking the
house open Mrs. Richardson was found,
bathed in her own blood, on the threshold
of her chamber. She died the following
day. without regaining consciousness. No
VaIuables had been taken from the house,
the dead women's jeWelry, consisting of
watches and trInkets OF considerable value,
being undisturbed and lying IN plain
sight.
Back of cowshed in q corner of the
grounds on the main highway the prints
of two mems shoes were found. Passing
partly around the house was the print of
the girls bare feet, as she ran from her
pursuers. This little footprint was traced
down the driveway to the main entrance,
where q low chain closed the entrance.
Over this the girl sprang or elm bed, evi-
IDENTIFY trying to reach the houses
of neigh bors. The prints of the smaller
mans feet. far apart, followed hers down
this drive short distance, when he sud-
denly turned and went toward the four
strand plain wire fence surrounding the
grounds and climbed it, leaving blood on
two of the wires.
Directly opposite these bloody wires,
and a rod or so back from the gateway
and directly away from the course she was
taking to reach the neighbors, the girl was
murdered. There were no evidences OF
her having been dragged to this place, but
on the contrary, the print of her foot was
discerned IN the stubbIe leading to It, and
1t is plain that for some reason, which no
one has been able to determine and which
he Coroner's jury did not even attempt o
ascertain, she changed her course after
crossing the chain and ran directly toward
her murderer. Who had blocked the path
way that would have led Ter TO protectors
and safety? " no was the second man
who left telltale footprints on the grounds:
Few doubt that Cyrus Barnard, who was
killed at his cottage on Garden street while
resisting arrest as suspect, had some
thing to do with the crime, though there
were MANY things in his favor which could
not be explained. He had been seen a
long distance from the villa shortly before
the murders were committed; the bloody
clothing left by the assassin could not be
identified as portion of Barnard's ward
robe Yet other evidence seemed so con-
elusive that public opinion views the kill
ing of Barnard as the vengeance of Provi-
dence.
1t Is now almost certainty that Bar
nard had an accompIice- That accom-
pIiee may have com mIrted the murders
while the man now dead stood by, cow
ardIy and appalled, spectator. Senior
Romero the Californian who has, since
the day of the murder. been the custodian
of the Richardson house and grounds.
states that Ayala and his wife, who testified
to having seen and accosted Cyrus Barnard
at 8 O'Clock on the night OF the murder,
also marked white horse attached to
an open buggy and hitched to the fence
along the road opposite the Richardson
barn. No one lives on the other side Of
this road in that vicinity. No one would
hitch a horse there at that time of night
unless on visit to the Richardson place
Yet if they had any visitors that time OF
night that fact has been sedulously con-
ceaied.
Had Barnard hired or borrowed this
horse testimony concerning it would long
ago have been forthcoming. Some one is
intel ested IN coneeallDg the fact that the
white horse was out that night. The man
now under suspicion was seen in Barnard's
company on the day of the murder, but
when questioned afterward he positively
denied that he had seen Barnard on that
da and since then he has kept guardedIy
in the background.