The San Francisco call., 1897-11-10
namored of the Woman,
He Sought in Vain to
Marry Her.
BETRAYED AT LAST BY HIS
OWN TONGUE.
Did So Much Taking About the
Sensational kiilirg That He
Aroused Suspicion.
Special Dispatch 10 THE CALI

BOSTON, Nov. 9.-Willis c. Leavitt, the
b ind song-vender. was arrested Monday
evening, charged wit the murder of Alice
Brown, the young waman who was found
strangled Thur-day morning al Is Corn
ing street. Leavitt was lodger IN the
house. He had been living there about
four weeks, and he acknowledged that he
was enamored OF the young woman and
wanted to marry he.
Captain Warren says: II have decided
to arrest Leavitt, tle blind man, on the
charge of numbering this girl. think we
have a case against him. l shall have him
arraigned in the Municipal Court to- NOR.
row morning, and l have no doubt that
the evidence l shall offer will be sufficient
to cause mis- detention
The case is one OF absorbing interest,
from the compiete mystery in which it is
shrouded, which is far from solution, even
after this arrest, which Is made only on
circumstan.ial evidence. Chief Warren
added:
I'VE have no witnesses TO the actual
muroer itself. But we have evidence OF a
c;rcumstantial nature which | am salts
fed warrants he arrest"
After Leavit had been committed to q
cell half dc: zen witnesses were brought
to the station and locked up, The pol ce
say that it Was Leavitt's ready tongue
that brought about his arrest. In the
first place he told story that about 8
o'clock Thursday morning he heard Alice
in the hallway of the house talking with
strange man. He recognized Aice's
&c 4 he ha Il 1Nt
know. The man, Leavitt said, was press
ing Alice to marry him. Il would not
marry the best man alive" he said Alice
replied. The talk ceased and Leavitt
heard no more except Alice. footsteps
going toward her own room. He ex-
planned bis being awake at that time of
night by ,aying that he expected visitor.
Although he slept between the room OF
Kate Mclean, who heard a scream, aud
the room in which Alice Brown was muir
dered, he said he did not hear the least
noise. Leavitt's theories were frequent and
interesting. He even went so far, it is de-
the murder was done. The accused man
will be arraigned in court tomorrow
morning on charge of murder. Leayltt
Is 81 years old. 1t is said his father is an
engineer on railroad running INTO
Boston. Leavitt sells songs for living
and has been familiar figure on Tremon t
Row for a few weeks back.
Leav;tt told the police that he had
travelled con iderably and had spent some
time in San Francisco lately.
Leavitt was this morning formally
charged with the murder OF Mary Alice
Ruderhan, or Alice Brown, as she was
better known. The allegation desert bed
the manner Of killing the girl to have
been by grabbing her throat with both
hands and pressing the fingers until she
cnoked to death.
The entire city is excited over this
strange case. 1t is one of the first cases
on record of q blind murdere and there
seems to be a gruesome, morbid fascina-
tion in such a case. Leavitt waived ex-
animation and was held for the Grand
Jury. Leav.tt IN court was no different
than Leavitt on the street. at the station
house or at the scene of murder
He has that II don't care snap" air
which is manifest in all his actions
Leavitt would have talked for an hour
had not the Judge remarked that he bet
ter not do much talking. A mile was on
his face as be walked TO the rail. He
winked and blinked and chuckled a low
chuckle.
Somebody has got to stand for this
thing and / suppose that l might as well
be the one as some other person. The
police are bound to hold some body, nd
guess can stand IT. be said to The
CALL correspondent.
There is something SO uncanny in the
idea of blind so: g-seiler being charged
with the strangling OF the unfortunate
girl as she entered her room. and when,
py his own admission, he had beard her
step as she went back and iorth on her
various trics out of the house that night,
that his case is one OF particular in terest.
His features wear the vacant, upward
look Oft Q blind, and yet it is said that
he can see more than people think. By
his own admissions he was fond of the
girl whose life De isnow accused OF having
taken. He lived in the lowest of neigh
borhoods, the intimate of thieves and
fal en- women.
Talkaiive, boastful and se!f-confdent,
with opinions of a most positive. kind.
Leavitt ratified on about the murder and
his own belief as 10 what was the best fate
or a woman who would not marry good
man when he ked her.
THE evidence in this case must be
purely circumstantial," said THE CALL
man to Leavitt.
That's true" replied Leavitt, prompt
ly, land in this case ere were only Two
people who saw the murder, and one of
them is dead and can't say anything"
Was there an undue note of satisfaction
in his voice as he confidently said, "Only
two peorl 2"
In answer to an expression OF horr ,r
that man should commit murder just
because woman would not marry him,
Leavitt said: kill them for not accept
ing man? Why. - them, it's good
enough for them If they won't listen to
reason. They are better out of the way"
Words cannot do justice to the utter
heartlessness of Leavitl's expression.
Miss O Brien says: II met Lexvitt in
the hallway the morning on which the
body OF Alice was found. l said 10 him.
Have you heard the news? What is it2'
ne replied. Alice Brown has been
killed. Then" said the woman. "he
turned from me excitedlY and said with a