The San Francisco call., 1897-12-25
Discrepancies in Two
Statements Made by
the Husband.
Says Now He Thinks the
Woman Is Leading a Dis
SOlute Life.
HAS DISAPPEARED BEFORE
He Asserts That She Frequently Lei
Their Home in the Colonies for
Several Days.

Several Days.
Whether Mrs. Julia Keefe has been
put to death, as the children believe,
taken her own life during a fit of
dependency, according to the theory
of some of her neighborS, or has
abandoned home and children to follow
a life of dissipation, as her husband
boldly asserts, the woman's mysterious
disappearance is causing vast
amount of comment among the resi-
dents of Alameda-that is, among all
but the police. They are not worrying
themselves about a woman more or
less, and while all sorts of rumors and
theories are flying about Chief Rog-
ers and his subordinates stand or sit
around, according to their inclination,
and make never a move to solve the
mystery.
Patrick Keefe, the husband and
father on whose head rests the terrible
accusation of murder made by his own
children, roams at will about the
streets of Alameda or busies himself
caring for the three COWS which were
the sole support of the entire family
before the mother disappeared and the
children were given TO the care of
strangers to save them from their
brutal parent.
O'Keefe, or Keefe as he calls him
self now, is a strange fellow. Slightly
under medium height, he is a wiry,
active looking man of 3S or forty years.
At first glance his features are not
unpleasant, but as one studies them
they assume a hardened appearance
that destroys the first impression and
leaves instead a feeling of diStruSt.
A muddy complexion that might be
due, in part at least, to over-indulg-
ence in intoXicants, illuminated by a
crown of clOse-cropped red hair, a
square-cut, bristling mustache of the
same hue and a broad, heavy nose
are the first points in his appearance
TO come under observation, then a
glance at the eyes, which causes the
first distrustful feeling, which deepens
with each succeeding look into them.
Blue-gray in color, they have a cold
glitter when gazing straight at an OBJ
Ject that is not calculated to estab-
hSh confidence in their owner. But
they seldom gaze long at one object.
There is shifty movement to them
that only increases the first impress
sion one gains.
his story without displaying any ner-
vousness, but with the first question
that is put to him he becomes rest
less, and, while his answers come glib
ly enough, they seem to cost him an
effort which he would fain to conceal.
Cunning is displayed in every feature,
every movement he makes, and in al
most every sentence he utters.
To Call reporter he made another
x1-l,i oh
terially different in several Important
points from what he had previously
said. Once he stated that he received
a letter from his wife several weeks
ago and at the time she wrote she was
with her sister in La Sueur, Mimi,
and offered to show the letter to his
questioner, but upon the latter ex-
pressing a wish to see it, Keefe
changed his mind and refused to pro-
duce it. Yesterday he stated posi-
lively that he had not heard a word
from his wife since her disappearance,
but he believed she had gone to La
Sueur.
After time he expressed the opinion
that~the woman was in San Francisco
leading a reckless life. He followed this
statement with the assertion that she
had frequently left home for days at a
time when they were living in Aus
tralia and kept company with objec-
tionable characters, but he admitted
that she had not done so since they
came to California, and had never
stayed away so long before.
Keefe reiterated his assertion of the
night before that his wife was addicted
to the use Of liquor, but careful inquiry
among the neighbors, including those
whom Mrs. Keefe used to visit most
frequently, as well as those who now
take sides with the father, fail to dis
close a single person who ever saw her
take a drink of any intOXicant or even
saw any indications of inebriety in her
appearance. This accords with the
statements of all the children and
leaves only Keefe's unsupported asser-
tion that she drank.
Again, Keefe became entangled in
another point yesterday. In speaking
of the woman in Minnesota Keefe first
gave her name as Mary Lynch Yes
terday he called her Mary Collins, un-
til he evidently discovered the dis
crepancy in the names, and then he
said by way of explanation that Col
Inns was her maiden name.
Keefe said he married the woman
who has so mysteriously vanished in
Cincinnati in in 1880, and they started
at once for Ireland. Two months later
they sailed for Australia and remained
there until last April, when they came
to the United States, with the excep-
tion of two years that they spent in
New Zealand. When asked why the
couple left their children to the care
of strangers for so long a time (eight
years, according to the oldest girl)
Keefe said the longest time they were
ever away from the little ones was
two years. This does not accord with
the statement of the boy Eddy, who
said he never remembered seeing his
mother until just before they sailed
for America, or that of the girl, who
said her parents only visited them
once during the eight years.
Coming down to the 5th Of July
Keefe said his wife did not go to
Golden Gate Park with him and the
children because she had the cows tC
attend to and the milk to deliver
Closely pressed, he admitted that he
told the children that their mother was
to join them at $50 that afternoon Ir
his first interview he said he pleaded
with her to go with them, but she
positively refused, and he said nothing
about her meeting them later. 1t was
the Oldest girl who first said any.