The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-08-28
CHILD POINTS AN
ACCUSING FINGER
Point Arenas. Mystery
DeepenS.
RELATIVE UNDER A CLOUD
JAMES DOWNS SEEN AT MRS.
MoRSE'S HOME.
The Husband of the Aged Victims
Grandchild Said to Have Visited
the Cottage the evening Be-
fore the Tragedy.
Special Dispatch to TIL. Call.

POINT ARENA, Aug. T.-The mys-
terry surrounding the tragic death of
aged Mrs. Morse seems to grow deeper
as the investigation proceeds. Mrs.
Spaulding, against whom the finger OF
suspicion was first pointed, is now be-
lieved to be innocent. Many citizens
who accused her of having committed
the crime and favored hanging her
without the formality Of a trial are
now sorry that they spoke, so con-
vinced are they of her innocence.
A six-year-old girl named Minnie
Bishop is likely to play an important
part in unraveling the mystery. She is
the daughter of Joseph Bishop, and Is
remarkably bright. She lives with her
parents in a vine-covered cottage only
short distance from the house which
was occupied by Mrs. Morse.
According to her statement she went
to the Morse residence the evening be-
fore the tragedy. While plucklng
flowers she was surprised to see James
Downs, a blacksmith, leaving the
house She spoke to him and asked
him to assist her in gathering bou-
ouet. Downs, as she claims, took her
hand and escorted her from the place
after telling her that he was wanted
at home. He went directly to his house
and was met at the door by his wife.
Downs is married to a daughter of LIE
Grande Morse, who narrowly escaped
sharing the fate of his beloved parent.
At the time at which, the child says,
she saw Downs leaving the house of
/ Mrs. Morse the aged woman was call
| ing on Mrs. Downs. She remained
! about an hour and half and then re-
| turned to her home. The following
morning she partook of the poisoned
| mush which caused her death. AS it
! is strongly believed that arsenic was
| placed in the mush during the tenn
porary absence of Mrs. Morse, Downs
will shortly be called upon to explain
| his presence in her house.
| When confronted with the child's
statement last evening, Downs at first
hesitated but finally declared that she
was mistaken.
"She did not see me-" he rather We
hemently remarked, land / was not at
the house that evening, and l can
prove Ii by several reliable witnesses.
do not want to say that the girl is tell
ing an untruth, but when she declares
that she saw me leaving grandma'S
house on the evening of the tragedy l
do claim she is greatly mistaken. /
closed up my shop about O'Clock on
that evening and went to my house. |
While my wife and l were discussing /
various events Mrs. Morse entered. |
Mrs. Spaulding came into the parlor |
while we were there. A short time aft |
erward I put on my coat and went for |
a walk 1 leisurely sauntered down
town and met several friends. Feeling |
fatigued, concluded to go to bed and |
started for my home / expected to |
find Mrs. Morse there, but was sur
prised when my wife told me that she |
had left about fifteen minutes before /
/ returned.
TT is ridiculous to think that would |
have gone to grandma'S house, know |
ing that she was at my house. 1t is |
true / have been in the habit of calling |
at her house and was regarded as one
of the family. 1t seemed so much like |
home to me that / did not think it |
necessary to knock on the door before |
/ entered. She was like a mother to |
me, and why some people should sus- |
pect me of causing her death seems
strange, to say the least.
Notwithstanding Downs denial this
little girl is positive that he is the man
whom she saw leaving the Morse resi-
dence while she was pluclSing flowers.
Il could not be mistaken" she en-
phatically said when told of the denial |
of the blacksmith. I know it was Mr. |
Downs, because he spoke to me. He |
wanted me to go to his house, but as
wanted to get some more flowers I told |
him 1 would see him later. After
plucking a big bouquet l thought !
would stroll down to his house and see
his wife. Mr.. Downs was there, and
spoke to him, but did not mention our
meeting in Grandma Morse's garden"
Captain Henry Tullner, who sat at |
the inquest over the body Of the muir
dered woman. is convinced that Mrs.
Morse was poisoned by one Of her rel |
atives.
81 have made thorough investiga-
tion,' he remarked. "and have satisfied
myself that no stranger committed the
awful deed. 1t now seems that the
poisoner will never be caught 1 first
suspected Mrs. Spaulding, and wss in
favor of having her arrested. LIE
Grande Morse would not tolerate such
a course and 1 looked around for evil
dence upon which to base a warrant.
but was unsuccessful. am in
clined to believe that, while Mrs.
Spaulding did not commit the deed.
she had a hand in It, There was
more than one person mixed up in the
awful crime and time will prove that
am right"