The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-02

The fabric Of evidence built by the local
police around Mrs. Cordelia Botkin has
crumbled. like a house. of cards. Not one
yestige of the discriminating testimony re-
mains, and the authorities must begin
all over again. Their. energies have been
nisdirected. Witnesses that believed they
knew something of the tragic death OF
Mrs Dunning. and Mrs. .Deane have la
bored under terrible mistake. Their
knowledge does not possess even the
value of a coincidence.
- The poisoned candy that brought death
to the two. unfortunate women in, Dover
was bought in this city. and not In Stock
ton. The death-ladep CONNECTIONS were
purchased at the establishment Of George
Haas. This information, which, unlike
that which came from Stockton. is lab
soluteiy. correct, was like a thunderbolt to
the local police. o.: -. 3.
a.. The discovery means more than a
change in the scene of operations. 1t lifts
q tremendous cloud of suspicion from
Mrs. Botkfn and, while it does not leave
her completely free from the shadow of
guilt, it forces upon. the authorities the
necessity of constructing a new: case on
very different lines from that so boast
fully presented for the last two weeks:
The. only positive testimony that remains
TO confront Mrs. Botkin is the assertion
of John P. Dunning that he believes the
woman wrote the anonymous threatening
letters to his wife. Even Dunning will
not say that the address on the package
of candy was penned by the accused
woman, and local experts are positive
that it was not. -.
annals a case where the. detectives were
so completely at fault. Chief of Police.
Lees studiously. refTafued from corrobor-
atiITg th6-as seEtions of the Stockton. peo-
al n
candy. The Chief was waiting, he said
for the arrival Of the detective from
Dover, When Detective MeNey arrived:
and the grim Instruments of death were.
examined and, photographed there was no
longer an. excuse for delay. The Chlef OF
Police began his Inquiry: He sent for the.
proprietor and clerks of the Wave candy
store at Stockton. He detailed a detec-
live to Investigate among the candy shops
Of this city. Yesterday morning the crash
came and the great case OF the prosec1-
non fell TO the ground.
The witnesses from Stockton positively
declared. that the box of poisoned candy
had not been bought from them. They
were able 10 say beyond question that
neither the box. nor the candy had come
from their shop. In an instant the Chief
Of Police found himself precisely where
he had commenced two weeks ago. He
aad arrested a woman at the instance of
the Delaware authorities. AT their com
nand he had charged her with murder.
Beyond that nothing. had been done ex-
cept to. make a most serious mistake.
The Delaware officers had been told that
evidence of the most vital character had
oeen secured against Mrs. Botkin In this
city and in Stockton. She had been
Identified, the official reports declared, as
the woman who bought the canGy- Inc
official romance pictured her at the ferry
postal station securing stamps and send
ng the messenger of death ON its way.
Inspired by these :unWarranted reports
the Delaware authorities. charged Mrs.
Botkin with murder. All the material
evidence, they believed, was here. they
had only the unsupported assertion of
Dunning to justify them in their action
and the local authorities must tell them
SO. Chief Lees is more than ever con-
4inced that Mrs. Botkin must be extra
lifted. He has nothing with which to
Justify her trial for murder In this State.
After. the witnesses from Stockton had
told their story and had destroyed all the
hope of:the prosecution, another witness
was summoned. He was George HaSs
and he came to tell the Chief of Police
what he had already told Detective Glib
son. that the box and the. candy had been
purchased at his. establishment on Mar
ket street.. The police were dumfound-
ed, but they. could do nothing but ao-
eept the inevitable, Haas gave. satisfac-
Tory reasons for declaring that the pois-
p Dned .sweatmeats came. FROM his. store
before they. were prepared for their. work
of death. The box is unique and Is
handled on this coast by Haas: only. The
candy. is: of such d make that the WITT
ness: could easily identify. # as. his own
manufa cture. -. =: =:
= But George Haas. could go. no fur Their.
Neither he nor his clerks can. tell when
the box. was bought,or by whom Hun
9reds of similar packages have been sold
N. the last few weeks. Hundreds" of peo-
pie pass in and out .of the store every
lay. To the girls who serve. the. custom
: srs. of the establishment, few people pos
sess. an individuality: The girls In the
store haye been questioned. from. every
possible point of view, but they can tell
nothing. There was nothing in the pur:
chase of the box of candy to make them
:. remember the incident. These girls do not
know Mrs: Botkin and are quite sure that
they. cannot identify. her. They will: be
given: however, a. chance. to do so. The
9utcome is already: a certainty that the
accused woman will not be identified 1t
!. seems as If the identity of the cruel muir
aeress. of Mrs. Cumming and her sister
. 70 to be lost in the crowd that passes to
and fro on the street =:
The Developments in the case yesterday
inspired Mrs: Botl1in. with. new hope. II
am glad she declared; "the the police
p. have. at:last obtained some positive I'm
formation of value. Since they know that
= The candy was bought in this city and not
IN Stockton they may be able now to get
On the track of the cruel person who took
the lives of Mrs. Dunning and Mrs.