The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-20
MYSTERIOUS
WOUNDING OF
CHAS. HAWLEY
Found Dying on Grant
Avenue.
HIS SKULL is FRACTURED
SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN
STRUCK BY A THUG.
The Police Make an Investigation,
but Are Unable to Ascertain
Whether or Not He Was
Assaulted.
HIS SKULL IS FRACTURED
SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN
STRUCK BY a THUG.

Policeman Fennell, while patrollng his
beat on Grant avenue last night. found
well-dressed young man lying on the sue
walk near Geary street in an unconscious
condition. Blood was flowing from his
nose, and deep cut over his left eye in
dicated that he had been assaulted. Fen
nell, realizing that it was q serious case,
lost no time in having the man conveyed
to the Receiving Hospital. An eXamlna-
ton by Assistant Police Surgeon Thomp-
son revealed that the unfortunate man S
skull was fractured. His neck is also as
located, showing that he had been Yio-
lently thrown to the ground.
From cards found in his pockets his
name was ascertained to be Charles Mer-
rift Hawley. There was also a marriage
contract discovered in his clothes, which
read as follows:
BERKELEY. CAL Nov. 6. 1895.
To Whom 1t May Concern; This is to GER
tify that We Charles NJ. Hawley and Alma
Z. Burton, have taken each other Tor nus
band and wife for better or worse-to i've
together in sickness in health and in pow
erty or wealth, until death doth part US:
day Sunday, November g. 1898. Signed,
Charles NJ. Hawley and Alma L. Burton
The contract was in womans hand
writing, and was evidently written by
Miss Burton.
On a piece of paper was scrawled the
following: Good night laddie, and may
God bless you is the prayer of your
sweetheart. l do love you, you dear,
brave boy I am proud of you. Look TO
Jesus, darling, and you will be happy.
The message was not signed, but from a
comparison of the handwriting with that
OF the marriage contract II was evidently
written by Hawley's contract wife.
There was also memorandum book
found in one OF Hawley's pockets, con-
tanning the names of his family and fe-
male acquaintances. On one page was
Left home Friday, October, 1889. Ar
rived in Cripple Creek February %, 1885,;
left Cripple Creek March 81, 1887. Ar
rived San Francisco october IA, 1897; left
for Honolulu September Z, 1898. Returned
to San Francisco october Z, 1898. Left for
Oregon November 2, 1885, On one of the
cards was written fbe address 1.-THE CO.
lontal. Berkeley, Cal"
Immediately after the police were notI-
fed that the man was dying, Sergeant
Martin and Policemen Fennell and Hurd
proceeded to make an investigation. Aft
er considerable trouble they found two
boys VINO claimed that they saw Hawley
staggering along Grant avenue. When
near Morton man who had been follow
ing Hawley walked up behind Tim and
struck him with his cienched fist
AS the man fell TO the sidewalk his head
struck against the curbstone, rendering
took to his heels and disappeared up
Morton. street. An habitue of the tender
loin, who is known as Jack" informed
the officers that Hawley fell down. He
watched him as he staggered along
Grant avenue, and saw him topple over,
his head striking against the sidewalk.
Hawley wore hard hat, which was dent
ed in the back as If the wearer was struck
with some blunt instrument from behind.
The surgeons at the hospital are salts
fed that Hawley was assaulted with some
blunt instrument, and as he fell uncon-
scious to the sidewalk his neck was dis
located. Captain Whitman had several
of his men securing the tenderIoin late
last night with view of solving the mys-
terry.
At midnight the unfortunate man was
IN a dying condition and the surgeons at
the hospital expressed the belief that he
-: would not live many hours.
q. Proprietor Holman of the Colonial in
Berkeley, when seen last night, said that
he had q relative named Charles l.. Haw-
ley, who was supposed to be in the East.
He did not think that the injured man
was his relative, although his description
of the latter tallies exactly with that of
that his relative had been recently mar
ried to a young woman named Miss Rey-
rnlds