The San Francisco call., 1904-03-09
questions asked by the Coroner and
Jurors in a manner that made i'm
preston on his hearers. He said:
BRUNE TELLS OF HOLD-UP.

Joseph Buttgenbach and / were counting the
/ cash last Saturday night when his son Albert
rushed through h6,a the Office Office shouting
! through the rear office door into the engine
room.
1 waited just second before I followed
him. In that time 1 Mr. Buttgenbach
turn away from the Sdesk in the back office,
where he had been standing by my side, and
face about toward the front office door as il
TO meet the fOotDads AS I quitting the
office heard him scuffing with some one, but
could not see the face figure of that
person; While running back into the engine
room continued TO hear the noise of the
scuffie- Then came the sound Of the breaking
glass. This 1 remember distinctly but do not
recall hearing the pistol shot
ran back 10 the stairway and called through
the partition to the barkeeDer in the saloon
for help. Albert came over TO the stairs and
tod him 10 kick in the partition He did
this and was at once taken care of by the
officers. ! stuck my head through the open
ing and asked for help. Sergeant Greene
came through and with him ! went back into
the office, where found Mr.. Buttgenbach
lying in a pool Of his own blood. I tried TO
get him TO talk. but he never spoke again.
This was about 1913 D. m
We generally close the building about 9:3O
after which there is always work TO do
wac no one in the building except the two
Buttgenbachs and myself at the time were
I paid the men of before 10 o'clock Al
bert's balance was Sl2. After / gave him this
did not see him again until he came into
the office shouting Hold upi' AS soon as
his father heard this shout he dropped his
purse and started for the front office door
and I ran out the back door.
SAW NO ASSAILANT.
Did you see any one scufiing with
Joseph Buttgenbach? asked Leland.
mo, but 1 heard the noise of the
scuffling and of the falling glass. Just
as soon as 1 got out in the engine
room Albert called to me there in the
dark and told me to shout for help.
ran over to the stairway because at
first IL occurred to me that I might go
upstairs and hide. NY suggestion that
Albert break the partition was due to
my familiarity with the building. L
knew the boards were thin. L was
afraid to go out by the Shipley street
door, because 1 didn't want to run into
the footpads."
Did Albert have hat on when he
ran through the Office giving the
alarm?"
i do not recall what he wore, except
that he was in his street clothes"
Was any one following him?'
81 am almost positive that I heard
the sound Of footsteps behind him, but
1 did not stay to get look at his pur-
suer. No. 1 did not hear the scuff1e he
says took place at the Shipley street
door. l was so busy making UP the
cash that the noise would have had to
be very loud for me to notice it. There
was a single gas jet lit in the store out
side the office, but as we were back at
the desk we did not see any figures
passing before the window
Brune's testimony closed with the as
sertion that he knew of no serious trou-
BILE between the Buttgenbachs, father
and son, and that in all the years he
had known Albert he had never known
him to own or carry revolver.
ALBERT'S EXPLANATION.
Albert L. Buttgenbach, whom the po-
lice believe killed his father, showed |
the marks of nervous strain when he |
took the stand. Evidently the two days |
in the City Prison had worn on him. He |
was scared, weak-voiced and very un-
comfortable under the ordeal of the |
Coroner's examination. But the story !
he told the police Saturday night when |
he was first arrested was repeated |
without material variance. Suspicious |
as his explanation is, the young fellows !
under fire grew as he became
familiar with his inquisitors, and he |
battled for his own version of the trag-
edy with a stubbornness that at least
won him credit for nerve. His story
follows:
am an engineer and for two years past
have been employed by my father receivine
SIS week Last week / drew Sc In ad-
vance. so there was. only $12 due me when
F3r1lne paid of the men. I never had anything
hut kindly Feelings toward my father No
trouble occurred between u.s.
After Brune gave me the money Saturday
night / went out to Alpers q Heides saloon
and got a drink Of whisky, then came back
TO the boiler-room and looked at the fires and
changed my clothes. Shortly before 10 o. clock
got things about the engine In order and