The San Francisco call., 1904-04-20
OFFICERS GIVE
Up The SEARCH
Quest of Man That Shot Mrs.
Elizabeth Werren OH Sum
day Night Comes to End
NEW THEORY ADVANCED
Belief Is Held That Woman
Was Wounded by Enemy,
Not by Bold Highwayman
Berkeley Office San Francisco Cali,
214S Center Street, April 19.


214S Center Street, April 19.
Another day has passed and the as
sailant of Mrs. Elizabeth Werren at
the Werren saloon Sunday night is
| still free. Sheriff Bishop has about
abandoned the quest of the highway
man, there being absolutely no clew
to follow, and as no serious attempt
was made on the part of any other
/ officers to apprehend the criminal it
may be said that he does not even en-
| Joy the distinction of being pursued.
The rather improbable theory has
! b0bbed up now that the shooting was
done not by a highwayman. but by an
enemy Of the Werrens seeking revenge.
All the circumstances that brand it
as a deliberately planned hold-up are
being overlooked in order to support
this theory. The man and his two pis-
tolls, his masked face. his demands for
raised hands, the killing OF the Wer
rens' dog and finally the shooting of
Mrs. Werren are either ignored or ex-
planned as simply bluffs TO cover up
the real nature of the crime. But the
fact remains that Mrs. Werren prob
ably would not have been shot had
she obeyed the bandits commands to
stand still.
The new theory is hung upon the
fact that the Werrens have had quar-
rels with their neighbors over cattle.
George T. Weeks, editor or the Ala
media Daily Encinal, relates a CONVEX
sation he overheard about a year ago
while returning from an outing in
Wildcat Canyon with his son, Walter
r. Weeks, and Leo Brown of 1400
Louisa street The trio had stopped
at the Werrens for refreshment and
while there Mr.. and Mrs. Werren quar-
relied with a man over the theft of some
cattle of the Werrens.
From what l could gather" said
Mr. Weeks to-day, "the Werrens had
accused the man of stealing their COWS.
The man wanted a retraction, but Mrs.
Werren insisted that he was the thief.
This angered the man so that he
threatened TO strike the woman, but
the interference of my son prevented it.
1T is just possible that this shoot
ing is the Outgrowth of that quarrel.
/ know it happened a year ago, but
then people nurse their wrongs a long
time"
]
Mrs. Werren has declared that she
knew the identity of her assailant She
did not refer TO any quarrel with neigh
bors, however, but to a man who
wished TO establish a saloon near the
Werren place. The man had asked the
couple to sign his application, but they
had refused. But Werren himself de-
clares this to be most unlikely, observ-
ing that it is a mere suspicion of his
wife's He refuses to name the man to
whom his wife refers.
All the circumstances in the case in
dicate that il was only a well laid plan
for robbery. 1t is very like the hold
up that occurred recently in a Fruit
vale store and officers who have worked
on the case declare that the same man
acted in both places.
Mrs. Werren's condition was some
what improved to-day, so Dr. ]. Ed
son Kelsey, the attending physician,
said. There is always the danger of
pneumonia, however, and the woman
is by no means out of danger