The San Francisco call., 1904-11-07

Eleven years ago Harley Bowers Of
Chicago married Miss Butts of Carbon
dale, ILL.,, and last Saturday afternoon,
two days after the arrival of the couple
in San Francisco from the Middle
West. the man suddenly disappeared,
taking with him all of the family coin
and personal property, leaving his
wife penniless and sick in a community
of strangers. This is the brief intro
duction to a story that contains much
of pathos and mystery. The deserted
woman furnishes the pathos, the police
detectives supply the mystery.
Wednesday morning Harley Bowers
! and his wife reached this city on the
| Central Overland train. Accompanying
| the pair was Robert Bowers, a brother
| of the woman's husband. The object OF
| the trip of the brothers was ostensibly
| to acquire some sort of business on the
| coast, where they had decided to tahe
| up their residence. Before leaving Chi
cago Mrs. Bowers, who at the time of
her marriage was considered wealthy
woman, drew from the business of her
| brother, William A Butts, of Carbon
dale $4,000, with which she intended to
assist her husband in the purchase of
such business as he might see fit to en-
| ter. Saturday morning Bowers had his
wife give him all the money that was
| left-S3000- saying that he was going
| to place it in a savings bank.
But Bowers did not stop at the ap-
propriating of the $4,000. He took all or
Mrs. Bowers dresses, her jewelry her
little trinkets, such as women treasure
her manicure sets, silverware-in
short, everything that had a. CONNER
cial value, leaving on the floor of their
rooming place a few soiled pieces or
linen after he had separated his own
| ra1 he 70, IOf6 Ao
Sick and despondent, the poor woman
is cared for by Mrs. Gum, the landlady
of a fat at 176 Fell street, where the
Bowerses had come to live. Even the
small change that was in the sick wo-
mans purse was taken.
EVIDENCE OF CONSPIRACY.
In these facts the Police Department
sees evidence of a conspiracy that De-
tective Coleman thinks originated in
Chicago, where, according to his
theory the brothers, seeing that
they could not get possession of
the money Mrs. Bowers held in trust,
decided to lure the woman to Califor-
MIA and here compel her to give il
them either by peaceful or foul means.
Coleman holds that 1t is another Soc
der case, but this theory is not very
we'll borne out by statements made by
Mrs. Bowers Nor is there other than
the testimony of the landlord and land
lady at 215 Kearny street, where the
Bowerses roomed during the first two
days spent in this city, to substantiate
the story that Harley and Robert Bow
ers fed with all of the wife's property
However, the police are inclined to
place confidence in their deductions
and have discovered evidence that in a
measure bears them out.
When my husband, his brother
and myself arrived in San Francisco"
a room at 215 Kearny street / did
not like the locality and we decided to
move.
Saturday morning my husband said
he had found a nice room in private
family at 176 Fell street and / accom-
panied him and Robert to this place.
Robert waited at the corner while
Harley and 1 looked at the quarters.
They suited us and we said that we
would take them. Harley paid only
| 81 50-for one night-saying to the
landlady that he would settle later as
he had not the change, or some such
excuse. He then told me that as L
was not feeling strong | had better
remain where N was until he could
move our trunks from 215 kearny. /
| agreed to do so.
Harley then joined his brother and
they must have gone to the Kearny
street place direct. In the forenoon l
gave $4,000 to Harley to either place
J in bank or keep in safety on his
person / warned him to be careful
] with the money. He said he had
| bought a coin belt and that he would
| carry the money in it if he did not
! bank 1t.
HUSBAND DISAPPEARS.
| II waited for the return of my hus-
| band and his brother until late in the
afternoon, and when they did not come
back I went to the Kearny street lodg-
Continued IN Paoe 2 tyoT 2