Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-08
BELIEVED TO BE GLUE
POSSIBLE SOLUTION OF HILL
DEATH MYSTERY.
The San Francisco Police Searching
for Man With Whom BE
Travelled.

The Washing ton friends of j. ]. Hill, the
attache of the quartermaster's department.
of the army who died in San Francisco last
Friday as the result of fractured SKULL
think they have some clue to the person or
persons who perpetrated the crime Young
Hill was on his way to Manila 10 take
position in the quartermasters department.
of the United States army to which ne hao
been assigned. En- route to San FRANCISCO
he stopped off in st. Louis to visit the ex-
positfon. and on his arrival In San Fran
cisco stopped at the Grand Hotel, from
which he wrote several letters to friends In
this city detailing his trip.
In letters to George E. Tralles and
Charles w. Bowie MIR. Hill told of having
travelled in company with bank presi-
dent and his daughter as far as San Fran
cisco. and of his having been invited by
the daughter to call. which he expressed
his intention of doing. 1t is thought by the
police that this alleged bank president may
have had something to do with the knock
out drops said to have been administered
and the blow on the head that fractured
his skull is believed to have come from the
same source.
The police of San Francisco are said to
be looking for the alleged bank president
but have not been able to locate him.
Tracing Hills Movements.
Hill left the Grand Hotel last Thursday
night since which the San Francisco police
have been trying to trace his movements
up 10 the time he was found in an uncon-
scious condition with fractured skull, but
In this they have been unsuccessful He
was found at the corner of Mission and
Beale streets at o'clock the next morning.
His cap lay twenty feet away. No valu-
ables were found in his clothing. He was
taken to the Harbor Hospital, where he
died twelve hours later without having re-
covered consciousness. AT first 1t was
thought that death was due to knockout
drops. but the autopsy disclosed that his
skull had been fractured. Hill was to have
sailed on the transport Sherman. which left
Frisco on Friday, and he had previously
gone to the transport office and was given
his passage. He had also sent his trunk
from the hotel to the transport dock Thurs
day afternoon. The detectives went to the
transport Friday morning to get the trunk
but II had been packed in the hold of the
Sherman and could not be gotten out
From the contents of Hills satchel the de-
tectives learned that he had been member
of the law college of the National Univer-
sity of this city. and debater of note, as
several programs indicated. He was thirty
years of age and a man of education and
refinement.
Theory of Police.
The theory of the San Francisco police is
to the effect that Hill was given knockout
drops and then taken to dark street cor
ner and struck blow the head, which
fractured his skull. Hills letters do not up
set this theory, but furnish a clue which
may enable the Frisco authorities to I'M
earth the perpetrators of the crime.
In one letter. written to George E. Tralles
of thi; city, dated at San Francisco, June
80, he says: II came here with a bank
president and his daughter" In another
letter, written TO Charles W. Bowie of this
city, dated June 20, Hill says: Il travelled
with a bank president special envoy from
Japan and prominent San Francisco
merchant, and have invitations from all to
call The bank president has an attractive
daughter, and l shall call on the lady be-
fore / leave
In a third letter to friend Hill indicated
that he had left the Grand Hotel. where he
| had been stopping and at the time of writ
| ing was at the home of the alleged bank
president.