The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1906-01-19
EX-BU(LER BEVERLY ON
THE STANFORD TRAGEDY

Albert Beverly, formerly butler tt
Mrs. Stanford, has made a statement
about the Moana hotel tragedy OF
which the following is a part:
II At first, while the case was in the
| hands of the police and press. it wa:
looked upon as an accepted fact thai
the good woman had been murdered
The public yielded agreeably to the
| natural cause theory when the press
became silent and the police inactive
The acceptance of this decision was
| helped along by the much exploited
| idea that no person in a position to
| commit the crime could possibly have
| any motive It was thought that the
| person. or persons. that could realize
any advantage by her hasty death
were those who were in line of inheri-
lance. Such persons were publicly
known not to have been present at the
time when an attempt was made to
kill. nor at the time of death 1t was
also logically argued that even if the
heirs desired her death they would not
trust the execution of such a crime to
culated that the members of her house
hold could in no way possibly profit by
such death, as they were not heirs at
law, and the small legacy that any en-
ploye had a right to expect would not
offset the loss of position in her SER
vice. When no motive was thought of,
or suggested, the idea that there was
no motive became general 1t was con-
criminal to murder such a woman
would not incur the risk without
very large material compensation.
With these deductions in mind, the |
public was prepared to accept the nat |
ural cause theory, especially when 1t |
was invented and promoted by man |
in such an exalted position as that of
DR.. David Starr Jordan, president OF |
Leland Stanford Junior University. |
Men in the position of DR.. Jordan are
looked upon with even more venera-
ton than men high in the church.
Their moral integrity is not only ac-
men, but they are supposed to be larg-
er in general knowledge. Thus it has
come about that a right-minded and
intelligent public has allowed this re-
crime to have passed almost
into history, without any proper effort
being made to avenge the victims
death. The public has been deceived
into taking it for granted that those
who have assumed dictatorship III the
case would do the right thing in the
right way.
1 hold that Mrs. Stanford was muir
dered. 1 hold that those whose official
business it is to investigate crime and
prosecute criminals should unearth
and hang the murderer. 1 also hold
that no private person, or persons, no
matter how highly held in the esteem
of the public, or how exalted their
character may be, should be allowed
to snatch the case from the agents of
the people. The city, county, the State
and Government have delegated au-
thority to men of their choice for such !
work. These men, who are criminolo-
gists by profession, and who have won +
their distinction by success, resulting
from experience, are better qualified
for dealing with crime than are men
who have given their lives to letters
in a moral environment.
l consider the allowing of this case
to pass from the hands of the police
into that of a self-created and private !
is not only an act of stu
pidity on the part of the officials, but
a gross audacity and impertinence on
sne part of the men constituting the
If has hapn innljp6 that ttitn6p I
in this matter is opposed to expert
opinion. L deny this. simply accept
the public and official records of the
case. The police and detectives proved
that the bottle of Poland
city contained a large quantity of
There is no secret of the
fact that Mrs. Stanford took drink
Of this poisoned water and elected the
same. It has been manifest to all that
this water was poisoned for the pur-
pose of causing Mrs. Stanfords death
1t is matter of record that, between
the time of this incident and the night
Of the fatality, Mrs. Stanford was
much agitated and talked freely with
the members of her household and
friends, and all of her statements con-
veyed the firm conviction that an at
tempt had been made to poison.
FOUND AT HOMO
LULU.
The attempt" incident is not gossip
0r SANDER, but fact of official rec
ord, and one which no amount of
sOphistry, or latinized technicalities,
IAN obliterate. In Honolulu, before the
fatal night Mrs. Stanford discussed
his attempt upon her life On the
hight Of her death she took a dose
If soda bicarbonate as she was about
o retire The taking of the soda pro-
iuced physical distress and alarmed
Ter. She summoned her secretary and
hn al.