The San Francisco call., 1906-07-07
MYST[R|OUSCASf
OF ASSAULT AT
OCEAN BEACH.
H. G. Langreuter, a Real
Estate Solicitor, Is Al
most Beaten to Death
MOTIVE WIN
Evidence That Makes AT
fair a Singular One Un-
earthed by Detectives

II. G. Langreuter. a solicitor for the
Ewing Real Estate Company, with his
face beaten beyond recognition and
his head frightfully lacerated. stag
gered to the car home OF George VII
son in the district known as Carville
last evening and when the feeble ap-
peal for assistance was answered the
injured man muttered something about
his missing watch, then dropped, to-
tally unconscious. to the ground. His
watch chain hung out of his pocket,
snapped near the bar, and the time
piece was gone.
Not a further word of explanation
was gained from the victim and the
police are completely baffled. While
the theory that the solicitor had fallen
into the hands of brutal robbers seems
the most plausible there are circum-
stances that call for vigorous inyes-
tigation.
Langreuter was evidently injured
about two hours before he made his
appearance at Wilson's car. Witnesses
give information that a man hurried
from the locality about the time the
crime is supposed to have been COM
mited. and a mysterious woman. whose
actions attracted attention In the same
neighborhood at that time, Is being
sought. In an unoccupied car, close
by, pair of gold trimmed spectacles
was found in pool of blood that had
just coagulated. Near the spectacles
was the photograph of a man and a
woman.
Wilson says that the solicitor came
to the rear of his car about o'clock
in the evening His condition was
frightful and he was covered with
blood. There were deep decorations of
the scalp and face, his eyes were al
most closed and his lower jaw had
been broken. His only remark was,
rs my watch gomez" Then he fell to
for help. The injured man was taken
to the Park Emergency Hospital, but
DR.. Hill was not able to revive him
sufficiently to secure a statement. De-
tectives Mulcahy, Matheson and Freel
were sent on the case from the Cen
trail Station and Immediately visited
the scene of the assault.
The first person able to give the de-
tectives any information was Miss E.
Kellerhals, who resides at Forty-ninth
avenue and 1 street. The young woman
said that about 4 o'clock in the after
noon she saw a man rushing in the d.
rection of the Sutro forest, and she
watched him until he disappeared from
sight. He was short, stout, and wore
a pair of russet leggings. At the same
time she saw what she believed to be
~
near ] street and short distance from
the boulevard.
= c. e. Dempster, who occupies car No.
s, said he noticed a woman hurrying
toward an unoccupied car near the one
occupied by Wilson, and upon this clew
the detectives worked and succeeded
in making find of much Importance.
On the floor of the car indicated by
Dempster was large pool of blood that
had been spilled but short time before.
The spectacles were bloodstained. and.
with the photograph of an unidentified
man and woman. lay close by the pool.
No one saw Langreuter at the car and
no one has yet been found who wit
messed the assault.
Although Langreuter's watch is miss
ing. a IS goldpieee remained in his
pocket and this again tends to weaken
the robbery theory. While being taken
to the hospital the injured man raved
madly and constantly fought off imag-
mary assailants. Even after being
placed on a cot at the Central Emer-
gency Hospital he would suddenly start
and attempt to break away from the
attendants. Though his mind was
clouded he was evidently in fear of a
renewal of the attack. but the sounds
he uttered were unintelligible and af-
forded no c1ew for the police.
Langreuter came to this coast about
one year ago and entered the employ
of Baldwin & Stetson. real estate
agents. His services were always sat
isfactory and four days ago he enter
ed the employ of the Ewing Real Es
tate Company at an advanced salary
lie came here highly recommended, but
beyond this little could be learned con-
cerning him last night. His injuries
are serious, but DR.. H. K. Herzog. un-
der whose care he has been placed at
the Central Emergency Hospital says
that they are not necessarily fatal. He
is middle-aged man and has no
family