Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-27
STUDENT ACCUSED OF MURDER
IS ENIGMA
HIS SISTERS MAINTAIN HE is
INNOCENT
Officers Deny That Miss Lang, Wanted
as Witness in Case, Has Disap-
peared-Mystery Of Bel
lows Death Deepens
~ Associated Press.

state university. and Oldest son IN the
kleinschmidt family of Claremont, muir
dered his friend and rival in love, Frank
Bellows, he is one of the coolest and most
matter-of-fact young murderers Win
" hom the local police have ever had 10
deal.
Every possible device and trick of the
third degree" and the ''sweat-box sys-
tem has been brought to bear on the
young man to trap him into some incon-
sistent or contradictory statement. but SO
far the c.everest work of Chief of Police
Nollmer and his detectives of Berkeley,
and of District Attorney Brown and his
deputies of Oakland, has not weakened
the young student. He has kept his per-
sonal appearance immaculate even in
jail.
Deputy District Attorney Carey. who
took the deposition of Blanche Kerfoot,
" with whom Bellows and Kleinschmidt
we're mutually in love. says that he be-
litves K:einschmidt is guilty of the
crime of which he stands accused. But he
admits that the student has displayed eX-
fraordinary cleverness in his conduct from
the first.
KIeinschmdt Is Clever
Carey calls attention to one bit of clev-
e.ness. assuming of course that Klein
schmidt is guilty. On the night Bellows
met his death. July &c last Kleinschmtdt
lad meeting with Bellows outside the
K.einschmidt home. The student. Carey
SAYS. claims to have LETT Bellows in a
cheerful mood after that meeting. al
though they had had Il rather strenuous
Nrangle over the package of letters
which Kleinschmidt is alleged to have
stolen from Miss Kerfoot.
Immediately after he left Bellows he
went TO his home and into the room
where his sisters were. He began chatting
with them. then suddenly went to win
dow. threw it up and. as If he We're
talking TO Bellows down in the yard,
shouted: You can't have those letters,
Bellows
The authorities see in this an ingenious
preparation of an alibi In anticipation nj
an investigation for it is their theory
that Kleinschmidt had already stretched
Bellows in death with his cyanide of
potassium before he went into the house
and began conversng with his sisters.
Sisters Are Loyal
The two beautiful sisters of the accused.
Misses Bertha and Ellen Kleinschmidt,
assert their belief that their brother VIII
lie purged of every suspicion of guilt when
the case once comes to court. They have
been denied admission to the cell where
They are strikingly beautiful girls, with
flaxen hair. and in conversation display
obviously the artistic temperament. IN
fact they are artists of no mean ability
They have a studio in their mansion IN
Claremont and have entertained society
and literary folk of the bay region there
on many occasions.
Today the two girls drove downtown N
their smart trap and were greeted By
e-l,d aiV,cr n
In regard to the statements of Miss
I<erfoot that she was brutally attackei
and subjected to the most revolving treat
ment by Kleinschmidt in the basement OF
his home the very day that Bellows dead
rody was found. one of the sisters said;
I'VE know nothing of Miss Kerfoot be-
ing at our house on that day. We had
many days before that driven her from
cur home after Harry accidentally found
the package of letters which showed what
kind of girl she was. We would have
rothing more to do with her after that.
And il was only to save Mr.. Bellows
from that girl that Harry warned him of
her character.
1T is absurd TO say that Harry mm-
dered his friend. Bellows. because of his
iufatuation for Miss Kerfoot He wanted
4 have nothing more to do with her
after what we found out. This whole
1I1nS, as lar as I1drTS IL toliCSihSu' 10 "
efotesque farce. He will certainly be
vindicated."
KIeinschmidt May Have Letter
The package of letters which play such
an important art in the case is said to
be still in kleinschmidt's possession. He
has them in a safe deposit vault and the
police are unable to get at them. Their
knowledge IF their contents is gathered
from statements made by Miss Kerfoot
herself and others of the sixty wit
nesses whom the police claim to have on
their side o. the case, but whose names
they refuse to divulge. A number of
these letters are said to be from men
and women who rank even higher in the
social and educational circles of Berke-
ley than do any of the persons already
mentioned this remarkable and puz-
zling case. TO this fact is ascribed the
reason for the unusual reticence of the
police
A desire to protect these prominent per-
sons from scandal is said to be the mo-
tive of the police for Withholding the
names of The signers. AS to the authen-
ITCHY of these letters there is much con-
flict.
In the case of Elsa Lange. the pretty
university girl whose name has already
ii is asserted by Miss Kerfoot that the
letter is a forgery by Kleinschmidt. On
the side of the accused prisoner it is
maintained that all the letters are genu-
Inc. They deny, of course. the accusa-
tion of Miss Kerfoot that he threatened
to do violence to her and to her friend
unless she consented TO be party to his
fell purposes and his mad infatuation.
Chief of Police Vollmer is working day
and night on the case. aided by steno-
graphers and detectives, preparing his
evidence for presentation into court He
will make no statement for publication
at this time, save to say that he thinks
he has nough evidence TO convict the
student.
The writ If habeas corpus sworn out
by Kleinsch, .idts attorneys is made re-
turnable next Monday District Attor-
ney Brown hopes to nave the grand jury
take action on Friday and thus forestall
the habeas corpus proceedings by an in
dictment.
Significant Prayer