The San Francisco call., 1907-06-07
SPIRIT MEDIUM CONJUREs
UP A SCENE OF MURDER
Informed by Wraiths That
DR.. Van Tassell Is at
Bays Bottom
NOTIFIES THE POLICE
Graphic Details Embraced in
His Description of Imag-
mary Crime
NOTIFIES THE POLICE

BERKELEY, June 6.--If the police
could believe an Oakland medium, who
gives his name as Charles Vail, the
mystery involved inn DR.. Van Tassell's s
DISAPPEARANCE a week ago would be
| mystery no longer. Vail has fled with
| the police a document describing In de-
tail what he believes has happened 70
! Van Tassell. This is his message, In
spired by spirits:
We hare found the doctor. He Is dead and
Key 0qa Route es oa IN e pay 1s M ead sd with rope
rock about q foot square, that holds him TO
| the bottom, but the tide is carrying him cut 10
short, stout man in gray clothes, with black
| mask over his face. The murderer took MS
money. then took the body to the bay in light
spring wagon There be put it in a boat and
took it about two miles and threw 1t oyerpoafd
VIII, with the rock attached. The body went Went Gown
with splash and never rose to the surface.
The murderer returned to his rig anu drove
back to Berkeley, put the horse In the stable,
.nen went home arriving about oeiock @ ntsde IN
OF the drug store There was no blood to trace
him. That is what fooled the police. He was
long and an inch thick. He was struck in front
of the right ear and never moved The murderer
1 hid the gas pipe in his house under the bureau
in an old shoe 1t is in Berkeley just where
1 the doctor lives in small frame house with no
paint. The dwelling stands close to the street
|
over 1t. The house faces the south and Is one
story house with basement about six feet high
The stable is just back of the house. The wagon
stands under the shed by the side of the house.
Yes, the doctor is here (meaning in spirit,
but is too weak to write, but be tells Us what
to write.
J. A. Clayton telephoned again to po-
lice headquarters this morning from his
home at SO Warder street, in East Oak
land, that he was positive he saw DR..
| Van Tassell on a creek boat crossing
the bay last Friday. Clayton said that
he approached Van Tassell and spoke
to him, mistaking him for an acquaint-
ance. He discovered his mistake when
| Van Tassell replied to his salutation.
When Van TasselFs photograph was
published last Tuesday Clayton recog-
| nized it as that Of the man whom he
| had addressed on the boat He said
| that Van Tassell carried physician 5
medicine bag.
Late this evening the medicine bag
| of DR.. Van TasselI, which he carried
! With him when he left the house last
| Thursday night, was taken to the po-
lice station by Mrs. Hannah Olsen of
All Murray street, West Berkeley. The
| woman told of having found the bag
on Friday morning on the beach be-
tween Grayson and Ashby avenues. The
bag contained some of DR.. Van Tas-
sells cards, bandages and a pair of
SCISSORS, Dut no 0tner instruments. In6
tide had washed ashore this bit of
leather containing some of Van Tas-
sells paraphernalia.
Mrs. Olsen is in the habit of collect
ing driftwood which the tide brings in
on the beach. A railroad culvert be-
| tween Ashby and Grayson avenues
often. retains quantities of wood
washed ashore by the tide, and there
Mrs. Olsen goes each morning for spoil
Last Friday she picked up DIR. Van
Tasselrs medicine bag. entangled in
driftwood. Today she learned that Van
Tasseli was missing and at once took
the physicians belongings to the police
The police cannot discern in Mrs
Olsen's find any help to solution OF
Van Tasselrs fate. The bag may have
been thrown into the bay by Van Tas-
sell as he fed the town or have been
carried by him into the bay as he at
tempted suicide, or been cast into the
water by those who may have robbed
or murdered him. The bag and it's re-
covery thus leave the situation as ii
has been. bafffing to all the parties
concerned in the solution of the
| mystery.