The San Francisco call., 1908-09-09
BERRY FURNISHES
POLICE WITH ALIBI
Man Suspected of Murder of
Mrs. DOn0Ilue Sends Lett
ter to Detectives
Ahlstedt Is Booked on Charge
of Robbery Preferred by
Mrs. Laumeister


Joseph Berry, listed as a possible
suspect in the Donohue murder case,
sent word to Captain of Detectives Pc
tersen of Oakland, telling of his where
abouts and apparently establishing a
complete alibi, yesterday. fourth
man, unidentified, though a good de-
scription of him is in the hands of the
police, materialized during the day.
Mrs. Donohue was seen by neighbors
talking with this man, with her arm
about his waist, at 5:45 o'clock the
night she vanished.
The coroner's jury in the case of
Mrs. Donohue returned a verdict of
death from violence or poison, leaving
the identity of the criminal open; and
Gustave Ahlstedt, the first suspect in
the murder case, was turned over to
the San Francisco police for prosecu-
tion on a forgery and burglary
charge.
These developments in the Emery
vile mystery came yesterday-one
after the other-suddenly, as have all
new phases in the affair.
ANOTHER CLEw FURNISHED
The appearance of another man came
as a result of a systematic combing
down OF the neighborhood by Marshal
Carey and Deputy Marshal Lippi of
Emeryville. Mrs. B. f. Storm, who
lives on Sixty-third street, almost di-
rectly in the rear of the Donohue heme,
says she saw Mrs Donohue talking to
man whom she describes as follows:
Medium height, sturdy, almost stout in
build, dark faced, well dressed in dark
trousers, light brownish coat and vest,
brown hat, clean shaven., This man,
Mrs. Storm says. was standing at the
Donohue gate. Mrs. Donohue was
standing inside the fence, and her arm
was half round the waist of the
stranger. Mrs. Storms daughter re-
marked about the familiarity of the
attitude, which caused the mother to
look closely. In connection with the
case Mrs. Storm gave the officers a
lead, following which they found that
Dan Mahoney, a laboring man, for
merly of San Pablo, had worked with
Donohue on the Richardson ranch three
years ago. A woman had been muir
dered on the ranch and Mahoney said
that Donohue was suspected of the
murder. Mahoney is in San Francisco,
but the police state that they have not
his street address.
BERRY SENDS LETTER
Berry apparently cleared himself by
the following letter, received yesterday
noon by Captain of Detectives Peter
sen:
Harrison Gulch, Knob Postoffce, Shasta coun-
Captain Petersen. Oakland CaI.-Dear SIR
see by the San Francisco Examiner of Septem-
Der 4, 1905 where Donohue had killed himself
and left note naming one Joe Berry the
woman's slayer. Now, / wish to state that Joe
Berry is here working in the mine of the Midas
gold mining company and that he has requested
me to write that he is the the San Fran
cisco Examiner had reference to- And know
all about him for the last seven or
and man by the name of Harry Wilson came
here and went to work for the Midas gold min
ing company Of Harrison gulch the 22d day of
February, 1908, and that Berry has not been
away; in fact, he has not missed but two days
work since last February. He commenced work
here on February %, 1905, and has worked steady
eNept one day on June and one day on the
An of July, 1908. 1t is very easy for Mr.. Berry
TO prove here that he could not have committed
the crime, as he has not been away from here
Harry Wilson, the man who came here with Mr..
Berry, left on May 81, 190S, and went to Alaska
II Inefe Is any Iurtaer lnIormatl0n you WISH /
VIII De glad 10 let you Know. But as TO Mr..
Berry's innocence, 1 know he is not guilty, as
he has been here all the time and 1 have taken
his time direct from the company's time book.
Mr. Berry says to tell you, after he saw by the
paper that she was dead he had friend here
TO write for him TO Mr.. Donohue telling him
where Mrs. Donohue's brothers were, and If he
did not write he himself would write to them.
Mr. Berry is working here and is not going to
leave unless the law takes him away. Mr.. Ber-
~ says it is seven years since he saw Mrs.
Donohue. Yours truly, w. B. HAMMANS,
Justice or the Peace.
If a checking up of the time books
shows the letter to tell the truth the
Oakland police will look on Berry as
out of the case. Significant in their
eyes is the fact that Donohue said
nothing to them about the letter.
The coroners jury held two inquests.
When they finished with the Mrs. Don
ohue case they heard evidence as to
her husbands death and returned a
verdict of suicide. The witnesses in
the Mrs. Donohue inquest had all told
their stories to the public days ago.
BOOKED FOR ROBBERY
| Ahlstedt has been brought across the
bay and taken to the city prison by
Detective Fitzgerald. He was booked
on the charge of burglary preferred
against him by Mrs. Elizabeth Lau-
meister, 529 Andover avenue, who ac-
cuses MIN of breaking into her home
on September 27, 1906, and stealing $40
and deed to land. She alleges that
Ahlstedt forged her name to the deed
and she may also charge him with for
gerry.
Ahlstedt positively refused to talk
about the case, saying it would be time
enough when the facts came out in
court. Nor would he say anything
about the Donohue case, declaring
that he had enough notoriety to serve
him for a long time fo come