The San Francisco call., 1908-09-05
While Police Hunt for Man Ac-
cused by Suicide, EmeryvilIe
Marshal Will Dig
Suspect Not Seen Since Mrs.
Donohue Was Slain and May
Also Be Victim
Dead Consort of Murdered
Woman and Aflstedt Believed
to Be Jointly Implicated

While police are combing down
San Francisco, neighboring suburbs
and mining towns west of the Rocky
mountains for Joseph Berry, the Oak
land detective department has pre-
pared for an exhaustive search for the
body of this man whose name two
days ago became linked with that of
Mrs. Alice Donohue. Evidence against
Gustave Ahlstedt, the suspect who
was arrested the morning that the
woman's body was discovered, came
to light yesterdays handkerchief
and side comb Of Mrs. Donohues s.
found in his possession. The circum-
stances surrounding the discovery in
some. guilty knowledge of their import
1t was the belief that Donohue might
have known of the crime, and that at
the same time Ahlstedt might have been
the de facto murderer, which undoubt
edly led Captain of Detectives Petersen
of Oakland to give orders for the search
for Berry's body, and the fact that no
real evidence has come to light that
Berry has been seen since the time the
woman disappeared. As consequence
Deputy Marshal Lippi of Emeryville
will dig today in the place where Mrs.
Donohue's body was found last Sun
day with the belief that Berry's corpse
may be beneath it. Lippi Will con-
Time his search in the AhlStedt
premises.
IDENTIFY SIDE COMB
Three women, Mrs. de Vera, Mrs.
Green and Mrs Myers, the neighbors
of Mrs. Donohtie. who offered more evil
dence than other nearby dweliers, iden-
tilted the side comb and the handker-
chief These women said that Mrs.
Donolue wore the side comb the after
noon before the evening on which she
disappeared.
When the side comb was found in
Ahlstedts garret Donohue was asked
by Petersen whether or not it be-
longed to his wife. Evasively the man
answered: Not to the best of my
knowledge and belief" Petersen lost
patience. He demanded direct an
swer. Then Donohue threw back his
head and said: NO He repeated
the denial positively.
inches square, with a one-fourth inch
black border. This AhIstedt had in
his pocket the morning of his arrest.
And on it is a blue mark-a blotch al
most purple. Exactly similar in color
was blotch found on the towel which
was dug up with Mrs. Donohue's body.
Ahlstedt will be held for several
days at least In the light of the pres
ent evidence, the first which could
with corroborative evidence be safely
brought before superior court, the po-
lice believe that they have a partial
case. Deputy Marshal Lippi, who has
combed the neighborhood since the dis
covery of the body, got this evidence.
DENIAL BY DONOHUE
Donohue's denial of knowledge of the
side comb, his actions regarding insur-
ance money and his lack of informa-
tion regarding Berry made the po-l
lice suspicious that he knew something
of the crime. Peculiar language in his
note, where he said, Had or done this
deed" lends strength to the suspicious
Had" could easily mean procured to
be done" The idea that Donohue might
be guilty in conjunction with Ahl-
stedt would include the idea of Dono-
hue hiring the latter to do the actual
killing of the woman.
And in case of such conspiracy,
self-murder when Berrys name was
published in The Call, it is thought pos
sible by the officers that Berry might
have been a second victim. Berry is
now believed to be the man of whom
Mrs. Donohue spoke as her half brother
the man who slapped Donohue in the
Donohue home last winter. Donohue
knew of Berry's relations with his
wife. The combination of circum-
stances which would have made Dono-
hue employ Ahlstedt to help him make
away with the couple, or employ Ahl-
stedt to help him bury them after the
murder, is not regarded as impossible.
The fact that Mrs. Donohue was a
woman with a past of many sides is
proved by late evidence as to her pre-
vious married life. Twice married In
Pennsylvania-the second husband ma
terialized into fact yesterday-she
lived with Berry. then Donohue