The San Francisco call., 1908-12-05
FRIENDS Hint
At UNREQU|TED
LOVE OF BOAS
Belief That Electrician Planned
His Own Death Prevails De-
spite Views of Family
Expert Kytka Says There Is
Doubt as to Handwriting in
Fatal Letter


48 hours and more have failed to throw
any positive light on the mystery sur
rounding the death of Harry ]. Boas.
or Bose, the young electrician who
died at his home. 2SIe Harrison street,
Wednesday night after swallowing
strychnine.
The police Of this city and San Jose
have expressed, with greater or less
logic, the conviction that the deceased
committed suicide by the circuitous
route of mailing himself the
fatal powder and pretending that
they came from some one in
san Jose named Charles NJ Haw-
er- Miss Anna Kelliher. the only
close woman friend that Boas seemed
10 have, and other friends Of the dead
man insist that he committed suicide.
He committed suicide to make Miss
Anna kelliher feel badly" declared
Mrs D D. PEBBLES of so Second street,
san Jose, yesterday upon learning of
the tragedy
While Miss Kelliher's friends insist
that that young woman was not trif1ing
with Boas' affections, a letter was
made public yesterday which was writ
ten by the girl to Boas Tuesday, De-
cember !, the day before his death. Tt
mentioned the diamond earrings which
Boas gave her and anticipated the
present Of hand painted china, which
he was TO make Christmas
SAYS SHE HAS A HEART
The only suggestion of the fact that
Boas' love for the girl was unrequited
was contained in the passage, @'If 1 lost
the diamond" fearring) lit would have
broken my heart. il I have such a
thing. You say I have not But I say
I have"
In the letter Harry Boas is addressed
as Tony" On the whole. the note is
more formal than affectionate. It does
not appear to be in response to any
passionate or desperate messages which
Boss might have sent the girl
II is declared that Miss Kelliher is
now engaged to q man living in Port
land. Ore. named Herbert.
Martin Bose, the dead mans brother
: IS positive that murder has been COM
mitted.
IF he had killed himself knowingly
and was about to face his Maker" de-
clared the brother. would he have
said in his dying agonies, wonder
who sent me those powders? He would
have said, Why cid do it2' "
Another argument advanced to sup
port the murder theory is that Boas
permitted his business associate, Wal
ter Wilson. to taste the strychnine
after he opened the letter which recon-
mended the drug as an Indigestion
remedy
Coroner Leland viii make thor
ough investigation of the case. De-
tective Gallagher is investigating the
poison records of drug stores to dis
cover who purchased the strychnine.
KYTKA Is INVESTIGATING
The proof of the case will be had
when Theodore Kytka, the handwriting
expert, passes upon the letter received
by Boas with the poison and COM
pares the handwriting to that of known
eKemplars Of Boas' penmznship. After
a cursory examination, Kytka said yes
tarday that he thought there was room
for doubt regarding the identity Of the
handwriting
chief Of Police Ed Haley of San Jose
said that the handwriting of the
-'Hawer' letter was Boas'. In San Jose
it was compared with the handwriting
on a letter addressed by Boas to Will
liam Meyers Of SCI North First street.
Boas' character and reputation came
in for 2 thorough examination yester-
day and with little credit to the name
If the dead Among his friends he
was known as a cheerful liar" not a.
malicious prevaricator but fellow of
endless ingenuity in creating a, favor
able atmosphere for himself by means
of his plant tongue.
A far more serious blemish to his
character is found on the records of
Postofflce Inspector OConnen. Accord
ing TO O7ConnelIs reports Boas. or
Bose. as he was then known, was at
one time substitute clerk in the San
Francisco postoflce. He was dis
charged from that service when claims
were filed against him by money lend
all
ord.
BOAS FORGED NAMES
II was found that previous to his ap-
pointment to the postal service Boas
was in the employ Of the Western
Union telegraph company. He started
in as messenger and worked up to a
cIerkship In the auditors office De-
cember 21 1901, Boas signed the name
of william J. King. a telegraph oper-
SO negotiated with c. H. Morrell,
whose Office was in the Examiner
building When this forgery was dis
oovered Morrell was about to have
Roas arrested, but was dissuaded from
doing that by a friend Of the young
man who happened to be in the ONCE
Of the bond and warrant clerk. Later
Boas repaid the loan.
After Boas had been removed from
the nostofice he repeated his former Of
fense by applying for loan in the
name Of John z. Wyhs, a clerk in the
oostoface. Wyhs was about to have
Boas arrested for this forgery, but Boas
pleaded for clemency and was allowed
10 20 free. A peculiar quip Of fate had
the letter containing Boas' death pow
ders pass through Wyhs' hands at the
postofice Wednesday.
WHAT MRS. PEBBLES SAYS
Considerable information regarding
Roas was secured yesterday from Mrs.
ID u. PEBBLES of San Jose, wife of d.
d. PEBBLES Of the firm Of Wilson &
PEBBLES. automobile and carriage paint
ers. Mrs. PEBBLES knew Boas before
be1. marriage. as she lodged with Mrs.
C. g. Walker, who was Boas landlady
while he stayed in San Jose
.As soon as I read the letter Boas re-
ceived in the mail" said Mrs PEBBLES,
II knew that he wrote it and that he
killed himself premeditatedly- knew
him well He had very fluent imag-
ination We used to be entertained by
it. He would say that he was a gradu-
ate Of Yale university, that his father
was president of a steamship line in
New York that he had been an actor