The San Francisco call., 1908-07-29
ACCUSED MAN TO
FACE VICTIMS SON
Young Buttgenbach Will Try to
Identify Prisoner Charged
by Wife
Herman BOehm TO Be Confront
ed by Dead Mans Boy, Who
Saw Father Slain

The fate of Herman Boehm, whose
wife informed the police that he had
confessed TO her TO having murdered
Joseph Buttgenbach on the night OF
March s. 1904 rests in the hands OF
Alfred Buttgenbach, a son Of the muir
dered. man. Young Buttgenbach is the
only known person in a position to
properly identify the men who slew
his father. He viii be taken TO the
county jail this morning TO see if he
can recognize the assassin. If he de-
clares that BOehm was one Of the men
implicated in the shooting four years
ago. charge of murder viii be laid
against the latter If he fails TO
identify him the. police viii have no
other recourse than TO drop the case.
Joseph Buttgenbach was murdered
in his Office four years ago by two
thugs Alfred Buttgenbach, his son,
and Louis Bruno, a book keeper, were
on the scene at the time of the shoot
ing, and so peculiar was the case that
young Buttgenbach was arrested and
charged with killing his father. He
was found not guilty by a coroners
jury and discharged.
About six weeks ago the case was
resurrected by Attorney Walter Thomp-
son informing Chief Biggy that Mrs.
Ellen Maud Boehm. client of his who
had instituted proceedings for di-
'VOrce, had informed him that her hus-
band, Boehm, had confessed TO her
that he had killed Buttgenbach and
3 lsO committed a number of other
crimes the perpetrators OF which the
police had been unable to discover.
The police put little credence in her
tale. but started an investigation.
Boehm is serving a six month SEN
tence for wife beating, and inasmuch
as he had also served a similar term
IN Folsom. there was a tinge Of prob
ability to the alleged confessions to his
wife.
After working on the case for six
weeks the police came to the con-
clUsion yesterday that while there was
some discriminating evidence against
Boehm, there was hardly enough on
which to- base q formal charge. and
certainly not enough 10 convict. While
the police do not believe that Boehm
had anything to do with the killing
of Buttgenbach, they pushed the in
vestigation to the limit and will bring
it to a close this morning, when the
son Of the murdered man viii be asked
10 identify Boehm.
In her statements Mrs Boehm said
that her husband had told her that
John Black. a convict now in the county
Jail pending an appeal from a % year
sentence to the penitentiary,. was his
companion in the Buttgenbach killing
Buttgenbach viii be asked to identify
him also.
Boehm, when seen at the county Jail.
denied the alleged confession. MY
wife is suffering from a mental
trouble" he said ''T never made any
Confessions of the sort Black was
with me in Folsom, but L have not
seen him since. After leaving the
pesitentiary I tried to be square. I
have worked hard and have mana ged
TO get together a little land, a house,
barns and some COWS. My wife's rela-
Lyes are evidently after this property
and want TO make things as black as
they can for me. Her stories are non
sense"
Louis Bruno, the book keeper. and a
saloon keeper named O'Brien will also
be asked to identify Boehm and Black.