The San Francisco call., 1908-08-30
WOMAN FLEES OVER
MOOR FROM UNSEEN PERIL
Followed for Week by MySteri-
Gus Shadow, She Lives in
Terror of Life


several times and shadowed 10 hef
door through the darkness of the lonely
moor One night three days before the
fell adventure which overlook her she
fled painting with fright TO the nome Oh
her dearset friend and nearest nighoor'
Mrs. Z. Vera at 1882 siNty-hrst street
There is man following me, she
cried He has dogged me all the way
home on the street car, and when got
OF at Sfxty-third street he slipped OF
on the other side and has run behind
me all the way here. oh, l am afraid
TO go home, Won't you let me stay
here2"
why, It's nothing." Mrs. Vera as
sured the panic stricken woman
but. of course. you will stay here un-
Ill your husband comes home.
A few minutes later the woman
heard the rear screen door swinging
with the wind.
why. its strange that that door
should be open" commented Mrs. Yer
IA. latching it with its wire hook. The
women continued their conversation
and within short time again heard the
door close. this time with distinct
bang
Quickly investigating, they found the
door wide open and the evidence was
plain that il could only have been
unlatched by a hidden lurker who had
slipped INTO the mouse WullS MIS-. ' SLt d
was admitting her friend through the
front door There was little more
sleep for the terrified women that
night
That Mrs Donohue had been followed
home from the racetrack systematically
for weeks before she vanished has been
proved by positive corroboFative evi-
dence So persistent was her shadow
that the conductor on the streetcar no.
ticed the man and warned her husband.
Donohue made several attempts to trap
the mysterious shadow, but each care
fully set snare failed. Finally, in des-
peration. he applied to the mayor for
authority to equip himself with a re-
Volver. and obtained permit
Thursday. June H. the night Of the
strange adventure which befen Mrs.
Donohue on the moor. tense excitement
pervaded the entire neighborhOod. Dogs
barked and howled dolorously while
many Of the usually early retiring
Emeryvine residents stayed IN until
late. chatting on the porches. Strange,
fiickering shadows moved across the
marsh. The night was sultry and still
Mrs DOnohue had returned TO her
cozy little home early that afternoon
to prepare dainty supper for her
Danny" When he rose to leave her
at o'clock TO attend the lodge meeting
Of the Elks. to which organization her
husbaRd belonged, the wife kissed him
afectionately.
.rm not be long out of bed. Danny,
dear" she told him. He kissed her
again.
Between the hours when Daniel
Donohue left his home and wife and
10 O'Clock that night what happened to
the woman is shrouded in deepest mys-
terry. She might have retired and hear
ing the sinister noise Of prowler
outside. have dressed again. Fearing
for her life If she remained alone in
the house she might have determined
10 flee down town TO her husband or
have slipped out of the house on to
the moor TO escape the unseen peril
that haunted her.
Certain il is, however, that at 10
o'clock Thursday night she was seen
standing beside a shed at the rear of
Mrs Verras house. She wore the same
red coat that was found hidden be-
meath the furniture factory and dark
blue, short skirt. She seemed TO be hid
ing. peering into the darkness evil
IDENTIFY for something she feared. She
was witnessed by Mrs. John Arten-
stale and her stepson, Aleek Williams.
Mother and boy were sitting on their
front porch talking. A few minutes
later when they looked again Mrs.
Donohue had vanished into the dark
ness.
Later the same night, at an hour
close TO midnight, Mrs. Artenstalle and
her stepson again saw Mrs. Donohue on
the marsh. She was walking rapidly
down SiNty-first street toward the
beach While the two watched she sud-
denly broke into a run, fleeing wildly
toward the water. Feeling uneasy, yet
not daring TO venture forth upon the
dreary fats to investigate, the mother
and boy went to bed
Just as her clock struck midnight
Mrs. Vera, Mrs. Donohue's closest
chum, whose house is across the street
from that Of Mrs. Artenstalle. awoke
with a start. She heard nothing for a
few moments, but q terror as If some
thing dreadful portending gripped her.
Silently she listened
Suddenly there came a tapping upon
the window pane. Ii sounded muffied.
yet it reverberated throughout the bed
room with an Intensity of an awful
fear.
Help, helpi ! am in deadly perilp'
Mrs Vera says 1t cried to her And
she knew as she knew her name that
II was the voice Of Alice Donohue Tap.
tap, tapetty tap, The sound rose to a
crescendo Of panic and died out as a
wall of despair
Stark with fear. the woman in the
bed was powerless to answer the ap-
peal of the woman without Convul-
siveiy she ciasped her little daughter
to her breast. and the child twined her
arms around her mothers neck She.
too. had heard.
That's Mrs. Donohuer Mrs Vera
says she told her daughter. NO man
would tap on q window that wav II ie
Alice. 1 know iti'
The mystery or Mrs. Donohue's move
ments upon the dreary moor that night
may never be solved But chain OF
c0rroboratiye evidence without a single
missing link proves that FOR more than
two hours she was outside her house
on the moor. lodging a danger she
knew menaced her. What she did
where she lied and why is wrapped in
the veil Of the unknown, but that the
woman was in mortal terror of her life
for two hours and took to the oper
moor in the hope Of escape. and fnalls
made a last appeal TO her friend Mrs
Nerra for rescue from some awful peril
IS clear beyond the shadow of a doubt