The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-05-20
ALAMEDA POLICE
WORK ON MYSTERY
Aged Woman Care Taker May
Be the Victim of Foul
Play or Accident
Iw04.Attempts Have Been Made
TO Burn House Where
She Is Found

ALAMEDA May 1s.-For four days
AIRS. Charles Westlinder. 20 years Of
age. lay unconscious and bleeding from
an ugly cash in her head. until she was
found today by neighbors in a vacant
house at 22eS Clinton avenue. She is
not expected to live.
How the aged woman sustained her
injuries is mysterious, although the in
dications are that. suffering from a
stroke Of apopleNy. she fell down a
night Of stairs IN the dwelling. The pO-
ice are conducting a rigid investiga-
aion, because Of two lncendiary at
1empts TO burn the building. The first
was March 3, when a small fire was
discovered smolderins IN the base
ment one month later another fire
broke out in the untenanted dwelling
and II was not eNtinguished until the
roof and interior of the mouse had been
burned.
The house is owned by Nils Quist Of
Hayward. who. on account of the in
cendiary attempts. hired Mrs Westlin-
Ger 10 live IN II a care taker She
ntted up one room at the southern end
Of the building. in the second story
For month and a half she lived there
and was seen daily by the neighbors
the front sidewalk
NEIGBBORS BECOME SUSPICIOUS
Five days ago she ceased to appear
outside the house. and today Mrs. Lydia
Woodruff of 22I2 Clinton avenue en-
tered the Quist house TO look for the
aged occupant. She found Mrs West
Under lying on the floor in a pool OF
blood and at once notified the police
Mrs. Woodruff believes the woman to
be the victim of foul play. II was as
certained that a small amount Of money
in the bureau had not been disturbed.
which seemed 10 the police 10 dispose
of any robbery theory Mrs. Westhn-
der was taken TO the White Cross hos
pitaI and examination showed that she
was suffering from numerous wounds.
NATURE OF INJURIES
While the police advance the theory
that Mrs. Westlinder fell down the
stairway Mrs. Emmett J. Clark, wife Of
DR.. Clark Of the White Cross hospital.
asserts that the peculiar cranial in
5uries could not have been inflicted by
a fall
The doctor and myself are not pre-
pared TO say that Mrs. Westlinder met
her injuries at the hands OF another
person. but it seems certain TO US that
a fall could not have caused the
WOUNDS appears as II MIS- W est
Under were beaten before becoming
unconscious. The whole right side is
bruised and looks as if il had been
burned. When Mrs. Westlinder was
brought into the hospital there were
ammonia fumes arising from her cloth
ing which were almost overpowering
DR.. Clark has said that want of nour-
ishment and pain viii probably result
n Mrs Westlinder's death.
Mrs. Lydia Woodruff, who found the
suffering woman. gives as the reason OF
her belief that Mrs. W'estlinder met
with foul play the two alleged incen-
diary attempts TO destroy the house.
DOUBTS FOUL PLAY
Nils Quist is manager OF the Hay
ward lumber company. He is unable
TO throw any light on Mrs westlin-
ders plight The woman had been in
his employ as caretaker for only a
short time.
7 am not inclined to think the per-
sons who tried TO burn the house at
tackled Mrs Westlinder," said Quist
The Woman's only relative is a son in
Denver. where he is employed by the
Wells-Fargo bank He has been mott
fed OF his mothers condition and is
coming here"
Detective Brown said that he has
been unable 10 suDstantiate the muir
der attempt theory. He said he be-
Iieved Mrs Westiinder was stricken
with paralysis or apoplexy and fell
down the stairway.