The San Francisco call., 1909-12-22
Victims of HOldupman Are Not
Certain That Walter r.
Carroll Is RObber
Fair Alibi Established for the
Dead Suspect Adds Mys-
terry to Case
DIR. Gleason Breaks Down After
Remaining Alone in Room
With the Corpse

NCE again arc the police at sea
IL in the chase of the drug store
bandit. The certainty of Mon
day night that former Policeman Wal
ter R. Carroll was the man who ter
rorized this city with his crimes yes
terday gave way to uncertainty. The
baffed detectives are again running
down new leads, although they have
not entirely given up the belief that
Carroll was the bandit.
Identity in Doubt
When the victims of the daring
thug looked upon Carroll's body in
the morgue at San Jose yesterday
they noted strong resemblance be-
tween the man who had hurled him
self in front of train Friday night
and the man who had pointed his
pistol at them. DIR. II. E. Nolan and
Dr. I. Nj. Davidson were sure
that Carroll was the bandit. DR..
David B. Green and Mrs. Irene
Floras held that the body looked like
that OF the holdupman, but they could
not positively identity him.
DIR. Edward II. Gleason, one of the
proprietors Of the drug store which
was twice held up, was first sure that
Carroll was the bandit. and later, after
being alone with the body for some
time and carrying on an imaginary
conversation. he expressed a doubt.
Fairly Good AIibi
At Eastman's ranch, about eight
miles from Morgan Hill, fairly good
alibi for Carroll was established by
Coroner Barney E. Kell of Santa Clara
county and Detectives Tom Burke and
A. F. McPhee OF this city. They learned
from Celestine Renourel. a Frenchman
who formerly conducted saloon in
the Mission. but who went to work
on the Eastman ranch October Ia. the
same day that Carroll did. that Carroll,
was at the ranch at the time of the
holdups in this city. unless by almost
impossible efforts he had journeyed
from the ranch and back again the
same night.
AS the distance is about so miles
with part of the road very difficult
and Renourel almost certain to have
missed him from the ranch. the police
are puzzled to such an extent that they
are inclined to believe that Carroll
could not have committed the. crimes.
even though his description tallies so
well with that of the thug
Theodore .Kytka. the handwriting ex-
pert. also failed to clear up the mys-
terry. After careful examination OF
the various letters supposed to have
been written by the drug store bandit.
in which they were compared with ex-
emplars of Carrolrs handwriting.
Kytka asserted fatty that Carroll had
not written one scratch OF the letters
presumably from the bandit
Gleason in Bad Shape
When the force of san Franchises
detectives left San Jose last night
without having shed any satisfactory
light on the case they found them
selves charged with the care or Doc
tor Gleason. who was almost mentally
unbalanced as a result of his recent
experiences.
Locking himself in the room with
the rigid remains of the former police
man yesterday afternoon, Gleason spent
an hour and half talking to the
corpse. Tearfu1ly he pleaded to be
left alone; threateningIy he dared the
corpse to come and bother him again.
Alternating between hope and despair.
relief and fear, Gleason declared time