The San Francisco call., 1909-05-25
Rewards Stimulate Hunt for
Brutal Slayer of Little
Girl
People of Los Angeles Aroused
by Murder of Annie
POltera
Evidence Shows Assassin Re.
turned to Scene OF the
Awful Crime
Suspected Believed 70
Be Now Hiding Near San
Francisco
Special Dispatch 10 The Call


7 OS ANGELES. May. 24-The
1 hunt for the murderer Of Anna
- Poltera, the year old girl
whose mutilated body was. discovered
in Griffith park last Wednesday, is
now widespread and general, 4 conf
mon theory being that the man has
fed to some other section OF the
state
All over the country police officials
are keeping a lookout for him, en-
couraged thereto by a reward OF
S1,75O, which is offered for his cap
ture. OF this sum the board of super
visors offer $1,000, and Sheriff Ham
mil $3.50 from his personal account
Inasmuch as the murder was COM
mitted Monday and the body was not
discovered until late the following
Wednesday there is belief that the
murderer did not Enger long about the
scene of his atrocious crime. but sue
ceeded in the intervening days in
making his escape to some section of
the state, presumably to San Fran
cisco.
Found Near Scene
A stronger theory, however, is that
the man IS still in this vicinity. this
opinion being strengthened by the dis
covery today of the murdered chllds
lunch box and school books, 90 feet
north from where the body was dis
covered. When the horrible crime
was first made known hunt was made
for the school books and lunehbOX, but
they could not be found The spot
where they lay today had been trav-
ersed scores of times, and only an hour
before they were found City Detective
Brown had Travelled over it, but did not
see them there. The theory is that the
murderer, under the pretence of aiding
the officials in their hunt for cIews.
quietly dropped them there this after
noon.
Five Hairs a Clew
The only material eIew in the hands
of the sheriff are five hairs. found
clutched in the child's hands. and evil
IDENTIFY torn from the head of her as
sailant in her dying struggles. The rest
is surmise and theory around the
strange Mexican who was seen walking
a short distance from her at about the
time she came to her horrible death.
II was the girls father who found the
strands of hair In lifting the tiny.
mutilated body from the patch of weeds.
where it had been hung. he unlOOsened
the baby hand. disclosing the meager
elew TO the criminal. the tense grasp of
the IirtIe fingers bringing out more
forcibIy the bitter agony of the strug-
gle through which the murdered girl
had passed
So atrocious was the crime that the
entire neighborhood calls for the mur-
derer. From his own pocket Sheriff
W. A. Hammel has offered a reward OF
$3.50 for his capture and the board OF
supervisors has raised its original re-
ward of $500 to $1,000 It is expected
that the state will also offer reward
To add to the difficulty of the officers
are the mysterious features OF the
crime. many OF the murderer's actions
being without apparent reason.
Murderer Carries Body
II has been proved beyond a doubt
that the child was killed last Monday.
Several city employees engaged in cut
ting down the weeds in the park the
following Wednesday stumbled across
the body, and in few hours the sur
rounding country rang with the crime.
The murder was committed about half
a mile north of where the body was
found. this fact being proved by foot
prints in the soft mud on the banks OF
the Los Angeles river. which were.
without doubt those OF Annie Poltera.
At this point she was within zoo yards
of her home. and here 1T was that the
fiend choked the breath out OF her
body, beat in her face. and then. TO
make more awful the atrocity. plunged
knife through her neck After
numbering the child. he carried back
the body for. distance of half a mile,
and there dropped it into a clump OF
weeds. His reason for so doing Is a
mystery
The facts on which the pursuers are
working are as follows:
The girl was ssan alive last Monday