Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-25
LUNCH BOX OF
ANNA POLTERA
IS DISCOVERED
FIND INCREASES MYSTERY OF
MURDER
OFFICERS BELIEVE GIRL KNEW
HER AsSArLANT
Drunken Mexican Who Pretends tc
Know Much About the Crime
Is Locked Up by
Police

TN HE finding yesterday of the lunch
box, the copy of an afternoon
"A paper and number of little trim
kets carried by little Anna Poltera on
the day she was waylaid, maltreated
and murdered, instead of clarifying the
mystery surrounding this most brutal
of outrages and crimes, has but added
to the dark and puzzling facts already
known and has given the officers a
problem so startling and new that it
promises to redouble the work OF track
ing down the murderer.
The discovery of these articles was
made by Henry d. Ponnay, printer,
with an office in the Hotel Hollenbeck
block who, out of curiosity, visited the
scene yesterday afternoon. Within
ninety feet of where the body of the
girl was found and on spot over
which a thousand people had walked
since the discovery of the crime, he
found the lunch box, the copy of the
afternoon paper which she had pur-
chased to carry home to her father, a
straWboard box which had contained
candy, but in which she had package
of drawing crayons, a small memo
randum book and a few small trinkets
such as a school girl of her age would
carry; and her handkerchief, mere
bit of bordered cambria stained with
childish fingerprints and crayon
smears, but red as the life blood
drained from her body by the knife Of
the assassin.
Trinkcts Belonging to Child
The lunch box, emptied of its con-
tents but closed and strapped lay in
plain sight even from the road six feet
away. Less than a foot from the box
was the handkerchief and near this
was the newspaper, while but little
further away was the candy box. In
this were the crayons wrapped in
piece of brown paper, the memorandum
book a bit of lead pencil, the end
chewed to a blunt point by the child s
teeth, and a few bits of colored glass,
a button or two and bit of colored
string.
The memorandum book was one
which the little girl had evidently made
herself 1t was composed of several
sheets of cheap writing paper folded
and sewed together with irregular
stitches. on its cover page in yellow
crayon was drawn a marguerite, the
petals a darker shade than the heart
of the flower, and written above 1t
were the words, 1.-THE memory In
sprawling schoolgirl letters.
In the memorandum book was writ
ten a number of childish verses with
the trees and flowers and birds as the
subject matter. There were also nota-
tions of childish friends and several
names and addresses.
Murderer Known to Girl
Other articles were found which had
been in the little candy box and which
convince the officers that the brute
who maltreated and then murdered
the girl, be he either a Mexican or
white man, was known to the child
and that she was deliberately done to
death to prevent her making known
the identity of her assailant. That the
box and other articles were placed
where found within a few hours OF
their discovery is apparent.
The nature of this information the
officers refuse to divulge, but it places
in their possession clues which dissi-
pate theories and speculative IDEAS al
ready worked on and adds to the task
of unravelng the mystery an tncalcul-
able burden of effort.
AS soon as lie had found these ar
ticles Ponnay went to the nearest tele-
phone and calling up the sheriff's of
flee, informed Sheriff Hammel of his
discoveries and stated that he would
bring the articles into the Office.
On his way to the car line Ponnay
was overtaken by V. c. Carey, an at
tache ofthe district attorneys office,
who, on ascertaining what he had dis
covered took him to the office of S. L..
Browne, the chief of the district at
torney's force of detectives.
Squatter Questioned
Mr.. Browne at once communicated
with Sheriff Hammel and with that
officer went with Ponnay back to the
scene of the murder and had him point
out the exact spot where the articles
were discovered
This morning Sheriff Hammel and
ct. r. =
force will start together working on
the new clews thus discovered and
will keep constantly at the task night
and day until results are accomplished,
if any are possible.
Chief Browne and Detectives Camp
bell and Duni of his force joined the
sheriff's officers and the police detec-
tives in the search for the murderer
yesterday morning. The three officers
went over the ground thoroughly and
about noon brought John McLain, an
aged squatter who lives in a little cabin
near the scene where the body was
found, to town. McLain was brought
in to explain a number of blood stains
on his clothing and to account for his
movements on the day the child was
killed This he did to the satisfaction
of the officers and he was taken In an
automobile back to his home by De-
tective Cary. Tt was while he was on
his way back to town from the trip
that Cary picked up Ponnay with his
valuable find.
Yesterday the board of supervisors
authorized a reward of $1,000 for the
capture of the brute responsible for
the crime This brings the amount
offered for the apprehension of the
murderer up to S175o. Many persons
are joining in the search.
To Study Circular Marks
Several suspects have been arrested
since the murder. The men have been
rigidly questioned, but in each case
have given satisfactory accounts of
themselves and their connection with
the case is not considered.
A complete description has been
taken and diagrams probably will be
made OF the mysterious circular marks
found on. the body of the dead girl.
One of these circles appears on the
cheek and the other on the body near
the thigh. The nature of these marks
(COntinEed on Page Five)