The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1910-09-24
PHYSICIAN And
.t-s
!. /" NURSE Held AS
GIRLS SLAYER
Body Buried Under Vacant
House to Hide Fatal 0per-
alton Is Charge
rormer Employe of DIR. Grant
Gives Police CIew That
Leads to Discovery

cement floor Of the Eureka street house
hundreds OF men, women and children
crowded about the premises and
pressed against the basement doors be-
hind which the officers of the law were
bringing 10 light the form of the miss
ing girl Detectives NJ V Burke and
@. Richards, working with pick axes
. and crOwbars. had by $50 o'clock eX-
posed TO view enough Of the body TO
convince them that the remainder of
The task was for the coroner. and De-
..tective Frank Mcconnell Immediately
communicated with Chief Deputy Coro-
#neC James Kelly. Kelly Immediately
took charge of the case for the coro-
gTer,s Office. and with Deputies Dennis
:QEinlin and Matt Smith proceeded at
once TO the scene of the grewsome
discovery
=: when the coroner's wagon appeared
at the place itswas necessary to force
2 way through the gathered crowds
and the several officers who had been
detailed 10 the places by the chief Of
police had TO force a passage way for
the wagon. AS soon Kelly was in
formed Of the situation he Immediately
took personal charge of the eXhuming
This. was proceeded with in the dark
j. basement with the aid OF half a dozen
lanterns.
BODY IN KNEELING POSTURE
?. It was first necessary to tear away
some seven feet of cement pavement
-syhich had been placed over the grave
This was accomplished with pickaxes
p and sledgehammers. After several
large fragments of cement had been
taken away the body, in a kneeling
position with the head and shoulders
bent far forward, was plainly exposed
70 the view Of the officers. In spite Of
the nitric acid which had been poured
on the remains, the air was fouled
Immediately.
That the burial had been carefully
planned was indicated by the condition
OF the BODY. About the body itself
was carefully wrapped large piece Of
white oilclOth, leaving only the head
and feet exposed TO the air. Around
this was wrapped q clean white quilted
blanket and around both coverings
were tied a number Of towels. The
very precaution of the culprits may
prove their undoing for the result of
their care has been a highly satisfac-
tory state OF preservation. making not
only identity certain, but also tending
70 assist greatly an examination as to
the cause Of death.
.EXHUMING DIFFICULT TASK
While it appeared but a moments
work TO lift the girls form from the
cemented tomb in which it had been
crushed. II was as a matter of fact
surrounded with great danger and diff
ncultE- In spite of the efforts of KEEL
sly's two assistants the remains could
not be dislOdged from the grave until
the men had actually worked in be-
side the body with shovels When the
body was completely loosened 1t then
could not be easily lifted out until
large beam had been cut away from
across one end Of the holt. The final
combined efforts Of the three men pull
ing on q band passed under the body
brought IL from its hiding place
All that was mortal of the once
: beautiful Eva Swan was then placed
in clean linen on the stretcher of the
coroner and taken through the little
eemented alley, through two pressing
lines Of gaping people and placed in
silence in the morgue wagon. All the
evidence was then gathered by the
detectives, the telltale trunk. the bottle
which contained the acid, the shovels
and picks and taken in the patrol
wagon TO police headquarters.
LOCKED LIKE sEPULCHRE
The gaping cellar grave was left
open but empty, the lanterns were put
out and with the four walls of the
cottage standing guard over the spot.
the building was locked like some bleak
-sepulchre and deserted by the Quick
and the dead