The San Francisco call., 1910-11-27

OF evidence against Hero Matlock for
Exhibit A." initiated by Chief Lees and
myself, was of the issue of the news
paper found in the buffers bedroom.
from which four sheets had been re-
moved and the underwear incIosed IN
1T. Circumstances OF the affair led to
the theory that the tramp had been en-
ticed into the house. He had disrobed
and gone to bed In order to destroy
the evidence that the tramp had occu-
pied his room MatlOclS had wrapped the
filthy underwear in one OF the papers
and thrown II out into the street while
the poor hobo was asleep. Then,
awakening him, Matlock had him dress
hurriedly, brought him up to the parIOr,
and shot him dead in cold blood.
The body OF the deceased was found
covered with vermin. direct evidence
almost that the hero and hobo had oc-
cupied the same bed. Each witness
from the household testified TO having
heard but two shots. one which killed
the tramp, the other the one injuring
Matlock
How. then. the mysterious wound in
the thumb?
On the witness stand the hero seemed
to have lost his wits He claimed
that there were three shots and that
in the scuffie the trigger OF the pistol
snapped in his hand and the bullet
plowed through his thumb, a physf-
cal and absolute impossibility as can
be proved by attempting the feat
Chief Lees was placed upon the
stand From beginning TO end. vivid
ly. concisely, convincingly. be told his
story, demonstrating exactly his the
ories
After enticing the poor hobo into
the Falkner house, and foul1y murder
ing him, In order to repeat the heroic
act that had years ago placed him in
the Inelisht and won him applause
from the reading multitudes Matlock
hero. to give his story some reasonable
foundation OF fierce scuf7e, had de-
Hberately taken hold OF the skin on
the heshy part OF his neck, pointed
the revolver with his right hand, hold
Ing the extended skin with his left
thumb and forefnger. Misjudg ginz the
close proximity of the thumb. he shot
the bullet, making mere flesh wound.
out In the process the thumb nail was
carried away and a part OF the flesh
or the thumb was torn off The wide
awake mind OF the chief had grasped
TINS condition at the very inception
OF his Investigation
Every iota OF the evidence. circum-
stantial as it was. proved that no out
slder could have entered the house,
could have cut the electric and tele-
pnone wires, save one who knew every
part OF the premises and one who was
ehIrely familiar with the surround
ings.
The coroner's jury brought In a YER
dict Of murder, charging MatlOck with
the crime A warrant for his arrest
followed. The evidence proved INSULT
cient to convict The Falkner family
still trusted AID believed IN their hero.
Lees and Falxner We're still foes.
One morning shortly after the In
quest Matlock. hero. disappeared ThA
police department was instructed to
make careful. Vigorous search. Two
weeks later in the southern part Of the
state the newspapers published the fol-
lowing:
A BRUTAL ATTACK
Charles Matlock. formerly but
ler for the well known Falkner
family of San Francisco, who hg-
ured so conspicuOusly in a murder
case IN that city recently, was to-
day sentenced by Judge sullivan to
25 years in san Quentin for a
felonious attack on a IA yeaf old
girl.
Isaiah W. Lees and Benjamin. Falk-
ner shook banda