Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1910-09-24

the wooden floor of ,the basement,
dug a shallow grave and buried the
body.
The grave was saturated with
nitric acid, Gordon's story con-
tinues, and the body wrapped in
blanket, was also covered with acid
that all traces of it might be lost.
AT night the doctor and his assist
ant, Willie Saachs, a youth who has
disappeared, made cement and laid
new floor, several inches deep.
upon the grave, Gordon told the de-
tectives.
Questioned closely, Gordon told
how he had endeavored to collect
SIS from the doctor and when the
money was refused, had sworn that
he would get even. This, he admit
ted, led him to tell his story to the
police.
Gordon informed the detectives
that the facts he related had been
told him by Saachs, who, frightened
by the knowledge of the death in
which he had been forced to take a
part, according to his story, felt I'M
PEELED to confide in some one.
The story he told brought to the
memory of the detectives the known
facts in connection with the disap-
pearance of Eva Swan, girl for
merly employed as teacher in the
schools at Paso Robles, who came to
San Francisco in January, was EN-
ployed as a stenographer and on
April 2, slamming shut the top of
her desk about 10 o'clock in the
morning. walked out of the Office In
which she was employed and has not
been seen since by her friends.
Following the disappearance the
police were asked to investigate.
They found that her room was left
as though she had stepped out for
few minutes. No traces of her
was discovered, although a police re-
port said that she had gone to Mill
Valley where she was staying with
her uncle.
Homer Hatch, Paso Robles ram
cher, was said to have called at the
house where the girl was staying on
the day she disappeared. He was
disappointed when he did not find
her and it is reported, he called sew
eral times. He has been asked by
the police to come to San Francisco.
The detectives today are also seek
ing Paul P. Parker, said to have
lived at the same house in which the
Swan girl roomed He, according TO
relatives of the girl, who wrote the
police, was believed to be the clos
est friend the girl had in San Fran
cisco. Another man is said to have
called her on the telephone on the
] day that the girl disappeared and
the police are endeavoTing to discov-
er his identity
The first suggestion Of a mystery
in the Eureka-street house came
when the tenant who occupied the
place after Dr. Grant had, according
to Saacbs' story, as repeated by Cor
don, had taken his leisurely depar-
ture, reported strange odor in the
basement. Detectives were sent to
the place, secured a spade and dug
some holes in the yard.
The trunk which had been left by
the former tenant, presumably DR..
Grant, according to the police, was
discovered. 1t contained red stains
which were thought might have been
blood. The trunk was sent to the
police station. Parts Of its sides
where the stains occurred, were
scraped off and sent to the city
chemist. No report appears to have
been made to the detectives, al
though the chemist today declares
that he found the stains were paint
and SO notified the police.
The police department, however,
has no record, according to the Of
ficers, of any report on the trunk.
The officers are now convinced, in
defiance of the chemists supposed
finding, that the stains were blood.
A second examination is likely.
Today the trunk has become a
leading part in the evidence the po-
lice have collected and they are en-
deavoring to find out to whom the
trunk belonged. This, they believe,
will go a long way towards clearing
up the mystery in the case.
DR.. Grant and his nurse, Miss Mes