The San Francisco call., 1910-02-12

!
tion Of District Attorney Lea of So
noma county this afternoon.
Lea spent the entire afternoon in
4 Berkeley and secured depositions from
Dr. 4. W Hit former physician at
the sanatorium: Miss \. l.. Smith, for
mer head nurse. and former Chief Clerk
D. Warren Dillard. He seemed salts
fed with his investigations and left
saying that the purchase of the -dyna :
mite alone interested him. and was
practically the only missing link.
Lea said that it was evident that
Miss Smith was a<thorn in Doctor
Burke's side. and that II was appar-
ent from statements of William f. File.
solicitor and former minister at whose
/ home Miss Smith lived for nearly a
year here. that there had been undue
intimacy between her and Burke.
FEARED HER SUICIDE
From the statements of the hospital
attendants said Lea this afternoon.
1T can only be inferred that Doctor
! Burke regarded Miss Smith as g thorn
in his side He desired TO rid him
self of the woman. and he was afraid
that she would take her life either by
! dynamite or by other means, accord
( ing TO mis- statements.
L have secured statements from
Doctor Hit Miss Smith and former
clerk ltlllaFU- ana Willit IlicA dnt 'NAb
little to the others which have already
been made, they corrobOrate clearly the
views of others connected with the
Sana toriUm.'
Lea did not see William File. who
makes the sensational charge that Miss
smith, while she lived with his family,
saw only Doctor Burke and had no
other friends or intimates, and that the
only plausible theory concerning the
[ child ipaniITgrPI Doc
tor Burke.
The Santa Rosa district attorney had
considerable difficulty in securing a
statement from Miss A. J.. Smith. for
mer head nurse. who resigned ana IS
now staying at the home of Doctor
Hit. 2309 Bancroft way
FORMER NURSE FRUSTRATED
Miss Smith is in "A state Of nervous
rrostration over the sensational events
at the sanatorium and is confined to
her bed under the care of Doctor Hit
and his wife When the district attor-
ney attempted to interview her he was
forced TO limit his questions on ac-
count Of her physical condition and she
was able TO shed little light on the in
( quiry.
Al The same time he. secured the
/ deposition Of Doctor Hit and although
! he declined to make the information
public he did not deny that Doctor
Hit admitted that Doctor Burke was
I regarded with suspicion by attaches of
I the sanatorium
A neighbor Of Doctor Hit, with
/ whom he discussed the affair, said
/ that Doctor Hit declared that it was
his belief that Doctor Burke knew
more about the explosion that he cared
( to admit. Doctor Hit said that he
had nothing 70 add today TO the state
. ment he had made for publication.
DENIES SHE IL INSANE
File said that Doctor Burke's dec
/ lara ton that Miss Smith was insane
! was preposterous. He said that Miss
Smith was a woman of high ideals
q nd one not given to dependency He
said that Doctor Burke was an init
mate friend and the only one he had
! ever heard the young woman talk
about. File said
Miss Luella Smith. during the II
months that she lived a my former
home. 2516 Hilgard street. had no
friends nor intimates that I knew Of
Once a week. Tuesday. it was her Gus
! tom TO so 10 san Francisco to visit Doc
tor Burke at his office there and with
1 this exception she visited no one.
During her residence with us she
never showed 81 gns Of insanity or mem
I tai weakness. She attended lectures at
I the university and seemed to be much
interested in studies along philosophical
and psychological lines She was a
student under Prof. George H. Howison
/ believe. and her work showed the
highest form OF mental activity.
Miss Smith came 70 live with us in
August. 1907. in answer to an adver-
tisement for rooms, and after several
months she went away, but came back
after two or three days. remaining un-
! til July, 1908, when she left for Santa
4 Rosa.
WROTE SHE HAD MARRIED.
Not long afterward she wrote and
/ told US that She had been married and
nine months after she left our home a
/ baby was born 10 her which is now II
months old
I'VE knew little Of her family eycept
that some times she mentioned a sister.
who had died. and a brother. She said
that sne had been in Doctor Burke,s
sanatorium for a number of years pre-
vious To her coming here
4 Before Miss Smith came To reside at
the home Of the Files. however. she
had been employed in at least one
household here as a domestic She
sought employment as a nurse. armed
with credentials from Doctor Burke.
and also desired to do light housework.
Her aim was TO attend the university
by working her way, according to
statements made 10 a former employer
who lives at 2722 Derby street She
came there in September. 1906. sent by
a friend. and asked for employment
She said that she wanted TO attend
the university and work her way
through college. She remained at the
place but month, two weeks of which
She lived alone in the house.
She is said TO have acted peculiarly
and was called erratic. Her connec-
tion with the household ceased because
OF her inability to do cooking and
other homework
I After that Miss Smith secured en-
ployment al home in oxford street
and remainedsbut short time, leaving.
it is said, for Santa Rosa. Later, how
ever, she returned and secured rooms
and lived with the family of William
File
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