The San Francisco call., 1913-10-21
YOUTH IS
MISSING
ARSE MI;
On FOOD
Effort Made by Fiend to Kill
Wealthy Berkeley Family
When Youth Disap-.
pears From Home

Another development to the uncanny
poison mystery that surrounds the
home of Mrs. William H Flint, 1851
Euclid avenue. Berkeley, makes the
discovery of the promiscuous planting
of raw arsenic on all of the food ir
the home and the disappearance of
the son, Richard f. Flint. "a years
old. all the more impossible to ex-
plain. according to the Berkeley po-
lice
Late today it developed that the ar
senic which Mrs. Flint found smeared
on bread and butter, vegetables and
meat Monday morning belonged to
the daughter, Miss Olive Flint. who
is a taxidermist
POISON CACHE WAS SECRET
According to the police. the arsenic
was hidden in pocket in the basc-
ment Of the home. the position of
the cache being known only to MEM
bers of the family.
Eager search is being made for
Miss Gertrude Butterworth, the fan
Gee Of young Flint, who left her home
in San Francisco for Berkeley early
today and has not been seen since.
Richard Flint is the son of DIR. w.
II. Flint of Santa Barbara, a million
aire and formerly one of the best
known practicing physicians in New
York city.
MOTHER WITHHOLDS FACTS
Berkeley detectives think Mrs. Flint
is not telling all she knows regard
ing the mystery.
Young Flint had some trouble with
his mother recently over the ques-
tion of his launching into the grocery
business, but his mother does not
think that trouble sufficient to cause
him to leave home.
II Flint went home Sunday night
after he left his sweetheart, did he
meet the intruder who invaded his
mothers home? And did he get the
worst of the encounter2
What motive could any one have
for pouring enough arsenic to Kill a.
regiment of people on everything
edible in a home occupied only by a
mother and her son and daughter?
Mrs. Flint offered a reward of $1,000
cash today to any one who has in
formation regarding her sons where
sbouts.
Young Flint was last seen by Miss
Butterworth, the daughter of T. C.
Butterworth, 246 Sixth avenue Flint
called at the Butterworth home Sum
day evening.
At midnight the girl called her
fanee's mother over the telephone to
announce that Richard had left to
catch a boat for home.
Mrs. Flint, who had been sitting
I'D waiting for her son, went TO bed.
Half an hour afterward she heard
some one enter the house and walk
to her sons room. She thought it
was Richard. She went to sleep.
BED WAS UNDISTURBED
Monday morning she found her sons
bed with the covers smooth.
Toward noon Mrs. Flint opened the
icebox and found food covered with
white powder.
Further examination found the raw
arsenic scattered over everything in
the cooler.
A loaf of bread had been cut open
and enough of the drug to kill
dozen people had it been eaten, was
found inside Of it.
The conflict of circumstances has
evolved a mystery that the Berkeley
police have failed to advance a
plausible solution for.
WAS SON KILLED:
Did young Flint come upon the
poisoner as he was entering the house
and engage in battle with him?
Who used the latch key to the
home2
Under a rug on the porch where the
latch key was kept for those MEM
bers Of the family who were out at
night the latch key was found in its
place Monday morning.
The latch key was covered with ar
senic.
The condition of the key was evil
dence to the police that the person
who scattered the arsenic about in
c.n.tnuaa a., r.....a a 6.nIuran 2