Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1915-01-26
HAIR IS NOT THAT
OF MRS. WEHRMAN
Microscopic Examination Of
Clue Fails to Establish
Real Murderer

AS result of the microscopic exam
inatiOn of the strands of hair taken
from the hands of Mrs. Daisy Weir.
man, the woman who was killed by an
unknown murderer in Columbia coun-
ty, in September, 1911, together with
samples of hair taken from the heads
of John Arthur Fender, who stands
convicted of the crime and is serving
o life sentence in tho penitentiary, and
John G.. II. Siercks, tho imbecile in
mate of the insane asylum who con-
fessed to the murder and then repudi-
ated his statement, developed to the
satisfaction Of Governor Withycombe,
according 10 q statement given out yes
terday afternoon, that the hair which
was clutched in the death grip of the
murdered woman was not that Of Pen
der, that it might possibly have been
Siercls, and that, in order to establish
to certainty whether or not it was the
woman's hair, he would have the
bodies Of the murdered woman and her
child exhumed from their resting place
at EldoTa, Iowa, and q sample Of her
hair secured for comparison.
Furthermore, he has detailed Warden
Lawson, Of the penitentiary, to 60 to
Scappoose and investigate certain evil
dence connected with the Siereks con-
fession in order to establish beyond a
question of doubt as to whether il was
possible for Siereks to have comWitted
the crime. In the meantime Governor
Clarke, Of Iowa, will be asked to CO.
operate in the corroboration or dis
proval Of the theory that the hair be-
longed to the woman. Following the
examination of the strands and locks
of hair in the governors office yester-
day afternoon, Governor Withycombe
gave out the following statements:
"I have seen enough to feel convinc.
cd that the hair found in Mrs, Wehr-
man IS hands was not that Of Pender
There seems some reason to believe that
it might have been Siercks'; at least
the general character Of the hair, as
examined under the microscope, is en-
tirely different from the Pender hair
and is practically identical with
Siercks'. OF course, oven the prosecu'
ton never claimed that the hair found
in the dead woman Is hands wns Pen
ders'. Now, ii is apparent that so far
as its physical texture is concerned, il
might be Siercks', On the other hand
il also might be the wOman's herself
or someone elses. The next important
matter is to establish that the hair is
or is not, Mrs. Wehrman S. shall
attempt to get hair from the body OF
Mrs. Wehrman, to continue the investi
CATION. If the hair is the same as this
we have examined, the matter is closed
at least so far as this lead is concerned
II it conclusively is not, an important
point is established--we are sure that
the hair is not the woman's, we are
sure that it is not Ponder's, and there
is good reason to believe that it ii
! Sicrcks'.
The bodies of Mrs. Wehrman ant
her child are buried at Ell Dora, Iowa
II is understood that probably no lcga
means exist for having tho bodies ex
humed, but IN the hope of getting thiI
done, Governor Withycombe today
wrote TO Governor George W, Clarke
nhking IL the exhibits. could be pro
cured.
"l am open to conviction in th,
case, " said Governor Withycombe. .
have no preconceived ideas. il Ponde
is innocent, he shall be released hn
want TO do now is 10 run down all th'
information available. | believe tina
Governor Clarke will do what ho eni
to assist me, when tho facts are lai'
before him"