davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1920-05-09
The House of Two Murders

Following the tragic death of her husband
Mrs. Dean attempted to commit suicide. And
later she was arrested on charge Of murder, a
suspicion having arisen that she might know more
about the affair than she had already told
The strange sequence Of events which led to
the arrest Of the ranchman's bereaved wife is al
most without parallel. Dean was widely known
throughout California. He was a ranchman He
was also somewhat Of politician. His land lay
within the confines Of the territory over which
old Hago had guaranteed the efficacy Of his curse
And the Dean household has not been the only
one in which wish expressed that Hago
had spread his maledcton elsewhere
More than 20 years ago, before the house in
whrh Dean Wa mysteriously murdered came
80 Norn. 90. .rs ION this very house was the
The Washington times., 1920-05-09
BY John Sheldon

HE noise Of through freight laundering
past Fred Deans home at Paso Robes, Cal,
awoke his wife, Mrs. Myrtle Dean, early on
the morning Of Monday, the 18th Of last Novem-
Der. The woman had been doing all night down
stairs, fully dressed and simply resting as best
she could in an easy chair in order to be within
call Of her daughter Bertha, who was i'll.
Her husband Fred Dean, was supposedly
sleeping upstairs. No one except Fred Dean ever
slept upstairs in that house. Nobody dared to-
Deans house has had the reputation Of being
haunted.
There is a legend in Southern California that
about century ago venerable Indian medicine
man named Hsgo stalked through San Luis obispo
and set his curse upon the paleface invaders Of
the red mans territory. Whether or not there is
any truth in that legend no one at this late day
may be prepared to say, but the fact remains that
there is a huge rock on part of the ranch land
that was owned by Fred Dean on Carrsa Plains
and craven and painted across the face Of the
rock is the following warming
The Washington times., 1920-05-09
Unlucky "13" in One Grave

Grabbing an old skirt" Mrs. Deans state
ment continues, 81 put it under his head. When
I had done this kindled fire to warm some
water to wash his wounds. Then l ran to the
home of Fred Maze, a neighbor, for help"
1t developed later that before running to her
neighbor's house Mrs. Dean locked the door Of
the downstairs room in which her daughter Bertha
was in bed Later she declared that she did this
because she did not want the child to see the body
Of her father.
The Dean tragedy is not the only one which
has come to light in San Luis obispo recently.
No later than last March 8, the skeletons Of ten
adults and three children were unearthed from
hastily dug grave eight feet long and about two
feet deep on a grassy knoll surmounting cliff
at Port San Luis.
The first skull was discovered by T. c. Teeter,
q county employee engaged on road work The
road scraper skidded and revealed the buried
skull a few inches below the surface Further
The Washington times., 1920-05-09
Mysteries Credited to Ghosts

Discarding the Indian curse theory as too i'm
probable for serious consideration, it may be in
teresting to note that since the murder of Fred
Dean a Ratchet with the handle broken OFF has
been found where it evidently had been CAREFUL.
hidden in a rear room of the Dean home. AMI
buried in shed at the back of the house
razor which has since been identified havin !:
been the property of the murdered rancher. When
found the handle had been partly burned off. Tn.
county authorities expressed the opinion tina:
these two weapons were the with which Dea
was slain.
And concerning the discovery Of the grave OF
the victims Of a wholesale murder, theory has
been advanced that the skeletons may have been
those of Indians buried long ago. But Mrs
Teeter, mother of the county road employee, de.
clares that her grandfather, who would be 12O
years old il alive, and who spent his entire lif !,
in the vicinity of Port San Luis had never men
toned any Indians being buried where the skee.
tons found, although, on several occasions
he pointed out to her other burial places where
he said, Indian skeletons could be found.
As background to the whole case which in
wolves much speculation concerning ghosts i'm
precautions and mysterious murders stands the
legend of La Piedra Pintada the Painted Rock
Of Carrisa, and the curse of Hago, the venerable
medicine man. Believers in the legend point ont
that the histories of several of the old familie,
that settled on the land over which old Hago
distributed his curse have had their share Of
spooks, sudden deaths and even murder.
The Washington times., 1920-05-09
tsketchsd from Lifs)

scene Of another mysterious murder. little
3-year-old girl was strangled to death. Her par
ents soon thereafter went insane and the house
was left vacant
Then stories were told Of ghostly figures fit
ting about the house after dark and weird noises
which nobody ever seemed able to explain
Dean bought the house because he said he was
not afraid of ghosts. Mrs. Dean and her daugh.
tar Bertha, now = girl Of "a years, declare that
all the time they resided in the house they heard
The Washington times., 1920-05-09

excavation resulted in the discovery Of nine more
skulls and litter of human bones, some mangled
and crushed though they had been hacked to
p'"~~s. Several of the skulls bore marks which
indicated that the victims had been attacked with
a fury much similar to that noted in the case OF
Fred Dean.
BY the time the entire grave had been re-
opened the complete skeletons of ten nen an
women and three children had been uneart he'd
And naturally the widest speculation followe'
to the source of the mystery. Not few a
tributed the murders to supernatural agencies ar
recalled the old Indian curse of Hago, the neu
cine man.
Dist.-Atty. NJ. r. Van Wormer is making
careful investigation Of the matter. He. o.
course, takes no stock in the ghost stories ID
looks for a more materiastc solution, eXactly
as he has done in the Dean murder case.
The Washington times., 1920-05-09
UPON ALL HEREAFTER CONlNG WRONGFUlLY
UPON THIS LAND SHALL FALL A CURSE

And there are many living IN San LUIS Obispo
county today who will tell you Of strange TRACE
dies. ghos 1, WIS 'atrons, my sterlous disappear
snces and .ruesomc finds that have followed in
the vakr oI thu % ludan's curse
ThC.. %, ruts 10 ahau'.t"tl Unrelated one
10 tpt .;hrt g., 49, . hive been lying AZ
The Washington times., 1920-05-09

Ter the manner Of some Of the old Indian medi-
cine But the actual facts point to a series
Of extraordinary fatalities. and the most start
ling Of them all has developed since that early
November morning when Mrs Dean was awak-
ened by the passing freight train and Fred Dean
was found murdered upstairs in his bed
1t was ordinary murder. Dean had been
the victim Of an assassin who attacked him while
he slept. To have afronted Dean while he was
awake, or even half awake, would have been q
sure way Of committing suicide, because Dean
never went anywhere unarmed, not even to bed.
He had the reputation of not being afraid Of any
body or anything not ghost. And IL was
also said that he always slept with one eye open.
The ranchman's head had been split open, evil
IDENTIFY with a heavy, blunt-bladed instrument
His throat had been slashed and there were marks
on the body indicating that the fury Of the as
sassin's attack had not abated until the helpless
victim was apparently dead.
The Washington times., 1920-05-09


And the Curious and
Seemingly Unexplainable
Sequence of Rumors of
Spooks and Haunted
Houses eliminating in a
Gruesome Tragedy, and
the Discovery of Thirteen
Shattered Skeletons All
:. in One Grave. ;.
The Washington times., 1920-05-09

There Is a legend
In Southern California
that about a century
ago q venerable
Indian medicine man
named Hago stalked
through San Luis Obispo
and set his curse
upon the pale face
invaders Of the
Red Mans territory"
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
Thousands Have Kidney
Trouble and Never
Suspect 1t
Applicants for Insurance Often
Rejected.

Judging from reports from druggist.
who are constantly in direct touch with
the public, there is one preparation that
has been very successful in overcoming
these conditions. The mild and healing
influence of DR.. Kilmer's Swamp Root is
soon realized. 1t stands the highest for
it's remarkable record of success.
Al examining physician for one of the
prominent Life Insurance Companies, in
an interview on the subject, made the as
tonshing statement that one reason why
so many applicants for insurance are re-
jected is because kidney trouble is so
common to the American people, and the
.Arge majority of those whose appli"a-
tons are decM,ed do not even suspect
that they have the disease. 1t is on sale
Mt all drug stores in bottles of two sizes,
medium and large.
However, if you wish first to test this
great preparation send ten cents to DIR.
Kilmer & Co., Binghamton, ~ Y, for
sample bottle. When writing be sure and
mention this paper.-Adv.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
So Judge Thought He Could Take
Chance, on Him.
Almost Lost Confidence in Human
Nature When Paroed Prisoner
Showed Up.

Tulsa, Olsla.-Because his last
name sounded all right, Judge MaNey
of this city released Lewis Bible on
his own recognizance when he was
arraigned on the charge of passing a
bad check.
Your name" said the Judge.
"sounds all right I'm betting that
YOU will come back on the day set
for your trial.
The day came, and the hour-9
o'clock in the forenoOn-and no Bible
put in an appearance. The witnesses
were there. both for the state and
the defense. They had not seen Bible
since the day he was released.
This is one time you have made a
mistake" observed the county attor-
ney to Judge MaXey. The judge shook
his head.
His name is all right" he con
tended. "and he looked all right to
me. But l may have been mistaken
At $50 the witnesses were dis
charged and the case set over to an
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
FEAR WOMAN SHERIFF

turn in the highways. all the trolley
connexions and short cuts across the
country.
Not only the office of deputy sheriff
is filled by Mrs. Dner. but those of
MAYOR and chief o. police also have
her as anincumbent. In the case of the
minor offenders whom she arrests.
Mayor Duer quickly metes ont justice
herself. When it is case of get
out of town in two minutes" the fe-
male limb OF the law acts in her ca
pacity of chief of police and shows un-
desirable the shortest route out of
Red Bank. She has run twoscore or
more Of these suspicious characters
from her domains.
Sheriff Duer Is the mother of Is
children, nine of whom are boys.
While the latter were growing up she
organized them into baseball team.
A collection of prizes won by Sheriff
Duer for fancy costumes worn by her
o.. various occasions decorates the
Duer home.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
Efforts to Raise 10000 Soldiers Meet
Little Response in Vienna
Centers.

Vienna, Austria.-Austria is trying
to organize an amy to succeed the
volkswehr under the provisions of the
bill hurriedly passed during the panic
that followed the German revolution.
II is to be composed of 10000 men.
The treaty prohibits any aviation
force.
The conservatives won their point
in securing the ALLEGATION Of recruiting
in the provinces on a population ba-
sis and in provisions prohibiting polit-
ical activity by the military forces.
These provincial units are to be gar
risoned within the province itself. No
man may be foisted upon a unit In a
nroyince in which he was not recruit
Cd without the consent of the province
itself, and the men must be bona idc
citizens of their province. On the one
hand will be an army Of peasant lads.
and on the other of Industrial classes
from the manufacturing center&
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
HIS NAME WAS BIBLE

other day. Judge MaXey ordered that
the sheriff be sent to him: he would
have Lewis Bible apprehended.
Ten O'Clock came and a man on
crutches hohbled into the court room.
He was Lewis Bible. with one leg
done up in splintS and bandaees.
81 got here as soon as ! could,
Judge" he said.
Then he explained that after his re-
lease he went to Cometa and went 10
work. His leg was broken the first
day, and he had been in bed ever
since A friend in Cometa volunteered
to take him to court to answer the
charge against him. hut his automo-
bile baked and he did not reach the
court house in time. Later it deVel-
oped that Bible had not passed bad
check.
"You have restored my confidence
in human nature and my ability to
read # said Judge Maxey as he dis
charged Lewis Bible.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
?Ian to Guide Vessels Through
The Golden Gate by
Wireless.
CONFIDENT OF ITS SUCCESS
Navy Department Working on "Double.
Track" System Which Is Expected
to Become Reality in
Few Years.

Westinghouse .'double-track rail-
road" guiding ships from all parts of
the world in and out of San Francisco
bay, through the Golden Gate, as
safely in fog as in clear weather!
That is the seemingly incredulous
task upon which the navy department
is now working. 1t will be reality
within a few years, or if congress be
lenlent, by next January l.
Commander ii. w. Mccormick, Pa
cific coast radio material officer at
Mare Island. has asked an appropria-
ton for the laying of radio plotting
cables from San Francisco's water
front, a distance of seven or eight
miles out through the Golden Gate.
Unless the appropriation of, the wire
less section of the bureau of steam
engineering is trimmed TOO severely at
Washington, the funds will become
available July l the necessary sup
plies will be requisitioned immediate
ly, ard the vessels calling at San
Francisco will be electrically guided
into the harbor before next January.
Confident of Success.
The use of radio pilot cables is still
in the experimental stage, Commander
Mccormick said, but naval officers are
confident of its success. Only one eX-
pertinent has been heretofore con-
ducted in the United States. and that,
at New York. operated successfully
until the cables were cut by dragging
anchors.
The equipment for the double
track" consists primarily of two heav-
lily insulated cables costing approHi-
matelY $4,000: a transmitting station
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05

Wellington, Kan.-Women Of this
city are given credit for the transfor-
nation, within a few years. of an un-
slightly. swampy thirty-acre tract into
beautiful city park. 1t has been
named Community park" 1t is laid
out with artistic landscape effect. re-
pete with trees. shrubs and flower
bed. 1t contains park house, sur
rounded with large shade trees, a
neat modern stone building contain
ing a large reception room. dining
room and kitchen. tnat will accommo-
date comfortably about $50 persons
The park house is used for entertain
ments, banquets and parties.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
Female Officer in New Jersey
Respected by Laworeakers.>
Duer Demonstrated Her Worth
as an Officer.

Red Bank. N. 1.-THE presence OF
Mrs. Georgeanna Duer, acting deputy
sheriff, in Red Bank. n. j., is said to
be responsible for the scarcity OF
crime in that vicinity. Shortly after
her appointment Mrs. Duer demon
strated her worth as an officer, and
since that time only few petty acts
of thievery have been reported.
Evildoers steer clear of Sheriff Du-
er's territory because she has the eni-
barrassing habit of turning up unex-
pectedly at the right point to intercept
the fleeing crook with his plunde:.
This happens because the woman Off
Ger has lived in the same locality for
50 years and knows every crook ana
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
May Use Radio
to Pilot Ships

and coils on both the port and starboard
sides of ship. Ono of these cables,
on the right-hand side of the channel,
outbound, will flash "O-U-T'' at all
hours of the day and night. and the
other, on the lefr-hand side of the
channel. outbound. will flash IN"
An automatic key system will perform
this labor.
With the aid of the recently estab-
lished radio compass stations, or by
other accurate methods Os navigation,
ships will be made to pass over the
desired cable When the sound
waves of the. induction coil show equal
intensity on both the port and the
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
/ WRONG
WAS KER LIVER
|ore Taking BIack-Draught,
|issouri Lady Was Troubled
with Constipation, Head.
ache and Bad Taste
in Mouth.

tandjn. Mo.-Mrs. Susa Brooks, OF
place, writes: "some time ago
ss in a bad fix. with stomach ana
4 trouble. l did not feel good at
time, was very constipated,
had headaches from this condi-
and had continual hurting In my
nach, and bad taste in the mouth.
Lid tell my liver was all wrong.
! had known of Black-Draught, Sc
kded to try it myself. l began with
brge dose or doses, gradually get
! TO smaller doses. 1t regulated my
Fels, relieved me of the hurting in
stomach, cleaned off my liver and
he me feel like new person"
! you get up in the morning feeling
hired as you did when you went to
Each., coated tongue, bad taste in
hth, sallow complexion-then your
II has not done its full duty, and
i system has absorbed the poisons
)eh your liver should have taken
E
u occasional dose of Thedford's
will help this impor-
organ to function properly.
Jet package of Thedfords Black.
lught liver medicine today.
Druggist sells it, or can get it fol-
LADY.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05

Stockton kan-The petrited core
of a mastcIon's tusk was unearthed
near here the other day by workmen
putting in ahutments of bridge. The
tusk is five inches in diameter at the
base ard two feet in length. 1t is be-
lieved the tusk is part of the skele-
ton of a large prehistoric animal that
thousands Of years ago.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
Ugly, Unsightly Pimples
Are Signals of Bad Blood

This remedy is the greatest vegetable
blood purifier known, and contains no
minerals or chemicals to injure the
most delicate skin. S. S. S. is an ex-
cellent system-cleanser; it is not sold
OF recommended for Venereal Diseases.
Get bottle of S. S. S. today, and
get rid of those unsightly and dis
figuring pimples, and other skin irrita-
tions. If you wish special medical ad-
vice, you can obtain it without charge
by writing to Medical Director, 105
Swift Laboratory, Atlanta, Ga.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
Bull Has a Mornino After.

Knoxville, Tenn.-Man is not the
only animal with thirst. bull
belonging to FraE.. L. West, county
lax assessor, located Il still, irnbibed
TOO freely and went on spree. Fences
were torn down and the still Vas de-
stroyed, and then the bull was given a
chance to mediate.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
Give Heed to the Warning.

Pimples on the face and other parts
of the body are warnings from Nature
that your blood is sluggish and impov-
crashed. Sometimes they foretell &C.
zema. boils. blisters, scaly eruptioEs
and other skin disorders that burn
like flames of fire.
They mean that your blood needs
s. S. S. to cleanse 1t of these accumu-
lations that cause unlimited trouble.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
A New PIutocrat Looms Up.

Bluefield, w. Va.-Before he left
for the army Coeburn boy bought
barrel of whisky and buried it. Re
Gently he was discharged from service
and today he is 5000 richer than he
was. Revenue officers would he in
terested in learning how and to whom
he made the sale.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05

~ nead at times. My bowels did
ha,. nwss 70 ior days and could not eat
wy. suffering. The doctor could NOT
Te ana one day l told my husband
could not stand the pain anv
y. = and sent him to the drugstore
|. ne q bottle of lydia 3 Pink
~. Vegetable Compound and threw
motors medicine away m Af.ar
W three bottles of Vegetable Con-. Cow
SEham'Ssu usSIng ~ Two bottles of Lydia E.
own ho0 0ss.le Sanative Wash l could do
! you, -UasseWork. rasrk. If it had not been
t1Id Id /. MEDICINE taSa don't know where /
|ottIe ~ stVisy i = aad am never without
blish tb;s Ii = = u ,,l me {, house. You may
hs otSs, ss 4 you like that it may help
hnre lon "oman. oman. Mrs. NJ AIRY
q ~ orange St., Wyandotte,
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
Educated Mine Rat Opens
Dinner Pals of Workers

Norkrnen at the Richards col
liery mines at Mount Carmel,
Pa. say an educated rat has
heen responsible for their miss
ing many good dinners recently.
According to the miners, the
rat inserts its tail in the ring
of dinner bucket, and then
takes big jump. The lid usu-
ally comes off. When lunch
time comes the men find their
bOXer empty.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
City Doubled Taxes on
Profiteering Landlord

A 100 per cent increase in the
assessed valuation Of his prop
erty was the penalty imposed by
the Detroit city council on Ja-
cob Shevitz, owner of a nine
family apartment house, who
was accused of increasing their
rents from S42 to $50 per
month.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
AUSTRIAN ARMY DRAWS FEW

In spite OF the active efforts of the
Socialists to spur recruiting. few met
have applied for enlistment in Vienna
or the other industrial centers, while
reports from the provinces are even
more discouraging.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05

starboard sides. the master will know
that he is directly above the pilot
cable. BY holding his vessel so thai
these waves remain equal. he can
bring his ship into harbor through n
dense fog as readily as III ciear
weather.
Advantages of Service.
The use of this service will save
the losses aecruing' when many ships
lie out at sea, waiting the lifting of
the fog bank to come into the bay.
Commander Mccormick said. The ex-
pense of necessary installations upon
the hull of ship would be slight in
comparison with the advantages to
be gained.
"Eventally. i believe. all the chief
harbors will have radio pilot cables
and all ships will he equipped to avail
themselves of the SERVICE" Com
mander Mccormick declared. "As for
San Francisco. it will be a matter of
only few years until the cables are
laid. even if the appropriation is re-
iected this year. In addition to the
navy vessels, which will, of course be
equipped to follow the cables. ex-
pect that practically all ships calling
regularly at this port will quickly in
stall the induction coils
Commander Mccormick said there
was likelihood that the first appro-
priation would he sufficient for the
laying of only one cable. In this case.
he said, signal like IS. f." would be
given. and both inbound and outbound
vessels would follow the same cable
San Francisco Bulletin.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05

IL n ut hep. l
h ave had pains
every month so bad
that | would nearly
double up. Some
times ] could not
sweep a room with
out stopping to rest,
and everything | ate
upset my stomach.
b re e years ago
II 10 S t a c hi d
an 4 su fered so
h n ~ =. "A n
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
F[jN[L LOSING
| OUT IN SOUTH
MADISON, the "Liver Tone
!. u'sss,p spssponsibIe for Change
- for the Better.

druggist in town has noticeu :
seis .y,,inc inc off in the sale of calome,'
la" !" a,ve the same reason. Dou'
y, ~ siT Tone is taking its place,
s.,ams, Lms IS dangerous and people
|. NM u" podson's Liver Tone ,apts. IS pier,
M guaranteed by every I:,o udnesrIt snesn,t
s''s .s,,s #. A large bottle doesn. .,r.
,srv ss,,' much, but if it fails to CIV" give
,s,s ,s,ief IN every case of ilver - s'ss. ss-
r. 's.'. and constipation, just ask ior
money back. :, pleasant.
I,nr. purely vegetable remedy III Tah. be-
pns, : ,pth p children and adults. rake
|,ooaf,,l y ay at night and wake up fee,- !
4 |sne no biliousness, sick heaaaens' aana,s
'',s ',omacb or constipated bowels
I,.sn,t gripe or cause inconvenience 9,
|,so next day like violent caloli'el'
\ dose of calomel today anu ~,
80 : you will feel weak, sicS ana
|as,es om d. Don't lose a day.-Adv.
The Bolivar County Democrat., 1920-06-05
ASPIRIN
Name "Bayer" on Genuine

'Bnyer Tablets oe Aspirin" is genu.
inc Aspirin proved safe by millions
and prescribed by physicians for over
twenty years. Accept only an unbrokeB
'Bayer package" which contains proper
directions TO relieve Headache. Tooth
ache, Enrache. Neuralgia, Rheumatism
Colds and Pain. Handy tin boxes of y
tablets cost few cents. Druggists also
sell larger 'Bayer packages" Aspirin
is trade mark Bayer Manufacture Mon
of Salicylicacid.-Ad