Imperial Valley press., 1925-07-23

ed today, which might tend to ex
plain the mysterious killing OF
Henry Kirk at Imperial Saturday
followed by The suicide OF Johr
Tfuden, the man who killed him, al
Jacumba Monday morning, consid
erable information has been obtain
ed about the two m,n which show
that Kirk was undoubtedly of the
smooth, sauve type that might be
termed n "Gay Lothario, with
women figuring in his career, while
Truden was Il plodder, carving out
the characteristics of his Slavonian
ancestry by his industry and hi,
effort TO better his condition.
Among the most important de
,Felepments was the discovery that
Kirk had "a wife, who is now living
IN San Francesca. She was located
in that city by the United Press
giving her name IA Cleo Baxtci
Kirk. She told the United Pres,
that her husband was n former stu
dent at San Francisco, later swim
ming coach for the Beresford Com
try Club leader of an orchestra and
later musician and photographer
IN Honolulu.
She with Kirk s brother. David
Kirk, were positive that her husband
could not have been killed in - due
aF he was n crack shot, having been
sent to Annapolis during the World
War to give instruction in pistoI
shooting. They believe that lie was
killed over Il woman, still resi-
dent of Ilonoulu, Tough said to be
in san Francisco at present.
Mrs. Kirk last heard from her
husband at CaleXieo, six weeks ago
she said. He WIS to join her here
AID they were to return to Honolulu
Although Ut cannot be definitely
SAID that Kirk posed rs Il single
man here, no one has been founo
who knew that he was married
Among his effects are the addresse,
of a score or more of women, to
gether with letters written to wo
lien and never mailed. as wen a,
letters which he received from his
admirers.
That Kirk was endowed with :
wonderful imagination, that led him
quite often from the paths Of truth
is shown by the various stories he
stoid, to people in Imperial, and tC
folks who knew him in this citv
His wife S story as told to the
United Press SAYS that he WIS tt
join her soon and they were TO re
turn to IIonohIm.
Told Many Tales
To his friend Sole Estaviila. il
This city, he stated he was going tC
Honolulu to visit his sister, aftel
which he intended to come back t
the United States and would takt
Miss Estavilla and her brother Will
him to Sonora, where he had re
Gently purchased a big ranch.
In his conversations with friends
in Imperial, he. asserted that ht
had been with the French and late
the American army during the worlC
war, serving in France, and that h,
was on the staff Of. the Nationa
Geographical Magazine as write
=
he has II brother who owns large
ranch in Mexico aud that he haC
visited with him, but could not stanC
the climate and was advised to com,
TO Imperial Valley to regain hi
health.
It was to build up his strength
that he took the job Of driving ;
L hn fyI 10
han of a we'll known oil company n
Imperial, and said he expected (,
quit his job there about August !
He claimed to have have Sevcra
thousand dollars worth of photo
graphic equipment already purchas
ed i'll Los Angeles, and said when h
left Imperial he was to pick up hi
equipment and join an expedition t.
be sent out by the National Geo
graphic Society.
Kirk WAS a photographer of I'm
usual ability, but his stories of hi
Photographic exploits were appar
entity creatures of his imagination
At a time when his letters and othe
data show him to have been in Ha
hdii3 iS tluliItu lHdI NJ MdS /
Egypt, taking pictures of KIM
Tnt's tomb, also that he had gon
to Japan to take pictures of tn
Japanese earthquake and Of variou
places in China.
Offsetting the claim of Kirk
wife and brother that he could no
have been killed in duel becaus
of his proficiency with pistol,
the fact that Truden was also
crack shot, having won his sharT
shooter s medal in the marine corp,
and he had over eight years exper.
enee on the government ranges.
Truden Born in Austria
Truden, according to papers foun
in his trunk, which was opened We,
terdav by Coroner Lemons, was Dor
in Babenfeld, Austria, January %
1894. There is nothing to sho,
when he came to this country an
the first date of note in his histor
is September ], 1915, when he 'ei