SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 1901.
PRICE FIVE CENTS.
VOLUME LXXXIX— NO. 113.
Morphine and Mistaken Identity Cause an Ex-Student to
Fire Five Shots in a Crowded New York Resort— A. W.
Dingwall and John D. Leffingwell Are Wounded
BULLETS AIMED AT MAY BUCKLEY
MISS THE CALIFORNIA ACTRESS
AND STRIKE TWO THEATRICAL MEN
United States Inspectors Render Their Decision in Which They
Blame Herlihy for Neglect of Duty in Not Calling His White
Grew on Deck to Man the Boats and Save Lives of Passengers
CAPTAIN WARD, PILOT JORDAN
AND CHIEF ENGINEER HERLIHY
ARE CENSURED FOR RIO WRECK.
After Moulton had been locked up De
tective Traynor sa.d that he had been
looking for Moulton since February 8.
On that date, he said, Moulton called
upon Dr. James E. Newcomb of this city
and had him cash a check for $30. Dr.
Newcomb, Detectivo Traynor said,' haa
received a number of letters from Chl
cago, Sing Sing, Elmlra, Boston and Buf
falo saying that Moulton had engaged in
swindling operations in the cities named,
where he had secured sums ranging from
$50 to $173. The detective said Jie would
arrest Moulton on these charges Jf he
should free himself cf his present trouble.
It Is said that Mouiton had supported
a few days.
hospital to-night said his condition was
not Eerlous and that he would 'be out in
Woman Upsets \ a Lamp and for.' a
Time the; Entire Town Is
Threatened.
TULARE, March • 22.— At \ Goshen, about
eight miles . north - of here, .the . wife; of > R.
W. Woods/assistant agentof the South- ;
ern'Pacinc, while taking a bath knocked
over a : lamp. It exploded • and set flre to
the house. : For a short time ' the ' entire
town, including the railroad's large 'oil
tanks and ~ coal'docks, -; was threatened,
but after a few hours' work the fire- was
srot^ under control and the town saved.
GOSHEN ' BABEL Y* ESCAPES
DESTRUCTION BY FIBE
¦whether Murray Hamilton Hall, who in
life was known 'as a man but after death
'was found to be a woman, was wife or
husband. This odd character was always
looked upon as a widower after the death
cf the woman she married a quarter of a
century ago.
Surrogate in New York Must Now
Determine Whether She Was
Wife or Husband.
NEW YORK, March 22.— It is virtuall>
left for Surrogate Fitzgerald to decide
MUEBAY HALL'S ESTATE
PUZZLE TOR A COUBT
Miss Hall says that she lived in the fam
ily of the deceased for more than fifteen
years prior to her ' death, andi frequently
talked with her and with other persons In
her presence. ' Murray Hall frequently,
said that all members of her family were
dead and that she had no relatives of any
kind living. This petition will be submit
ted «to Surrogate Fitzgerald for his con
sideration. *4taflBBS&BMgBHGBttMRm|9Sra
The will signed by Hall leaves her estate
to her adopted daughter, Imelia A. Hall.
It is not worth more than $200. This
adopted daughter in her petition for pro
bate of the will speaks of Hall through
out as a woman, and says she died 1 with
out any heirs at law.
CAPE TOWN, .March 22.— The Prime
Minister reports that, Colonel Scobell en
gaged . Commandants : Fouche , arid Molan
nearl Blaauwkrantz last Wednesday. The
enemy .: broke and scatteredto the north
east: The 'British casualties were three
killed and. four 'wounded.: The Boers lost
four •killed* and twenty-eight, captured.
They also lost 143 horses, 'which, were cap
tured. '}'' '-V ; ¦_••'.;
; • Commandant Kritzlnger crossed the
railway at* Henning ' station yesterday
morning to* tho northeast ' Tha 1 British
BLOEMFONTEIN, March 22.— The re
sult ; of .the combined . movement against
General Fourie, near, Thaba,'N*Chu, -was
the capture of 200 Boers, 120,000 sheep, 6000
horses and . a host of . cattle. The Boers
broke southward to the risht and left
columns are in vigorous pursuit Boers in
eastern and midland districts are appar
ently " making for Orange River Colony,
being steadily pursued v by the British.
Small parties remaining in the south In
the vicinity , of Adelaide and Fort Beau
fort are being energetically dealt with.
There are apparently no organized bodies
of Invaders acalnst which the troops can
operate. ' A small commando appears to
be still in the nelghborhood-.\>f Kallamas,
Namaqualand. The Boers watching .
the town of Fella. It Is evident, despite
the constant rumors of the presence of
commandos, there is no coherence among
the Boers in Orance River Colony. . None
of the forces there are strong enough to
withstand the British advance.
There was one death from plague at the
hospital here yesterday.
Signor Marconi -In 1 - his. answer -not only
makes sweeping .of these allega
tions but declares that /the Dolbear pat- [
ents-: are -.valueless -and -Invalid. ;Charl33 !
R. Cross -professor of physics in the Mas
sachusetts Institute of .Technology in Bos-^
ton, -and Dr. John . "Ambrose ; Fleming,,
professor of electrical \ engineering: ; ; at"
the • University \ College * in f London, testl-.
fled. in [support! of »Marconl'a; claims, .
I No evidence' was '. heard y on the ; side ' of
the*; plaintiff/" The" suit: was ("dismissed* by*
Judge ' Coxe-' after ;the decision of Leonard
to offer no [ testimony.
B. Dolbear of Boston. Leonard asserts
that Dolbear was the original Inventor of
a mode of electric communication without
wires, , for ' which patent '¦_ No. .350,209 had
been issued inlSS6 to the Dolbear Electric
Telephone Company of New Jersey.
The nature of the decree proves- a signal
victory^! or Signor Marconi in" his conteri-;
tion . that he Is the sole Inventor of wire
less telegraphy and is based on communi- .
cations from counsel! forWmplalnant which
virtually "admit : the" superiority of /the
Marconi system and his right to us© such
system. .The action ] was ¦ brought against
Sigrior Marconi when he first came to this
country, :. in , t October, 1839. by i Lyman -: C.I
.Leonard, assignee of the patents^bf Amoa
NEW YORK," March 22.— Gugllelmo Mar
coni, inventor of wireless telegraphy, has
won the suit brought against him for $100,
000 damages and to restrain him from fur
ther use, of his invention by the assignee
of . A. . E. * Dolbear. United States . Judgo
Alfred C. Coxe, for the Southern New"
York ; District, , dismissed 'the suit .with
costs . to . the defendant V
BRITISH CAPTURE BOERS,
SHEEP, HORSES AND CATTLE
MARCONI SOLE INVE NTOR
OF WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY
"Mr. Lefflngwell was an advance agent
for Mr. Lltt and at various times has act
ed in that capacity for Mme. Modjeska
and for Otis Skinner. I. understand that
he was wealthy -In' former years, enjoy
ing an annual income of $70,000. He spent
his money with the greatest freedom and
was , very , fond of yachting. He floated
about the Mediterranean one season in his
own crafti ~Af one point In his life he
owned a newsp'aper i 1 in I Hartford, I Conn.
He was known - in ' ovecy : important city
In the country."
CHICAGO, March [ 22.— George Warren,
treasurer of ..McVkker's Theater, said,
when told of the shooting of Dingwall and
Lefflngwell: |
himself for the past two years by. swind
ling. '
Wanted for Swindling.
Dlngwall's friends who saw him at the
Moulton said . that his home was in
Springfield, Tenn., and that he had been
• for three years a student of architecture
special at Columbia College. He said that
he remembered going to the theater, but
recalled nothing af tbr the curtain rose on
the second act. He denied knowing Miss
Seligman. He was held In $5000 ball and
his examination was set for Monday.
tie partly filled with half-grain sulphate
of morphine tablets and a bottle nearly
full of a liquid solution of morphine were
found in his pocket While waiting to be
arraigned in the West Side Court he
stated that he , had partaken freely of
these drugs and gave this as an excuse
for his conduct.
MISS MAY BUCKLEY, THE CLEVER CALIFORNIA ACTRESS, AT WHOM
A DRUG-CRAZED YOUNG MAN FIRED FIVE SHOTS, ONE OF WHICH
PASSED THROUGH HER DRESS.
would be contrary, to good discipline . for i
Captain Ward to have given the order al-
leged by Mr., Herlihy, 1 aind the flatter, as
chief engineer, Ibeing master of . his own
department,'could neither have accepted
nor obeyed it; as the rules of the Pacific
Mail' Steamship Company are posted in
the engine-rooms "of Its steamships, and
require that all the engineers shall be at
their posts of.duty when entering and
leaving port. "We will add that It is an un-
written law:"that the chief engineer, of a
steam vessel, like the steamship City of
Rio de Janeiro «be on, duty on leaving or
entering port. Moreover the testimony In
this case shows that on the morning of ¦,'
the disaster Captain Ward gave an order
to call the chief engineer. \ ' r'-LC\'-
"Upon being asked what steam the
gauge registered on the morning of the
22d Mr.' Herlihy, answered: "I do not know
by;personal observation; I was not In the
engine-room -.until! the ship struck.' Tet
he testified previously^ that he had looked
into the engine-room and saw a full crew
on duty." Healso testified that on the
morning that the:steamship was entering
port^he! could distinctly hear the Lime
Point whistle arid .could plainly dlstin
guish it from the North Head whistle,
both of which were blowing at the time!
He should then have got up and attended
to his'duties." Mr.. Herlihy testified that
at full speed coming over from Yokohama
this trip theenglnes. averaged 71.6 revolu
tions per ¦ minute,: which gave a speed of
12.24 knots-per-hour, and that at half
speed the steamer,made as high as nine
and sometimes ten knots per.hour on an
average of, sixty revolutions per l minute.
Censure of Herlihy.
"In this connection we must say that it
"P. H. ' Herlihy, chief engineer of the
steamship City of Rio de Janeiro, the only
survivor of her engine-room officers, testi
fied that he had been in the employ of the
Pacific Mall Steamship Company since
1S73, and that he was on this steamer
when she was lost on February 22 last. He
testified that there were no orders given
to bank the fires on the night of February
21, when the steamer came to an anchor,
but it was so considered. "When nskifl if
the City of Rio de Janeiro had a full head
of steam in her- boilers on the morning of
the 22d, before she started to enter, the *
harbor, Mr.- Herlihy stated that the limit
was 160 pounds, but they had 145. pounds,
and that, although he did not see it,' he
knew It was there, as that was his order
and what they generally had at anchor
age. We must here remark that there
should have been between 155 • and 160
pounds pressure on this occasion before
entering port, but there is no one living
who actually knows what the steam
gauge then registered, Mr. Herlihy, chief I
engineer, the one who should know, hav
ing been absent from his post of duty,
and Mr. Brady, the engineer on watch,
having been drowned.
"Mr. Herlihy further testified that he.
was not called on the morning of the 22d,
but was awakened by the' engines being
moved, and that he got up and looked in
the engine-room, saw a full crew and then
returned to his room and remained there
until the ship struck, and his reason for
so doing, he stated, was that the assistant
engineers were competent men.
"When asked what were his duties as
chief engineer, Mr. Herlihy replied that
they were to supervise everything In his
department: but he 'testified that he did
not supervise anything on the morning of
the 22d,: and he further stated that Cap
tain Ward came to his room on the night
of the 21st and said to him: 'Mr. Herlihy,
I will give my Instructions to the engine-'
room without' calling you.' .
Case of the Chief Engineer.
by saloons. When he was arrested a bot-
nesses could be secured, it became ap
parent that Moulton was Buffering so
badly from drugs or alcoholic stimulants,
or both, that he had no fixed idea In
firing the shots.
Moulton at the Theater.
On Thursday night Moulton occupied a
box at the Broadway Theater, purchasing
elx tickets, only one of which he used.
His actions at the theater attracted at
tention both in the audience and on the
stage.
After leaving the theater Moulton was
seen to take a number of drinks in near-
fatuation and jealousy, either for Miss
Buckley or for Miss Jennie Seligman. of
the eame company, and that he mistook
Miss Buckley for Miss Sellgman when he
eaw her In the Rathskeller. Subsequent
ly, when the testimony of numerous wit-
left Elfie, e» he rose from his chair. The
fourth passed through Miss Buckley's
dress. b«lng deflected from its course by
a blow from Leffingwell In an effort to
knock the revolver from the would-be
essaesin's hand. The last shot went wild.
The motive for the shooting is not very
clear. It was believed at first that Moul
ton was suffering from a bad case of in-
wall in the fleshy part of the back, on the
by Moulton. the first penetrated the sleeve
«f Mr. Leffir.gweH's coat. Just gTazlng his
lor^ariru The skin -was not broken- • The
second shot passed along the front of
DingwaU's vest, cutting the cloth for an
inch or two. The third shot struck Ding-
The cellar was in an uproar. Guests and
"waiters ran toward Moulton, women
•creamed and the manager and the de
tective of the hotel soon overpowered the
infuriated* man.~ Of the five shots fired
Bullet Hits Miss Buckley's Dress.
know to the frequenters of the cellar as
"the officers' quarters," when Moulton.
mho had been drinking or partaking of
morphine, or both, appeared before 'them
iur.d began to abuse the party and to use
profane language, .his insults being di
rected largely toward the actress. His
words were resented, and he drew a 32
caliber revolver and began to discharge Jt.
He fired five shots in all, only four of
¦which took effect, in any quarter. Only
one Aid any damage, the shot which
pierced Dlngwall's back.
Dingwall, John D. IvefSr.gwtll and Miss
Buckley's aunt were sitting in a booth
ry yEW YORK. March 22.— A highly
r^k I sensational shooting took place
' early to-day in the Rathskeller
of the P&bst Hotel, corner of
Brcadway and Forty-second
6tr*et. Robert H. Moulton. a. young- ex-
Etudent nf architecture, and more recent
jv a men .about town, .wanted., by the,
rxjlice for" the "passing "of bogus checks,
was the assailant; a. young woman now
playing in the melodrama, "The Prince
of Peace."' at the Broadway Theater, was
The target at which he shot, and Alex
ander W. Dingwall. manager of that the
ater, was the victim. Dingwall is now in
the Roosevelt Hospital with a bullet In
his back. His wound is not a. dangerous
The accounts cf the affair vary to a
©orisideraWe degree. The most accredited
version was that Miss May Buckley, Mr.
United States District Judge 'de Haven
Issued an order yesterday authorizing
United States Commissioner George E.
Morse to take testimony for the purpose
of appraising the value of the Rio de Ja
neiro and also the value of the freight.
Will Appraise Wreck of Rio.
"The evidence given by Mr. Herlihy, chief
engineer of the steamship City of Rio da
Janeiro, is conclusive that he was Inatten
tive to the duties of his position on the
morning of February. 22 last, and for such
neglect of duty on his part we have thU
day, under section 4450. "United States Re
vised Statutes, revoked his license as
chief engineer of ocean steamers. Very
respectfully, - **O. F. BOiLL.ES.
"JOHN K.BCLGER.'
"Local Inspectors.'*
"Had Mr. Herlihy been at his post
and fully dressed, as lie should have
been on this occasion, it is reasonable
to suppose that he would have heard
the signal -which -was given from the
bridge ' to'/'xnan the boats. He coul'l
then have called the officers and the
balance of the crew in his department
to the upper deck to their boat sta
tions, which action, we believe, would
have resulted in saving more lives.
"He said he was the only offender; he
did not get anv orders to man the boats.
and said that that accounted for the rea
son that so many of those men went
down. .'¦'•'.-:¦
It was arranged . between himself and
Captain Ward as to the speed under cer
tain bells. "When he wanted to go very
slow he rang two bells.
Herlihy's License Revoked. __
"When the ship struck he ran down into
the engine-room, the engines were stopped
and. the. water, was -coming through tha
alleyway to the platform, but he had all
the injections closed, the bilge pumps put
on the biiges and then gave orders to the
men on watch to leave the engine-room.
When asked If he ordered his men to
stand by the boats he said he had received
no orders to do so, but would not swear
that the signal was not given. He left all
the men in his department at the donkey
boiler, on the main deck, to await orders,
and then went to his room to dress him
self, notwithstanding that during all this
time the lights had all gone out, and four
minutes after he entered his room the
ship sank." When asked if It was not his
place to order the men to stand by the
boats when nothing more could be done
with the pumps, he said that that was
the custom. He testified that the chief
engineer was supposed to be at his post
and to order and see his men at their sta
tions when leaving or entering port, but
on this occasion the men were not called.
ENGIIs-EER OF THE RIO ANT> PI
LOT CENSURED BY THE UNITED
STATES INSPECTORS.
THE first official decision fixing re
sponsibility for the wreck of the
Rio de Janeiro and the fearful loss
of' life attendant thereon was
handed down yesterday by Cap
tains O. F.I Bolles and John K. . Bulger,
United States Inspectors , of Hulls and
Boilers. This ; decision places the blame
for the -wreck upon the late Captain
"Ward and Pilot Jordan. The pilot, being a
State officer, Is not under the Jurisdiction
of the United States inspectors, and they
have no power to punish him. The State
Board of Pilot Commissioners, that, has
the power, la at present inquiring into
his culpability or innocence.
The inspectors blame the chief, engineer
for inattention to his duty and revoke his
license as chief engineer. He had ten
white men In his charge, consisting of
three engineers, three water tenders,
three oilers and a storekeeper, and the
Inspectors are of the 'opinion that if Chief
Engineer Herlihy had called this force on
deck to man the boats many more lives
would have been saved.
The first few pages of thj decision deal
with the evidence in a condensed his
torical way. and after this come the opin
ion and findings of the inspectors, as fol
low: ;.':¦;. ;:^ AoT, . •
"After careful consideration of this mat
ter' we are of the ¦. opinion that Captain
"Ward" is to blame forallowlng'the steam
ship City of Rio de Janeiro to leave her
anchorage, "as he did, on February 22.
After leaving her \ anchorage the vessel
was in charge of F. "W. -Jordan, State
pilot, who was much to blame for at
tempting ;to , bring the steamship City of
Rio de JanelVo from a safe anchorage into
the harbor* of San Francisco in a dense
fog at night,' with a strong ebb tide run
ning, the current being made stronger and
more uncertain by the freshets in the riv
ers. „
"At her.last inspection; April 28, 1900.
there was on board of the ship eleven life
boats afid "eleven Merafts (4124 cubic feet
capacity); and also 671' itfe-preservers dis
tributed in the steerage and the state
rooms,'with notices of rfaine in each room.'
The Bhlp'^had five \ watertight bulkheads
ter 'there were '. 20fi * persons "on | board the
steamship. Captain ."Ward, master/ all the
officers except the second and third mates
and the chief engineer, sixty-eight pas
sengers and. fifty-four . of the crew were
lost— in all 127 lives. The City of Rio de
Janeiro was valued at $500,000 and her car
go estimated to be worth $400,000.
THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL.