Sandrock's tienda at Mission Grade. The slope up which Highway 163 runs today was called Poor Farm Grade; Texas Street was called Mission Grade.

Late in the 1870s, Anne and Clemens Sandrock and their two small children moved south from Bear Valley to San Diego. Their route may have taken them along the main road that ran through Mission Valley, a road traveled by people coming from the backcountry to Old Town or to Alonzo Horton’s New San Diego. Then as now there were breaks in the south wall of the valley. The slope up which Highway 163 runs today was called Poor Farm Grade; Texas Street was called Mission Grade.

Seeing the activity in the valley, Clemens decided to locate a store at the midpoint, near the intersection of Mission Grade and Mission Valley road. It would be a good place for business, Clemens thought. So he built a five-room store and house and put a sign in front that said “C.W. Sandrock’s Tienda.” As was the custom of the day, the grade was later named after them: Sandrock Grade.

The valley was a wide, open space, with thickets of willow along the river. Bluegill, sunfish, and bass could be caught in the river’s potholes. Fox, raccoon, and possum inhabited the land. During dry months, the shallow, meandering river nearly disappeared. A road crossed the San Diego River at the foot of the Sandrock Grade, and farmers would bring straw in the summer to pack down the damp sand to provide a firm crossing. Fording the river was impossible if it was flowing to any extent.

In the winter of 1873, several years before the Sandrocks arrived, the river overflowed four times. Mail had to be ferried back and forth by boat. On an early morning in late January, a wall of water came down the San Diego River. As the first flood crest hit the river mouth, Old Town was flooded and the railroad bed was washed out. A family with a small farm in the flats of Old Town was saved, but their house, garden, trees, and possessions were swept away. People watched from the high ground as trees, stumps, and drowned livestock poured out onto the flats. No land showed between the river mouth and Point Loma.

Anne and Clemens were born in Germany. It had been hard living in Germany in the mid-1800s. Men were drafted to fight in the many wars that tore the country apart, and they left to avoid conscription. There were other Germans who lived in Old Town and New San Diego: Louis Rose, the Mannassees, the Schillers, the Klaubers, and the Winters. Some were from near where Anne was born, but no one came from her birthplace.

In New San Diego, people were becoming wealthy. Doctors arrived, small hospitals were set up, attorneys had clients, builders constructed or moved buildings, hotels were developed , only to suffer from the loss of occupants during the bust periods. There were the ups and downs of economic cycles. This had become almost a pattern in San Diego. First, people would flock here, then they would go away.

The Sandrocks’ move to the valley did not bring them prosperity. The valley remained a rural place, for no one wanted property where flooding occurred. The family had grown by two, and the four children added to the burdens of an already stretched pocketbook. In 1882, Clemens was arrested and charged with battery against his wife. The charges were later dropped because of the illness of family members.

Sometime in the late 1880s Anne and Clemens separated. Anne stayed at the desolate spot at the grade, and Clemens opened a store near the ancient palms at Old Town. By the mid-1890s the younger children, Anna and Louis, were living with Clemens, while the older two, Will and Emma, lived in a house near the Mission Valley store.

From the porch of the Sandrock Tienda, Anne could look out and see customers approaching. She may have had moments of fear. She was alone, and it wasn’t always safe to be alone.

She had several neighbors. They were her customers, as were the Indians and Mexicans who lived in the valley. Often the Indians had taken Mexican names, and that was how she knew them.

There was a history of immigrants to the area mistreating Indians, using them for cheap labor and penning them up in reservations after throwing them off Mission lands. Indians tried to regain their lands, but they were often unable to and became wanderers. They lived in brush huts or small rancherias, and Anne would see them come and go through the valley in a constant search for food. She had heard of Indians killing people. A family was murdered in Otay several years before, and people who lived in isolated areas were always in danger.

Anne Sandrock was 53 years old on October 5, 1895. She was an old woman by the standards of the times. The possibility of remarriage was remote. She was not even divorced, and who would want a poor old woman with a mental condition?

Her body was found by William Terry. The following is from the transcript of the inquest held at the store that night.

In the matter of the Inquisition by Coroner’s Jury into the cause of death of Mrs. Anne Sandrock, Dec’d.

Before Theo F. Johnson, Coroner. By T.H. Risdon, Deputy. Mrs. Sandrock’s Store, Mission Valley. San Diego County, October 5th, 1895

The Coroner appoints W.W. Whitson shorthand reporter, and directs him to report in shorthand and transcribe the testimony and proceedings herein.

District Attorney A. H. Sweet is present and participates in the examination of witnesses.

The following named persons are sworn to act as jurors, namely James Duffy, W.R. Rea, Robert Butler, A.J. Simpson, Jacob Jepsen, Wm. Smith, Henry Kuehl, and R.J. Blythe (commonly known as Murray).

The jurors view the body of the deceased. Miss Emma Sandrock, having been duly sworn testifies.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: You mat state your name?

A: Emma Sandrock.

Q: Your age?

A: Twenty-one.

Q: Where have you been residing?

A: Corner of Eleventh and B Streets.

Q: How long since you have been out home, or at your mother’s?

A: It has been about three weeks.

Q: Was she in good health at that time?

A: Yes, sir, she was.

Q: You have seen the body lying here on the floor. Do you identify it as your mother?

A: Yes sir, I do.

Q: State her name?

A: Fifty-three years.

Q: Where was she born?

A: Germany.

Q: How long has she lived in this country?

A: About twenty-six years.

Q: Was she married?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Whereabouts does he reside?

A: At Old Town.

Q: Have your mother and father been living together recently?

A: No sir, they have not?

Q: For how long?

A: I do not know, several years.

Q: For several years?

A: Yes sir.

Q: When were you notified of your mother’s death?

A: This afternoon about half past five o’ clock.

Q: When did you arrive here?

A: About a quarter of six, or somewhere near there.

Q: What was the arrangement of the articles in this room, were they the same as now, or nearly so?

A: Yes sir, just the same

Q: And had anything been disturbed in the house?

A: No sir.

Q: Had anything been disturbed in the other room?

A: Well, the bureau drawers had been disturbed, the washstand drawer has been disturbed, and there is a purse lying on the table broken open, and there is a stick lying on the floor.

Q: Is the stick lying now where it is?

A: Yes sir, it is.

Q: And where was the purse kept?

A: It was kept in the bureau drawer.

Q: What was the condition of the drawer?

A: It had been disturbed.

Q: What was your mother’s habit about keeping money in that bureau drawer and in the purse?

A: She just kept a few dolars in there for change was all.

Q: In varying sums, small sums, or how?

A: Small sums, not very much.

Q: You would not judge she had more than twenty dollars?

A: No sir, I think not.

Q: Do you know what her habits were in making change for customers?

A: Well, I do not know exactly what you mean by that.

Q: Well, when customers would come in and she would not have change.

A: She always went in there and got some.

Q: And then came out and paid them?

A: Yes sir.

Q: You have seen her do that repeatedly?

A: Yes sir, I have.

Q: Before Indians and Mexicans and all her customers.

A: Yes sir.

Q: Did she carry much of any money in her drawer here?

A: No sir, just small change.

Q: And if it was any amount up to five or ten dollars it would be in the other room?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Do you know whether she had any other money in the house?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Do you know whether that was disturbed?

A: No sir, it was not disturbed.

Q: How much was the other?

A: It was $45.

Q: And it was in a place that you and your mother knew of?

A: Yes sir.

Q: And you have opened it and know it was there?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Had any other rooms in the house been disturbed?

A: No sir.

Q: Her trade was principally among what class?

A: She did considerable trading with the Mexicans, and then with the whites.

Q: Do you know whether she spoke the Spanish language?

A: No sir, she did not, but she understood what they wanted, articles.

Q: Did she do a cash business or credit?

A: Always did cash.

Q: Do you know of her ever having had any difficulty with any person?

A: No sir, not that I know of. She was a little out of her mind once in a while and talked rather serious but I do not think that they took it that way, for they knew what state she was in.

Q: Did she ever at any time say she did not care to live?

A: No sir she did not.

Q: Did she ever threaten to take her life?

A: No sir she did not.

BY MR. SWEET:

Q: The people in the vicinity knew she lived alone did they?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Most of the people in the vicinity, Mexicans and all, knew she lived alone?

A: Yes sir.

Q: You say her mind was somewhat affected at times?

A: Yes sir.

Q: In what way, how did it show itself, in little peculiarities?

A: Yes sir, more that way than any other.

Q: How many rooms are there in the house?

A: Five.

Q: How near is the nearest neighbor to this place, do you know?

A: I do not know just how far it is. Just a short distance.

THE CORONER:

Q: Isn’t your brother your nearest neighbor?

WITNESS: Yes I think he is.

THE CORONER: If you will just step in here we will have you identify the place. Will you step over here, please?

Q: You spoke about a stick, is this the stick you have reference to?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Is it lying in the same position it was?

A: Yes sir, just about, it had been lifted up and looked at.

A JUROR: Is that blood on the stick?

MR. SWEET: Yes sir.

Q: Where was the $45 kept?

A: In her room in the trunk.

Q: In your mother’s sleeping room?

A: Yes sir.

Q: And that was not disturbed?

A: No sir, it was not.

Q: Now where was the purse?

A: It was over there on that small table.

Q: Was there anything in this purse when you saw it tonight?

A: No sir, there was not.

THE CORONER: You have every reason to believe that your mother had about twenty dollars in the purse?

WITNESS: I hardly think she had that much.

Q: The purse was in the same condition that it is now, that is, was it broken and cut?

A: Yes sir.

Q: You noticed the break in it at the clasp?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Do you know the condition it was in when you last saw your mother have it?

A: Yes sir, it was not in that condition.

THE CORONER: What condition was it in?

WITNESS: I think the clasp was gone, I have an idea it was, or that it was loose, that is it. The clasp was loose.

MR. SWEET: You think the clasp was on the purse?

WITNESS: Yes sir, but it was loose.

Q: Have you found a clasp here?

A: I have not.

Q: Have you made any search for it?

A: No sir, I have not.

A JUROR: There was something said about her missing the key of the house.

WITNESS: Yes sir, the store key is gone.

Q: Where was that kept?

A: Always on the inside of the front door.

Q: Do you know whether people knew that she kept her change in that room or any money?

A: They always could see, whenever she wanted to make any change she always went in there to get it.

BY MR. SWEET:

Q: Was there any liquor kept in the store by your mother?

A: No sir.

Q: What was the stock of goods she kept?

A: Groceries, soda water and such things.

Q: No intoxicating liquor at all?

A: No sir.

Q: Did she sell tobacco?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Are there any Mexicans or Indians living near here?

A: About a mile and a half or two miles away from here.

Q: They traded here and were accustomed to trade here?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Did you ever hear your mother express any fear of the Indians and Mexicans?

A: No sir.

Q: Do you know whether any of them ever made any threats against her?

A: No sir.

Q: Did she ever have any difficulty with them to your knowledge?

A: No sir.

Q: When they came here she got along with them always?

A: Yes sir.

WILLIAM C. SANDROCK, being first duly worn, testifies.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: State your name?

A: William C. Sandrock.

Q: Your Age?

A: Twenty-three.

Q: Where do you reside?

A: On the next place adjoining this.

Q: Do you identify the body lying here on the floor?

A: Yes sir.

Q: As whom?

A: My mother.

Q: What name?

A: Her name is Mrs. Anne A. Sandrock.

Q: When did you last see her alive?

A: I saw her this morning.

Q: At what time?

A: Half past seven.

Q: Were you at home today?

A: No sir, except this evening.

Q: Where were you? During the day, where were you?

A: In town, in San Diego.

Q: Why were you in town?

A: I was in S.S. Knoles law office.

Q: Just state you were in as a witness if you were.

A: I was in as a witness, yes sir.

Q: When did you know of your mother’s death?

A: I knew of it this afternoon.

Q: What time?

A: About five o’ clock.

Q: What time did you reach here?

A: About ten minutes past six.

Q: What was the condition of this room when you arrived?

A: To the best of my knowledge it was the same as it is now, at present.

Q: Was there anything disturbed here in the room to your knowledge?

A: No sir.

Q: What was your mother’s habit in dealing with her customers in regard to making change.

A: She always kept the change in the other room.

Q: And when she needed change where did she go to get it?

A: She always went into this other room to get it.

Q: Have you seen her do that repeatedly?

A: Yes, sir.

Q: What was her class of customers that she traded with?

A: Both Indians and white people.

Q: Do you know whether she had much of any money about here today?

A: No sir, I do not.

Q: Do you know where she kept her money?

A: All I know is in the other room.

Q: You did not know the place?

A: No sir, I did not.

Q: Do you know whether your mother had had any trouble with any one?

A: No sir, I do not.

Q: Had she ever threatened to take her life?

A: Not to my knowledge.

Q: Had she ever said she was tired of living?

A: No sir, not to me.

Q: Had you ever seen her in these spells that they speak of?

A: Yes sir.

Q: How would she act when she was in them?

A: She was just mad at the time being at the person, and often said she did not care whether he came any more or not.

Q: Did she ever threaten to injure them in any way?

A: No sir.

BY MR. SWEET:

Q: You were here at seven o’clock this morning?

A: Half past seven.

Q: What was your mother doing when you left?

A: Standing out here on the porch.

Q: At what time did you get back here tonight?

A: Ten minutes six.

Q: What did you do when you came?

A: I took the wagon back home and got my sister and brought my sister out here.

THE CORONER: What sister?

WITNESS: My sister Emma.

Q: Were there any firearms about the house that you know of?

A: No sir.

Q: Have you seen this knife that lays over here on the floor?

A: Yes.

Q: Is that a knife that was kept here in the store?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Do you know where she usually kept it?

A: On the counter.

Q: What did she use the knife for?

A: Generally cutting cheese.

Q: Did you see that stick that was lying on the floor in the other room?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Had you ever seen that before tonight?

A: No sir.

Q: Did you see any strangers or suspicious persons around here today?

A: No sir.

Q: How far do you live from here, how far is your house from this store?

A: Between two and three hundred yards.

Q: To the south of here or the west of here?

A: South west.

Q: Are you a married man?

A: No sir.

Q: Have you seen in the valley, here or anywhere about here the Indians that have been spoken of as being about here today?

A: No sir, not in the valley.

Q: Have you seen those Indians that were supposed to have been here, have you seen them about here or near here?

A: No sir, I saw an Indian coming down the grade this morning.

Q: What time this morning?

A: About half past eight.

Q: This grade that goes right past the store here?

A: No sir, the County Farm grade.

Q: Did you know the Indian?

A: No sir, I did not.

Q: Did you ever see him before?

A: No sir.

Q: Could you describe him?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Will you do so?

A: He is a very short man and supposed to be about five-five or six, heavy set, would weigh about a hundred and fifty, heavy moustache and seemed to have a beard of three or four weeks’ growth, mingled with black and gray hair.

Q: Was his moustache black or gray?

A: Dark. Very much like his beard.

Q: How was he dressed?

A: I believe in blue overalls and a dark coat.

Q: What colored hat?

A: I do not recollect.

Q: Was he on foot?

A: No sir, on horseback.

Q: What colored horse?

A: Sorrel horse.

Q: Can you describe it further than that?

A: No sir.

Q: Any white on it?

A: I believe on hind foot was white.

THE CORONER: State the weight of the horse, about how large.

WITNESS: I would not judge he would go more than nine hundred at the highest.

Q: Was he a Mexican pony, or an Indian pony?

A: I do not recollect.

Q: Did you see any other Indian, or have you this week here in the valley, any strange Indians?

A: No sir, no strange Indians.

Q: Those you have seen are Indians that live here?

A: Yes sir.

LOUIS SANDROCK, being duly sworn testifies as follows.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: State your name?

A: Louis Sandrock.

Q: What is your age?

A: Fifteen.

Q: Where do you reside?

A: At Old Town.

Q: Who with?

A: My father, C.W. Sandrock.

Q: How long has it been since you saw your mother alive, the last time you saw her alive?

A: It must have been about six weeks.

Q: Do you know where your father was today?

A: Yes sir, he was in town.

Q: He was where?

A: In San Diego.

Q: San Diego City?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Were you with him?

A: No sir.

Q: Do you know what hour he left Old Town?

A: Yes sir, he left Old Town twenty-five minutes after nine.

Q: Have you seen him this evening?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Does he know of your mother’s death?

A: Yes sir.

MISS ANNA SANDROCK, being first duly sworn, testifies as follows.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: State your name?

A: Anna Sandrock.

Q: And your age?

A: Age seventeen.

Q: Where do you reside?

A: Old Town.

Q: Have you been making your home with your mother?

A: No sir.

Q: Where do you make your home?

A: With my father.

Q: When did you last see you mother alive?

A: It will be three weeks tomorrow.

Q: Was she in her usual good health at the time?

A: Yes, sir.

Q: Did she ever get despondent and threaten to take her life?

A: No sir.

Q: Have you ever known of her having any troubles with any one?

A: Not that I have known of.

EMMA SANDROCK, recalled.

Q: Do you identify that clasp?

A: I do.

Q: As whose?

A: As my mamma’s.

Q: And it belonged in this purse?

A: Yes sir.

BY MR. SWEET:

Q: Where did you find it?

A: Found that right at the foot of the bureau.

Q: The bureau in which the purse was kept?

A: Yes sir.

Q: When did you find the clasp?

A: Just a few moments ago.

Q: Do you live in town.

A: I was working in town.

Q: Will you be in town in the next few days?

A: I can, if it is necessary.

Q: Are you living out here with your brother?

A: Yes sir, I always stay out here.

PETER ZURSCHMIEDE, having been first duly sworn, testifies.

BY THE CORONER”

Q: State your name.

A: Peter Zurschmiede.

Q: Your occupation?

A: Dairy business, milk man.

Q: Were you engaged in that business today?

A: Yes sir.

Q: What time did you reach home?

A: I reached home at four o’ clock.

Q: Will you state if you saw Mrs. Sandrock today?

A: It was half past twelve when I passed.

Q: Was that the only time you have seen her today?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Go on and describe the circumstances of how it was you happened to see her?

A: When I passed with the milk wagon here and went to town.

Q: Where was she?

A: She was working in the room here.

Q: Whereabouts did you pass?

A: Right up this grade.

Q: Was she alone in the store?

A: No sir, there was a man standing there.

Q: Will you describe that man?

A: He was quite a tall man. He must have been I think nearly six feet high, heavy set, would weigh 160 pounds or so.

Q: Have you any reason to judge him as high as six feet? What reason have you for judging him to be six feet tall?

A: Why, as I looked in I thought he was a real big man, I had just one glance in as I went by.

Q: What was he doing?

A: Just standing in the middle of the room here.

Q: Describe his clothing.

A: I could not swear to it, I think it was dark clothes.

Q: Did he have a coat?

A: I could not say.

Q: Or a hat?

A: I did not notice.

Q: Did he have any cane or club or anything?

A: I think he had a club in his hand.

Q: To the best of your knowledge would you identify that club as the one he had?

A: It was a light colored club but I could not swear it was this one, but it was light colored.

Q: Similar to that?

A: Yes sir.

Q: How do you know the hour of the day?

A: When I saw him there?

Q: Yes how do you know the hour of the day when you saw him?

A: I generally leave home at half past twelve and I live right here next.

Q; You leave at that time regularly?

A: Regularly every day.

Q: Why?

A: Because that is just my time to go and deliver the milk in town.

Q: Which way were you going?

A: Up this grade, this old grade.

Q: When did you come back on this road?

A: About fifteen minutes to four.

Q: When you went by the store did you see any other person?

A: Yes sir, before I was down here Mr. Veasey and Miss Veasey just came down --

Q: I mean as you were going up, did you see any persons?

A: Not as I went up.

Q: As you were coming back you saw --

A: Those three coming down from Mr. Veasey’s home, I suppose.

Q: About what hour?

A: About fifteen minutes to four.

Q: Did you see any men riding horseback through here?

A: I do not think I did today.

Q: What has been your work this morning?

A: I worked around home, took some pumpkins down to the barn from the upper field.

Q: Then after having been to San Diego and coming back you stated you met Mr. Veasey?

A: Yes sir, they came down here and hollered to me to stop.

Q: What did they say?

A: Told me that Mrs. Sandrock cut her throat and asked me if I would go down to the Poor Farm and telephone in, and I went right away, and Mr. Veasey went with me.

Q: Did you stop here at the store?

A: Yes sir, just stopped about a minute. I just came in and looked, that it was so.

Q: Did you look into the store?

A: Yes sir.

Q: What was the arrangement of the store at that time?

A: Just as it is now.

Q: Where was Mrs. Sandrock lying?

A: Just in the same place as she is now.

Q: Was she breathing?

A: No sir.

Q: Do you think she was dead at that time?

A: Yes, sir, I think so.

Q: Did you get near the body?

A: Yes sir, I went near up to the body.

Q: How near?

A: Just close to her and looked.

Q: Did you touch her to see if she was warm?

A: No sir, I did not touch her. Mr. Veasey done it.

Q: Then what did you do?

A: Then I went out and went down to the Poor Farm.

Q: When did you next come back here?

A: It was about ten minutes after four again, I suppose. A young man from the Poor Farm came up with me.

Q: Who was he?

A: I could not say his name.

Q: Was it the steward?

A: I think he was the cook. He was not quite dressed, in slippers – shoes. I do not know his name.

Q: What did you do when you came back here?

A: Then just drove up home.

Q: Did you come back into the house?

A: Yes, I came back. This man asked me where she was, and I opened the door and took him in.

Q: Did you go to the body at that time?

A: Yes sir, just about the same as the first time, just went up with this man.

Q: And you are satisfied that she was dead at this time?

A: Oh yes.

Q: Do you know whether the body was cold or not?

A: The first time Mr. Veasey said it was not cold, and the second time this man said she was nearly cold.

BY MR. SWEET:

Q: How far do you live from the store?

A: Just a little piece up here, just the next place.

Q: How far is it, a quarter mile?

A: Not quite.

Q: Are you the nearest neighbor to the store here?

A: No, Will is the nearest, and Mr. Veasey.

Q: You do not know whether Mrs. Sandrock had any enemies, or whether she had any trouble with anybody?

A: No sir.

Q: I wish you would come up here now and look at the position of Mrs. Sandrock’s body and head and that knife, and state whether or not they are in the same position now that they were when you first saw them.

A: Yes sir, just the same.

Q: You see where the knife is lying do you?

A: Yes sir, I think that the knife was lying this way, not the way it is now.

Q: You think the knife has been moved?

A: I think it was. I think it was lying that way when I saw it first.

MR. SWEET: The knife now lies in the same direction that the body lies, and the witness states that he thinks the knife lay at right angles to the body when he first saw it.

THE CORONER: How near did you go, did you go near enough so you could tell exactly about the knife, did you take a particular notice about the knife?

WITNESS: No sir, I did not.

Q: Then you think that the knife lay at right angles to the body, do you, the first time you saw it, lay in this direction?

A: Yes sir, across there. (Showing)

Q: You saw nobody move the knife?

A: No sir.

Q: Did you see anything else about the counter here or about the store that has been moved?

A: No sir.

Q: Are you sure the knife did not lay when you first saw it just as it does now?

(The witness faints, and his examination is postponed for the present.)

Q: Are you sure that the knife did not lay in the same position when you saw it?

A: I could not swear, but I think it was laid towards the barrel.

Q: You think it was lying the other way?

A: Yes sir, and further away from the head.

WILLIAM TERRY< being duly sworn, testifies as follows.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: State your name?

A: William Terry.

Q: Your residence?

A: I live out here at Mr. Allison’s place.

Q: How far from here?

A: I presume about a mile or a little over.

Q: State you age?

A: I am about 68.

Q: When did you last see Mrs. Sandrock alive?

A: Well it was, I think it was some time last week.

Q: Was she in her usual health?

A: Well, she appeared to be about the same, you know, as usual.

Q: When did you first know of this affair today?

A: Well, I started from home, you know, and came down here to get some Magic yeast that I thought she had, and when I came to the door, or before I got to the door I saw the door closed, you know, and thinks I, the old lady is not home, but thinks I, if she ain’t at home I will stay until she comes – because it would not pay me to make two trips to get a box of Magic yeast.

Q: What door had you reference to?

A: This door here. (Front door of the stove.)

Q: The store door?

A: Yes sir, and I came up and rapped on the door and nobody appeared, and you know, I looked through the glass and saw her.

Q: Lying there on the floor as she is lying now, apparently?

A: Well there was an old gentleman, you know, before I got here came down and was going back, and got about 75 yards away.

Q: What was his name?

A: His name is Frank, and I hollered to him to come back and when we came together I told him I thought there was something wrong with Mrs. Sandrock. He said she’d been gone, he though she had gone, and he started back; the doors were closed and he thought she was gone and he was staring back and got about one hundred yards away, I presume, maybe one hundred and twenty-five.

Q: When you called to him?

A: Yes sir.

Q: At what time was this?

A: Well, I think it was between three and four o’ clock.

Q: How do you know that was that hour?

A: Well you know I have got no time, I go by the sun mostly. I never carry any watch, and never have any clock, and I have an idea it was about three o’ clock when I left home and it was between three and four I presume when I got down there.

Q: What did you then do, after Frank came down, what did you do then?

A: I went over to see Mr. Veasey and told him that Mrs. Sandrock – well, when Frank and I first came down and I hollered to him we came and opened the door you know, and walked up there, and he says Mrs. Sandrock’s throat is cut.

Q: Was the door locked?

A: No, it was not locked, just closed.

Q: Was there anything against it?

A: No, nothing but closed, I do not think.

Q: Was it closed tight?

A: Yes sir.

Q: And latched?

A: Well it was latched with the knob.

Q: Well go on.

A: Then I went over, says I, we will go and see some of the neighbors, and I went over to see some of the neighbors. I saw Mr. Veasey, and told him Mrs. Sandrock was lying on the floor dead.

Q: How near did you come to the body?

A: When Frank opened the door he came in, and I came in about this far, I guess. He says Mrs. Sandrock’s throat is cut.

Q: How far did he go to the body?

A: He went probably to the counter, maybe between the two counters, so when Mr. Veasey came over, and the daughter, why he went right there and examined her.

Q: Well, do you know the position that the body was in at that time?

A: Well, it was in apparently about the same as it is now.

Q: Did you examine the body to know whether she was dead or not?

A: No sir, I never examined the body.

Q: She had all appearances of being dead?

A: Yes sir, she had the appearances of being dead.

Q: And was the blood on the floor as it is now?

A: Yes, sir there was blood on the floor, I thought it was on each side of her face.

Q: Was it fresh, was the blood all fresh, or was it coagulated?

A: It was not fresh.

Q: What other persons were here when you were here?

A: Well, when I first came there was not anybody but Frank.

Q: What other persons were here?

A: After that?

Q: There came Mr. Veasey and his daughter and he went down to the County Farm and brought back I guess it was the steward, some gentleman from the County Farm.

A BY-STANDER: Yes it was the steward.

Q: Is that all you know about the case?

A: Yes sir.

BY MR. SWEET:

Q: Was the knife lying as it is now?

A: I could not say, you know, whether the point was towards her head, or the handle.

Q: Was it lying in that direction?

A: He picked up – the gentleman from the County Farm.

Q: It was picked up?

A: Yes, he picked it up, the gentleman from the County Farm.

Q: And then put it down again?

A: Yes he put it down the same way.

Q: You saw it before he got here?

A: No sir.

Q: You did not see the knife activity before he got there?

A: No sir, never saw it. When Mr. Frank opened the door he came right up here, and I did not get all the way, I got part of the way.

Q: Who is this Mr. Frank?

A: He is a gentleman that lives up here at this little house.

Q: How far?

A: It is not more than two or three hundred yards.

Q: What is his name?

A: All the name I know is Frank.

Q: Where was this Mr. Frank as you call him, when you first saw him?

A: Well, I think when I first saw him he was coming down the road and I was down the other road, Mission Valley Road, and he was coming down the grade, down near the house when I first saw him.

Q: Near this house?

A: Yes sir, and then he turned, did not go any further than the front door and went back.

Q: Did he come up on the porch?

A: I could not say that, I do not know whether he was walking on the porch, he turned and was walking on the front.

Q: Did not open the door?

A: Well no – well, he apparently turned and went right back when he saw the door closed. When I got up here I rapped on the door and there was no answer and then I saw Mrs. Sandrock lying there.

Q: And then you called to him?

A: Yes sir, I hollered to him.

Q: And you notified Mr. Veasey, and then came back here?

A: Yes sir, and Mr. Frank, he stayed.

Q: He stayed.

A: Yes sir, stayed outside.

Q: What did you do when you when you came back with Mr. Veasey?

A: He opened the door and we all came in together.

Q: And then you came up to the counter?

A: I came up right here.

Q: Mr. Frank was here – this man?

A: Yes sir, Mr. Frank was here.

Q: Anybody else?

A: I, Mr. Veasey, Mr. Frank and his daughter.

Q: That was all?

A: Yes sir.

Q: The man from the Poor Farm had not come here then.

A: No sir, they went after them.

Q: Did you see the knife then?

A: No sir, I did not. I did not see it or notice it until the gentleman from the Poor Farm picked it up.

Q: Have you seen any strange persons around the neighborhood here the past week?

A: I saw people passing along the road. I live, you know, right below the road.

Q: Have you seen any Indians here today?

A: No sir.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: What was her habit in regard to making change, when you paid her money?

A: She hardly ever made any change for me. I generally calculated on knowing what I was going to get, and brought the change along. Sometimes I bought a few things and gave her a dollar, but she always appeared to make the change all right.

Q: Did she go into the other room to make the change?

A: No, it appeared to be here.

Q: Did you notice whether that glass was broken in the front door when you came?

A: Yes sir, I did.

Q: When did you first see that broken glass?

A: I never noticed it until I came here this afternoon. I noticed it then.

THE CORONER: Did you see any pieces of glass on the floor when you came in?

WITNESS: No sir I did not notice that.

GEORGE WICKLIFF VEASEY, being duly sworn, testifies.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: State your name?

A: George Wickliff Veasey.

Q: Where do you reside?

A: Mission Valley, the next house but one.

Q: How far from this place?

A: It is only two or three hundred yards.

Q: When did you last see Mrs. Sandrock alive?

A: Oh I have not noticed her. I do not go out much, and she does not go out much. I have not been here and I do not suppose I have seen her for several weeks. I do not remember when.

Q: When were you notified, and by whom, of her death?

A: Mr. Terry, the gentleman just here now, came across to me. I was outside and it was about, I judge, about half past three or twenty minutes to four this afternoon.

Q: Well, you may go on and state what you did and what you know in regard to it.

A: First of all he said that he believed there was something wrong with Mrs. Sandrock, she appeared to be dead. I called to my daughter and she came out, and I think I put on my boots – I had got my slippers on – and came over as quick as I could. I came in and they pointed out where she was. I went up, and I’m pretty near-sighted, and it is a rather dark place there, so I put my left foot across the other side of her body and stooped down to see. Some one noticed some blood on the floor here after, and I said very likely I might trod on some blood and brought it out on my boots, I could not tell. I put my hand on her body, on her clothes, around her trunk, and I felt it was not – it was getting cold, but it was still warm. Well, I did not stop long, because I had seen the milk man Peter Zurschmiede coming down and I stopped him, because I thought I should have to ride down with him, so I asked him to give me a ride down to the Poor Farm, so I got out, and I found that Mr. – the Superintendent – was away. I said who was taking charge of the place in his absence, and they said it was the Steward. I went to the place and inquired, and the person came out and said he was the Steward, and then I told him, and wanted him to telephone in to the Coroner. He went in an after some talking I heard him tell what the particulars were, and it seemed to me that they told him some Doctor he had better see, and he suggested whether he should go up. I said yes, she appeared to be dead, but I should not like to be positive, he might go and see. So then he got into the vehicle that I had come down in, and the person from Grantville – a Mr. Riley – was in there in a wagon, and I got up and rode with him. The others were fixing to come here first, and I came on soon after. Then the Steward came in and he was looking about and – well I forget what he asked … I had not seen the knife up to that time, because it is rather dark. He went behind her head and said, Here is the knife, and he picked it up. I could not see at all you see how it was lying. I said, You had better put it down the way it was, and he said, Yes. I saw as nearly as I could see that it was lying above her head, not far. The right hand was up like this, and the left hand was down on the floor in that way.

Q: Will you step there and see if the body is in the same position now as it was when you saw it?

A: Yes it appears to be in just about the same position.

Q: How about the knife here?

A: Well, I should imagine it was somewhere about there, I could not tell exactly because I had not seen it until the Steward picked it up so I could not positive of the exact spot he picked it from. I suggested that he put it back where he found it, and he said he would. Her clothes seemed to be about the same, but of course the place was measured, and chalk marks measured around there, it might have been slightly deranged, the clothes. I saw it when I looked at it, the clothes were pretty smooth, did not appear to be any particular scandal. These things had been knocked about since, that thing was more filled (hopper). Here was a bag of beans. I found that it was nearly the right weight. There are a few more here.

Q: There were a few that rattled off on the floor?

A: Yes, there were a few that had come off before we came in, and since one or two persons have been looking and they have knocked down some more.

Q: Did you see these articles (the groceries on the counter)? Are they about the same as they were?

A: Yes, they are much about the same, some one, I forget now, picked up the parcels to see if there had been any name written on them, but none was found. Then there was one point – some time after – I was waiting when they went away – the Steward said we better not leave the place, so I ran home to change my coat, because I had only a light thing that I was likely to feel chilly. I waited, and I was the only one here for some time. Some man came up and he looked in and he says, “There is one thing that I never saw before, and that is that door open.” Well, I could not tell. There was I and the Steward, and Mr. Riley and Mr. Frank, and Mr. Terry, we all – I would not be sure, but I believe we all went into that room just to look there, and I heard some one notice. There is that door open and there is a stick.

Q: Where did you see the stick?

A: Lying at the other end towards the corner, but I did not see any one move it. I said, “Do not move the stick.” and I did not.

Q: Do you identify that stick?

A: I should say it was. It looks like it, I would not swear it was the same one, but it is just exactly a similar thing but I did not see any blood on it though until afterwards. It was not until the Coroner came, and his assistant, and I think it was the assistant said, “Here is blood on the stick,” and we had not noticed it before.

Q: You were with me when I picked up the stick and saw the blood?

A: Was it you? Well, my sight is bad. I did not recognize you.

Q: What other disturbance did you notice or see in that room?

A: I did not notice myself, until Miss Sandrock came up. Well, first when I went down to the Poor Farm my daughter went up and told Zurschmiede’s wife that he was gone and she need not expect him quite so soon When I came back my daughter was going into town, to drive in with his vehicle to tell Miss Emma of it, but going along she met my youngest son and William Sandrock coming home from town where they had been on a trial, and then they changed. William Sandrock got into the vehicle my daughter had and he went on to fetch his sister. Then when she came out she went into that room and she said, “There is my mother’s purse.” I said, “Is there anything in it?” “I do not know” – then she went to look at it and she noticed it was torn, and when she opened it there was nothing in it. I said, “Did you expect there would be something in it?” “Oh yes,” she said, “certainly there would be something in it.”

BY MR. SWEET:

Q: Have you seen anybody in the neighborhood the past week, any strangers?

A: Nothing at all to be suspicious of. I have seen a quantity of people. I do not know, up and down.

Q: Have you seen any Indians here the past few days?

A: No sir, not that I am aware of.

Q: Did you take hold of her hands when you came in? Did you feel of the hands?

A: No, I did not feel of her flesh, I merely put my hands on the body outside the clothes and I felt a slight warmth.

THE CORONER: Whereabouts on the body did you put your hands?

WITNESS: I had my foot across, on the other side, so, and I felt the body like that, and I believe her hips.

Q: You felt the warmth here?

A: Yes sir, I put my hand right here.

Q: Describe in words where you put your hands – on the waist?

A: Yes – well, about the ribs.

HENRY FRANK, having been duly sworn testifies as follows.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: State your name.

A: Henry Frank.

Q: Where do you reside?

A: I reside up in the next house.

Q: About how far from here?

A: About 400 yards from here.

Q: What is your occupation?

A: I have no occupation.

Q: When did you last see Mrs. Sandrock alive?

A: About eleven o’ clock.

Q: Where were you then?

A: I passed here, and then got a piece of soap.

Q: And where was she?

A: She was here in the store alone.

Q: Was she in her usual good health?

A: Yes sir,

Q: Did she make any remark to you?

A: No, except recommending a new kind of soap that I had not used before.

Q: Did you pay her for it?

A: No.

Q: Have you traded with her a good many times?

A: Yes.

Q: When you have paid her where did she get the money to make change with?

A: She commonly had her money in an oblong purse about this size. (Showing.)

Q: Back of the counter?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Did she ever make change from any other place?

A: No.

Q: Did you see any Indians or persons around here today?

A: I did when I came back. I went down to the river after I had been here first, and when I came back from the river there I saw a coat lying outside, a brown coat, and a man standing here by the desk. (Counter.)

Q: What kind of looking man?

A: That I could not tell.

Q: Describe him just as well as you can.

A: I am so near sighted that I could not. I think he had a white shirt on but I could not be sure.

Q: Was he a white man or an Indian?

A: I am near sighted, I could not see, and I passed out at the middle of the road.

Q: What was he doing here?

A: I suppose he was buying, that was my thought.

Q: Did he have a horse outside?

A: No.

Q: Did he have any stick or cane or anything like that with him? (Showing stick.)

A: I did not see.

Q: Did you see any other persons?

A: No.

Q: You have not met any, passing by, any time today?

A: Not that I recollect.

Q: When were you notified of her death?

A: About three o’ clock I had occasion to come down here again to pay her for the soap, and partly – that is my custom – to take a walk at that time of day, and I went down here to the gate, to the door, and saw it closed and went back again.

Q: Did you try the door to see if it was locked?

A: No I did not.

Q: Did you look in through the window?

A: No.

Q: Did you notice that light of glass broken?

A: Yes.

Q: Was that broken when you were here this morning?

A: Yes, that has been broken a long time.

Q: Then how did you come to knowledge of her death?

A: I went back and had passed about halfway from here up to the next house where I lived and I was called back and when I came down here I saw it was old Mr. Terry. He had called me, and he told me that Mrs. Sandrock was lying in there, that it was better that I went in and saw what was the matter with her.

Q: What was the position that the body was lying in then?

A: She was lying on her back with her right hand up.

Q: Just step up there and see if she is in the same position now as she was then?

A: I think she is.

Q: Did you notice the knife lying on the floor now – step up there and see if you see the knife. Do not pick it up. When did you first see that knife?

A: When the Steward picked it up.

Q: Didn’t you see it before?

A: No.

Q: Did you go into the other room here?

A: Yes, I did.

Q: What was the condition of this door?

A: It was open, I think.

Q: What did you find in the other room?

A: That stick was lying there.

Q: Where was it lying?

A: It was lying in the western -- the south western corner of the room.

Q: Did you identify that stick?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Did you pick it up?

A: No sir, I did not.

Q: Did you notice any blood stains on it?

A: No I did not.

BY MR. SWEET:

Q: You say you were here at eleven o’ clock today?

A: Yes, maybe a little after eleven.

Q: Who was here then, anybody?

A: Nobody was here.

Q: Did you see anybody come her after that?

A: No, I did not. I was down by the river washing a few clothes and taking a bath. I came back here after twelve o’ clock.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: And you saw a man here?

A: Yes sir, I saw a man standing by the desk.

Q: About twelve o’ clock?

A: A little after twelve, when I came up from the river.

Q: Did the milk wagon pass you?

A: No, not at that time.

Q: Where was the man standing in here?

A: He was standing about where that man is standing.

Q: About how tall a man was he?

A: A good sized man, he might be an inch taller than I.

Q: Was he as heavy as you?

A: No, a slight built man.

Q: When you first came down here, did you go up on the porch?

A: Yes, I came right up to the door.

Q: Was the door open or shut?

A: The door was shut.

Q: Latched?

A: That I could not tell, for I did not try it.

Q: You did not try it?

A: No, as I remember, I did not try it.

Q: You did not push it?

A: No.

Q: Did you take hold of it at all?

A: I can not tell that either. I know when the door is shut Mrs. Sandrock is always absent. When she is in the house it is open.

Q: You do not know whether the door was latched or just pulled to?

A: No, that I can not tell, but I suppose it was just pulled shut, for there was no obstruction to opening it, when I came down here and Mr. Terry was here, when I went in.

J.H. MURRAY, having been duly sworn, testifies as follows.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: State your name.

A: J.H. Murray.

Q: And your residence?

A: 1031 Seventh Street.

Q: Please state your occupation.

A: Undertaker.

Q: When did you arrive at this place today?

A: Between six and seven o’ clock.

Q: What time did you leave San Diego?

A: About a few minutes before six.

Q: About fifteen minutes to six?

A: Something like that, yes.

Q: I want you to step up there and look at the body. (Witness examines body.)

Q: Did you make measurements of that body?

A: Yes sir.

Q: And on the floor there did you make chalk marks?

A: Yes sir.

Q: They were made by you and myself?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Now will you state to the jury if that body is in the same position it was in at the time?

A: It is.

Q: What was the position of the knife?

A: Just as it is now, the point towards the head.

Q: Was there anything about the knife that your attention was called to?

A: Nothing further than the blood on it, on the handle and on the blade.

Q: Now with regard to the rigidity of the body, I suppose from your business you are familiar with the handling of bodies and the length of time that elapses until the remains become rigid. How long a time would you judge, in your judgement, had the body been dead?

A: I should say not less than five hours.

Q: It might have been more?

A: It might have been more, probably six or seven hours.

Q: Do you identify that (the club)?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Where was it found?

A: In that room, there at the head of the lounge.

Q: That is the first time you saw it?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Did you notice anything peculiar about it?

A: Nothing but some blood stains on it.

HERMAN MARKS, having been duly sworn, testifies as follows.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: State your name?

A: Herman Marks.

Q: State your occupation and residence?

A: Occupation Constable, residence San Diego.

MR. SWEET: Have you examined the packages on this counter?

WITNESS: I have.

BY MR. SWEET:

Q: Will you state how many there are?

A: There are seven. One of the packages I did not mark.

Q: What is in that package?

A: Eggs.

Q: About how many eggs are in there – you might as well undo it. (Witness opens package)

WITNESS: They are not eggs – they are onions.

DR. R. G. HUBERT, being duly sworn, testifies as follows.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: State your name, occupation, and residence?

A: R.G. Hubert, physician and surgeon, San Diego, California.

Q: Have you examined the body lying in here on the floor?

A: I have, yes sir.

Q: What did you find? I would like you to point out to the jurymen what you find here.

A: I find that this body has at the front a cut completely severing the external and internal carotid arteries on the right side, and the trachea. On the left side the carotid artery external and the jugular vein.

Q: One wound or two?

A: Two.

Q: What do they seem to be made by?

A: Made by a knife.

Q: Do you find any other marks or injuries?

A: I think there is a mark on the back of the head as if it had been done with a blunt instrument.

Q: Why do you think so?

A: On account of the tumefaction – a contusion.

Q: What other condition do you find about the body?

A: Well, there’s nothing else I guess in the way of injury.

Q: Describe the condition of the clothes?

A: The clothing is light – light colored calico, dark buttons in front.

Q: A skirt?

A: Yes, with a dark trimming.

Q: What other clothes?

A: With a red skirt and undergarments. Light colored stockings, and shoes – laced shoes.

Q: Any drawers?

A: No drawers.

Q: What condition do you find the body in with regard to rigidity?

A: Well, it has rigor mortis.

Q: How long in your judgement, do you think she has been dead?

A: Well, several hours.

Q: Not less than how many hours?

A: Not less than ten or twelve hours.

Q: Now in your opinion, were those wounds made when the body was lying down, or is there any appearance of a struggle?

A: My opinion is that the wounds have been made when the body was lying down, and without a struggle. There is nothing that indicates to me that there has been a struggle here, on account of the condition of the body.

Q: Then your opinion is that she was stunned?

A: Yes sir.

Q: And that the wounds inflicted were after she was unconscious?

A: Yes, that she was rendered unconscious, and the wounds inflicted.

Q: She is a woman strong and muscular – a well developed woman?

A: Yes sir, a woman that will weigh probably 135 pounds – 130 or 135 pounds.

BY MR. SWEET:

Q: Could the wounds in the throat have been produced by this knife?

A: Yes sir.

Q: In what way, by striking the point of the knife into the throat?

A: Yes, but not by drawing the knife across. There is a wound there that could not be reached by simply drawing it across without cutting the head off almost.

Q: Have you examined that wound close enough to give us the dimensions.

A: Not the dimensions, no.

Q: I wish you would examine it, Doctor?

A: It is about 2 ¼ inches and 2 --- 2 ½ and 2, I guess, would strike it better.

Q: And both wounds were probably inflicted by striking the knife downward into the throat?

A: Downward, and drawing it to some extent. This has been jabbed down there, but not so deep.

Q: With the heavy cartilages in the trachea, would it have been possible for them to have been severed without having her lying down so as to have a firm foundation?

A: No sir.

Q: Then it was hardly possible for the wounds to have been inflicted when she was in a standing position?

A: No sir, hardly possible.

Q: But you would infer from the position of the hand, particularly the right arm --

A: It would indicate to me that there was not a particle of struggle. They would be extremely rigid. After death you would see the contraction of the muscles, especially in the fingers, contracted just so.

Q: There was nothing in the hands at all?

A: Nothing at all in the hands.

Q: Those blood stains on the dress are nothing more than the last struggle of death?

A: Yes sir, I want to speak to the jury in regard to those, too. If this wound had been inflicted while she was standing she would have rolled around and crawled around on the floor. It would not have killed her immediately so but what there would have been a struggle and you would have seen blood all around here, it would have been spurting over the body, and especially in standing and in groping around. Of course it is just simply a matter of bleeding to death and the air would come right out through there in the place of coming out through the mouth or nose.

Q: You have not examined fair enough to determine whether the blow in the back of the head would have produced death?

A: Oh no, sir, I have not determined that.

Q: But you have determined far enough to know that if the blow to the head had not produced death, this would have?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Had the blows in the neck been done when she was standing, there would have been more blood on the front of the dress, would there not?

A: Yes sir, in fact the front of the dress would have been completely covered, if she had been standing up straight, as soon as the jugular vein or one of those arteries had been cut.

Q: Do you suppose she was breathing at the time she was struck?

A: That I could not tell without examining the lungs. If the blood has passed down through the lungs by inhalation, I could tell.

Q: What do you think about that hand, the right hand in that position, that is hardly a natural position, is it?

A: No certainly, the hand is likely to be relaxed. A person who committed anything of this kind could have put the hand in that position and put the knife into it or up here, to make it appear that she had done it herself. It would be almost an impossibility for a person with a knife to so that herself.

Q: Wouldn’t it be an impossibility to strike downward as that is, with the force necessary to cut the trachea, without having to do so much larger injury across the throat?

A: Yes.

Q: It would have been somewhat difficult for her to have produced that sort of wound with that knife?

A: Yes sir, it could not have been done so. The point that has cut is fully down to here. I could run my finger in that far. (Indicating.) It has had to go in this way. (Showing.)

Q: It would have been difficult if not impossible for her to have done it with that knife?

A: She could not have done it.

Q: Is it possible or probable that that right arm got into that position, at that angle, before she fell?

A: It might have been just as she fell, but a person insensible, when a body is warm, is liable to fall flat, that is, the arms fall down perfectly relaxed, but through a contraction of the muscles in death might raise, that is the nervous contraction of the muscles.

Q: Do you think the position of the arm was caused by that contraction?

A: It might have been possibly caused by that contraction.

Q: What do you think did that? (Alluding to blood stains on the dress.)

THE CORONER: In the last spasm she has had her hand to her throat it seems.

WITNESS: She has put her hand to her throat and then brought it back again.

Q: And the hand has been on the dress, here is a little blood, just below the waist, on the dress?

A: Yes.

The witness adjusts the knife in the wound to illustrate to the jury.

Q: Doctor in your opinion, those wounds were inflicted what particular knife, were they?

A: Yes sir.

THE CORONER: Doctor, you may testify what you consider the cause of death.

WITNESS: The cause of death has evidently been from the wound in the throat severing the arteries, bleeding to death as far as I can see – unless I can notice something further in the skull, in the examination of the head in opening it up.

Q: Do you think there was very much spurting of blood when those blows were struck?

A: It seems as though not. It seems as though it had just reached out there. If she had been in real active health there would have been blood all around there unless it was covered up as the Doctor speaks of.

Q: To what do you ascribe the absence of spurting of the blood?

A: The clothing over the wound would keep the spurting down. The blow on the head would keep it down to a certain extent, because it stops the heart’s action whenever that is done, to a certain extent. It stops that force of the blood that you would get in an ordinary condition of health.

Q: What County is this in, Doctor?

A: San Diego County.

Q: County of San Diego, State of California?

A: Yes sir.

R.J. Blythe, who states to the reporter that he is commonly known as Murray, is excused from the jury to act as interpreter, and is duly sworn to interpret truly, to the best of his ability.

INDIAN MIGUEL PARIS, having been duly sworn, testifies through the interpreter.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: What is your name?

A: Miguel Paris.

Q: Where do you live?

A: Down below.

Q: How far from here?

A: About a mile and a half.

Q: Were you at home today?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Did any Indians leave your place today?

A: Yes sir.

Q: What were their names?

A: One was Jose La Luz, and the other was Ruiz.

Q: And what is the other one?

A: That is two – only two.

Q: No more?

A: Another one.

Q: What was his name?

A: I do not know his name.

Q: Any more?

A: No sir.

Q: Those three are all?

A: Only three.

Q: Where did they live?

A: They came from the mountains.

Q: Whereabouts in the mountains?

A: One was from Campo.

Q: Which one lives in Campo?

A: Ruiz.

Q: Where did the others live?

A: Jose La Luz lives in Santa Ysabel.

Q: Where does the other one live?

A: One lives at a place called Laguna, north of Campo.

Q: What time did they leave your place?

A: About nine.

Q: How did they go, on foot or horseback?

A: Two on horseback and one on foot.

Q: How long have they been at your place?

A: They came last night from town.

Q: From San Diego?

A: Yes.

Q: How long have they been in San Diego?

A: About a day and a half.

Q: Do you know whether they were the Indians that came down there to see about their land?

A: They are the ones.

Q: Did you ever see that stick before?

A: No sir.

Q: Never saw it?

A: Never.

Q: What kind of wood is it?

A: He thinks it is the wood these red berries grow on. That is what we call Josecca.

Q: Does it grow down here?

A: No, that does not grow around the river bottom, not that kind.

Q: Did they tell you where they were going?

A: Said they were going to the mountains.

Q: Were they going home?

A: Yes, going to their homes.

Q: Do you say they left at nine o’ clock?

A: Today.

Q: How do you know it was nine o’ clock?

A: He said he thought it would be about that time.

Q: You have not any clock or watch?

A: He says looking at the sun, the sun is his watch.

Q: Ask him if the mail train had gone up?

A: I did not hear it.

Q: You did not see them after they crossed the river to this side?

A: Yes, he said he saw them when they came across the river.

Q: How far did you see them after they got across?

A: About 100 yards from the river, about 100 yards this side of the river.

Q: Did they say they were going to stop at this store?

A: No.

Q: How old are they?

A: He don’t know.

Q: Are any of them as old as you?

A: Yes.

Q: Well, are all of them as old as you are?

A: About the same age I am – there are two.

Q: How old is the other?

A: He says the other would be younger.

Q: Have any of them a beard?

A: Yes, one had a beard, and the other had a moustache.

Q: How about the third one?

A: The other one had the moustache, no beard.

Q: Were they gray?

A: Yes, they were gray.

Q: All three of them?

A: Only two.

Q: What color horse did they ride?

A: One was brown, the other was sorrel.

Q: Had the sorrel any white?

A: The sorrel had no white.

Q: What did they do? Do they own any land up there?

A: He thinks they have.

Q: Did they say what time they expected to get home?

A: No, they did not say what time they thought they would get home. There was one going up by Capitan Grande, that is up the river by Lakeside.

Q: Which way were the others going ?

A: The other one was going to Santa Ysabel – Jose La Luz.

Q: How about the third one?

A: The others were going by the way of Capitan Grande to their home.

Q: Did they have any guns?

A: He thinks they did not have nothing.

INDIAN JOSE NACIO

BY THE CORONER:

Q: What is your name?

A: Jose Nacio.

Q: Do you live with Miguel?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Did you see the three Indians leave there this morning?

A: Yes sir.

Q: Do you know their names?

A: No.

Q: When did they come there?

A: He says he don’t know, he was asleep when they came.

Q: Did they come last night or this morning?

A: He said he thought last night, he saw them this morning early.

Q: Did they come a-foot or horseback?

A: He could not tell how they came, whether they came a-foot or horse back, when they came in the night.

Q: Did you see them leave this morning?

A: Yes sir.

Q: What time in the day?

A: I do not know. I have not got any watch.

Q: What were you doing when they left?

A: He said that when they went away he was asleep and when he saw them going, he said goodbye.

Q: What color horse did they ride when they said goodbye?

A: One was sorrel and the other kind of a clay bank or something like that.

Q: Did the sorrel have white feet?

A: He said he could not take nothing where anything didn’t interest him.

C.C. BAILEY, having been duly sworn, testifies.

BY THE CORONER:

Q: What is your name?

A: C.C. Bailey

Q: Where do you reside?

A: Grantville.

Q: Where were you today between the hours of twelve and two o’ clock?

A: Grantville, at my place.

Q: Did you notice any strange Indians passing by there?

A: I did.

Q: Describe them?

A: There were three Indians and two horses. One was quite a stocky built man with considerable whiskers and moustache, if I recollect rightly, with quite a sprinkling of gray whiskers. He was on what I should call an iron gray. They were walking very fast on a fast lope, talking very excitedly. The other one or one of the others that was on the sorrel was also a little gray, I think he had whiskers over his face, and they were also sprinkled with gray. They were not so long as the one on the gray. The third one was sitting behind the last one spoken of, I did not see his face, he sat very close behind the other one with his arms around him and very close to him with his head turned from me. At a glance I had the impression that he wore dark brown clothes or a dark brown coat. The other two seemed to have on dark coats and dark hats. I could not say positive what kind of hats. My impression is however that they were dark straw hats. There was something peculiar about the one sitting behind, that is in regard to what he had on his head, I could not testify to that.

Q: What time of day was this?

A: Betwixt twelve and two, but I think it was betwixt one and two.

Q: How far from Grantville from here?

A: Grantville is about two miles and a half, I should judge>

BY MR. SWEET:

Q: They galloped their horses all the time you saw them?

A: Yes sir, they were on a fast gallop – just rushing them.

Q: Did they have any canes in sight?

A: I did not see any. I had the impression first that they were those Indians that was down here to town on that land business, and I was a little bit surprised to see them riding so fast, especially two on one horse.

Q: Have you seen any other persons today that you did not know or could not account for?

A: No, I could not.

Q: Have you seen in the past week any persons in here?

A: I have seen one or two of the Indians coming this way. I saw one coming this way.

Q: When?

A: This last week. I guess it was about three or four days ago.

At this time the jury are given the case for deliberation, and after deliberation bring in the verdict which is attached hereto.

The jury’s verdict was that Anne A. Sandrock, native of Germany, 53, merchant, died on October 5, 1895, of wounds inflicted by parties unknown.

Anne Sandrock was buried two days later at Mount Hope Cemetery.

Finding it suspicious that Jose La Luz, Ruiz, and their companion had taken from 9:00 a.m. till 2:00 p.m. to travel the short distance from Miguel’s camp to Grantsville, Deputy Sheriff Ward and Deputy Constable Wadham struck out after them. Two of the Indians were caught in Descanso and brought back to San Diego, but, according to the October 10 San Diego Union, authorities could find no evidence against them.

The day after the murder, a man told sheriff deputies that Juan Jose Hillario, an Indian living in Balboa Park, had suggested to him on an earlier occasion that they kill Mrs. Sandrock and rob the store. Hillario was arrested. On him were found money and a handkerchief that Emma Sandrock testified as belonging to her mother.

At Hillario’s trial, one witness testified that the night of the murder he’s seen the usually impoverished Hillario with gold and silver coins, and other witnesses testified that they’d seen him spending money in the Stingeree District. He was heard to say, “Me got plenty money.”

Hillario was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

On a July night almost five years after her murder, Anne Sandrock’s house burned to the ground. The cause of the fire was unknown.