San Francisco Call, Volume 87, Number 154, 23 April 1900 — LIGHT SHED ON THE PEREZ MYSTERY [ARTICLE]

LIGHT SHED ON THE PEREZ MYSTERY

Authorities Now Believe That the

Woodchopper Has Returned to His Home in Philippines. Special Dispatch to The Call.

SAN RAFAEL, April 22.— The mystery of the disappearance of Andrew Perez now seems to be almost solved, at least as far as Lagunitas Canyon is concerned. Sheriff Taylor is convinced, after a thorough investigation, that the remains of Perez are not, as he at first supposed, rotting in the Black Hole of Marin, in fact the probabilities are that Perez is alive. In the light of further developments it now looks as though Perez had jumped the country and gone to his home in the Philippines. He was, according to friends in the wood camp, a quarrelsome, ne'er-do-well and was in the habit of making invidious comparisons between this country and his native land.

His wife, too, tells of her husband's frequent spells of homesickness and so it is thought by all interested that the man is not the victim of foul play, but has gone to seek pastures new, away from the restrictions he found so hard to put up with in the white man's country.

Sheriff Taylor's investigation fails to reveal any trace of violence. John Enos, foreman of the camp, states that Perez had no enemies in the woodchopping community, and about two weeks ago took his few belongings and passing down the wagon road left the canyon behind him, as he said, "forever." Enos thinks Perez went East, while Mrs. Perez is of the opinion that her missing husband is if alive, in Cuba or the Philippines. In spite of the failure of the investigation to reveal traces of foul play, a close watch will be placed on the canyon-dwellers and a suspicious move on the part of any of the woodmen may result in arrest.

+