A fter receiving several inquiries regarding the role of the San Francisco Coroners Office in the early 1880s, I decided a brief history of this noble, if not always pleasant, institution would not come amiss.
It is a matter of record that the San Francisco Coroners Office came into being in 1850. While it is true that not all coroners in the state are physicians, Im proud to boast that since 1857, starting with J. M. McNulty, M.D., San Francisco has solely selected medical doctors for this position. In fact, Levi L. Dorr, M.D.the coroner who appears in this narrativeserved in that office from 1878 to 1882.
As early as 1830, chemical analysis could detect most mineral compounds during an autopsy, although not organic poisons. By 1851, however, Jean Servais Stas, a Belgian chemist, discovered a process for extracting alkaloid poisons from postmortem tissue. Since then, the science of detecting poisonous substancesin victims thought to have met with foul play has steadily improved.
I am pleased to add that since its humble beginning in 1850, the San Francisco Coroners Office has become a forerunner for such systems throughout the state of California, if not the country.
Yours sincerely,
Sarah Woolson
I t was not my idea to attend the charity dinner. True, it was a worthy cause, but the past weeks at the law firm Id been so elated to join just months earlier had been mind-numbing. In truth, I was becoming more disillusioned with Shepard, Shepard, McNaughton and Hall with each passing day. Frankly I was in no mood to socialize.
My mother, Elizabeth Woolson, however, is nothing if not persistent. Eventually she wore down my resolve until I agreed to accompany my parents, my brother Charles and his wife, Celia, to the dinner. Mama also prevailed on the matter of my costume, insisting I wear the violet gown shed had made for my brother Fredericks entre into the world of politicsa gown I still considered too dcollet for my taste. Moreover, I couldnt look at the frock without remembering the murder that had occurred the night Id worn it, a crime that had catapulted me into the grisly Nob Hill killings. Believe me, if Id had any inkling that the occasion of its second wearing would have an equally chilling impacton my life, I would have burned the wretched thing on the spot!
On the matter of an escort I drew a firm line. Nothing could persuade me to accept the company of the latest bachelor to catch Mamas desperate eye. Her current prospect was a widowed dentist, the father of six children, five of whom still lived at home. I considered my life complicated enough without adding an elderly husband and a horde of motherless offspring to the mix.
In the end I found myselfblessedly unencumbered by the aforementioned dentistin one of the most unusual houses on Russian Hill. I had never met our hosts, Caroline and Leonard Godfrey, but I knew them to be prominent members of San Francisco Society. Mrs. Godfrey was noted for her work on behalf of the citys poor and disadvantaged. Her husband, Leonard, was one of the citys most shrewd entrepreneurs. It was an open secret that he was the guiding, if often hidden, force behind many of the citys major corporations.
The Godfreys home was the subject of much gossip. Three years earlier, it had joined a small group of exclusive mansions gracing the top of the summit. Russian Hillsaid to have been named after Russian sailors who had been buried there before the California gold rushwas slowly beginning to compete with Nob Hill, its pompous neighbor to the south. The Godfrey residence, with its sharp angles and numerous windows, was considered by many to be too avant-garde. Indeed, some people went so far as to brand it Godfreys Folly. Personally, I found the home a refreshing change from the pretentious bastions constructed by other wealthy San Franciscans. But then my own architectural tastes are also viewed as unorthodox.
I had not circulated long among the glittering guests before I began to regret giving in to Mamas pressure to attend tonights soiree. When Id had all I could take of Paris fashions, society romances andsocial indiscretions, I sought refuge in an alcove featuring a large bay window. Peering through a strategically placed spyglass, I was able to make out much of the city belowincluding Portsmouth Square, the site of Joseph Shepards law firm. As one of the first female attorneys in California, Id been accepted as a junior associate in this establishment with the greatest reluctance. Since then, the entire cadre of senior partners had banded together in an effort to drive me out of their firm, as well as their lives!
Not only had I obtained my job through what they termed female subterfuge, but Id had the gall to steal (their word, not mine) one of the firms prized clients. Adding insult to injury, Id solved a series of gruesome murders, resulting in a glut of unwelcome publicity for my employers.
Ironically, it was this very newspaper exposure that made it impossible for the partners to come right out and fire me. On the other hand, if I could be persuaded to leave of my own accord, theyd be spared public reproach. This misplaced strategy, of course, merely caused me to dig in my heels and fight to hold on to my position. Still, Id begun to wonder how long Id be able to put up with their childish machinations.
Its a beautiful city, isnt it?
I was startled out of my thoughts to find a man in his mid thirties standing behind me. He stood an inch or two over six feet, and despite my bleak mood, part of my brain registered that this was possibly the most handsome man Id ever seen. He wore a perfectly tailored black tuxedo, which couldnt conceal impressively broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His hair was thick and nearly shoulder length, an ebony mane that waved back from a tanned face.
As if amused by my frank appraisal, he smiled, and I was startled to feel my pulse leap. Good Lord, I thought, amazed hed been able to elicit such an absurd reaction from me, an avowed spinster. Witheffort, I composed my face into what I hoped was a disapproving frown, only to be rewarded with an even broader smile.
I apologize for my poor manners, Miss Woolson, he said in a voice that was deep andforgive me for the romantic if fitting analogysmooth as aged brandy. Im Pierce Godfrey. Leonard Godfrey is my brother.
I accepted his proffered hand and was surprised to find the skin rougher than Id expected. His careful appearance suggested he might be something of a dandy.
You have me at a disadvantage, Mr. Godfrey, I said more sharply than was civil. How is it that you know my name?
His eyes gleamed, but I couldnt decide if it was amusement or mockery. My temper flared; I had no patience for flirting or playing silly games, even with a man as attractive as Pierce Godfrey.
You havent answered my question, I said pointedly.
To my annoyance, he laughed out loud. You are a woman who speaks her mind, Sarah Woolson. Ill be equally candid. I quizzed my sister-in-law when you arrived. He regarded me speculatively. She tells me youre an attorney.
