Murder: True Crime Stories - UNSOLVED: Jane Stanford, Pt. 2

Episode Date: September 3, 2024

After Jane Stanford's death, the president of Stanford University conducted an independent investigation to find out what happened. But was he after the truth -- or trying to cover it up? Murder: True Crime Stories is part of Crime House Studios. For more, follow us on Instagram @crimehouse. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This is Crime House. In a murder investigation, it can be hard enough to sift through all the facts and theories as they're happening, especially when someone's trying to hide the real story. But what about when the case has sat untouched for nearly a century? When Jane Stanford was murdered in 1905, the cover-up was so elaborate, it took nearly 100 years to unravel what actually happened to her. From corrupt police departments, to crooked doctors, to conniving

university presidents, Jane's death was more like a mystery novel than a true crime investigation. But despite the best efforts of those involved, the truth always comes out in the end. You just need to know where to look. People's lives are like a story. There's a beginning, a middle, and an end. But you don't always know which part you're on. Sometimes the final chapter arrives far too soon and we don't always get to know the real ending. I'm Carter Roy and this is Murder True Crime Stories, a Crime House

original. Every Tuesday I'll explore the story of a notorious murder or murders. At Crime House, we want to express our gratitude to you, our community, for making this possible. Please support us by rating, reviewing, and following Murder True Crime Stories wherever you get your podcasts. Your feedback truly matters. This is the second and final episode on the murder of Jane Stanford, the former First Lady of California and co-founder of Stanford University. In 1905, she died under mysterious circumstances while on vacation in Hawaii. Last time, we followed Jane as she and her husband Leland built a family and an empire. After the tragic death of their beloved son, they created Stanford University in his name. In the process, Jane came face to face with enemies new and old, one of which may have been responsible for her murder.

In today's episode, we'll sift through the most likely suspects, walk through the investigation, and examine Jane's lasting legacy. All that and more, coming up. Hey everyone, it's Carter. I have a favor to ask you. If you are enjoying Murder True Crime Stories, I would be honored if you took a moment to rate and review us on Apple and Spotify. Your valuable feedback helps us improve and expand our reach so other true crime fans can find us too. Your support means everything.

On the night of February 28th, 1905, 76-year-old Jane Stanford passed away in her Hawaii hotel room after drinking a digestive aid. After a coroner's jury heard three days of testimony and saw the autopsy report, they ruled that Jane was killed by strychnine poisoning. But thanks to one man, that's not the story that was written down in history books. Before Jane died, she and Stanford University President David Starr Jordan had been at each other's throats for years. Jordan dreamed of offering eugenics courses at the university and even wanted to conduct forced sterilizations on campus. But his plans were thwarted by Jane time and time again. Fans were thwarted by Jane time and time again. She wasn't a fan of his racist ideals and tried to make her spiritualist beliefs a part of the curriculum instead.

She also took issue with many of the staff members Jordan hired. As the president of the Board of Trustees and the co-founder of Stanford, Jane had a lot of influence over university matters, including who stayed and who went. And she didn't hide the fact that she wanted Jordan out. The month before she died, Jane had called the board over to her San Francisco mansion to discuss firing Jordan. The very next day, someone tried to poison her for the first time by dosing her Poland spring water with strychnine. The person responsible was never identified, but Jane decided to sail for Japan with a stopover in Hawaii to decompress after the incident. She didn't forget about her vendetta against Jordan, though. In fact,

she planned to fire him as soon as she got back from her trip, with or without the board's approval. Only she never got the chance. Almost as soon as Jane was pronounced dead, There were newspaper articles reporting on her death and speculating that she was murdered. They even went so far as to name possible suspects and motives. Although Jordan wasn't Jane's biggest fan, he couldn't stand by while rumors swirled about Stanford's co-founder. So when Jordan set sail for Honolulu on March 4th, he brought along a pair of San Francisco detectives, Jules Callendon and Harry Reynolds. Hawaiian officials had agreed to transfer jurisdiction of the case to them as soon as

the coroner's jury was complete. Jordan arrived in Honolulu on March 10th, the morning after the coroner's jury ruled that Jane had died by poisoning. But with the investigation now in San Francisco's jurisdiction, Jordan was well positioned to start his own inquiry. And his first step was to get an impartial opinion from a doctor who wasn't at the scene of the crime. After asking around, Jordan decided that local physician Ernest Coniston Waterhouse was the man for the job. While Waterhouse was putting his report together, Jordan instructed the two San Francisco detectives to begin questioning witnesses, starting with Jane's personal secretary, Bertha Berner.

over 20 years. She kept Jane's calendar up to date, did her grocery shopping and household chores, and, for all intents and purposes, was in charge of the rest of the household staff. Jane treated Bertha well, gifting her extra money and clothing, and helping Bertha's parents in times of need. Bertha also accompanied Jane on all of her world travels. The two women were almost always together, and notably, Bertha was with Jane during both poisoning attempts. Naturally, she was one of the first suspects in Jane's death. Bertha testified during the three-day-long coroner's jury. Like most documents from Jane's investigation, the transcript of her testimony was either lost or destroyed, but we do have a long statement outlining the proceedings. Bertha was emotional when talking about Jane's death.

She insisted that Jane wouldn't have died by suicide. According to Bertha, it was either an accident or someone had intentionally poisoned Jane's drink that night. Bertha gave a detailed account of where the baking soda used to make Jane's digestive aid was at various times. She explained she was always the one to prepare the drink for Jane, who usually took it once a week for her indigestion. But before Jane's fatal dose on February 28th, she hadn't had the mixture since the beginning of January. Bertha said it was possible that at some point during that time, it was spiked. On its surface, it sounded pretty cut and dry. Bertha was Jane's loving employee and close friend. She was treated well and took care of Jane in return. It was possible that someone had added poison to the baking soda mixture when

Bertha wasn't looking. There was no indication that she was involved. But once Bertha sat down with Detectives Callendon and Reynolds, her story started changing in some alarming ways. And it turned out, she and Jane weren't so close after all. Hey there, Carter Roy here. If you're enjoying the chilling tales of murder true crime stories, then you'll love the Crime House original, Mind of a Serial Killer. What sets Mind of a Serial Killer apart is its focus on the twisted psychology of the world's most notorious serial killers.

Names like Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, the Night Stalker, featuring expert psychological analysis from licensed clinical and forensic psychologist Dr. Tristan Engels. Mind of a Serial Killer will take you into their stories like never before. So get ready to uncover what drives someone to commit the unimaginable. Mind of a Serial Killer is a Crime House original. New episodes drop every Monday. Just search Mind of a Serial Killer and follow wherever you listen to podcasts. wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're fascinated by the darker sides of humanity,

join us every week on our podcast, Serial Killers, where we go deep into notorious true crime cases with significant research and careful analysis. We examine the psyche of a killer, their motives and targets, and law enforcement's pursuit to stop their spree. Follow Serial Killers wherever you get your podcasts and get new episodes every Monday. After Jane Stanford passed away in her Honolulu hotel room on February 28th, 1905, a coroner's jury ruled that she died by strychnine poisoning.

But Stanford University President David Starr Jordan wanted a second opinion. While the local physician he hired was writing up his report, the San Francisco detectives who traveled to Honolulu with Jordan started questioning witnesses, and the first person they talked to was Jane's personal secretary, Bertha Berner. During Bertha's testimony to the coroner's jury, she didn't give much away. Bertha insisted she was Jane's devoted employee and the two had a loving relationship. But when she talked to Detectives Callendon and Reynolds, Bertha changed her tune. During her interview, Bertha admitted she didn't want to accompany Jane on her journey to Hawaii

and Japan. It was just too stressful for her. Bertha explained that whenever Jane was sick or irritated, she sent away all the other servants and maids, but Bertha was forced to stay by Jane's side until she got over it. It took a toll on Bertha, who barely got any time to herself. Bertha told Callendon and Reynolds that most live-in servants worked 12-hour days, and even when they weren't technically working, they were still on call. Usually, they were only allowed to leave one night a week and every other Sunday afternoon. During her testimony to the coroner's jury, Bertha claimed she'd been with Jane non-stop since 1884. But during her interview with the detectives, Bertha let it slip that she briefly quit in 1889 after Jane didn't give her time off to care for her sick mother.

Those kinds of arguments came up repeatedly throughout the years. Those kinds of arguments came up repeatedly throughout the years. Detectives Callendon and Reynolds learned that while other staff members only sometimes went overseas with Jane, Bertha was required to accompany her on all of her travels, and she wasn't happy about it. When Jane announced her plans to go to Hawaii and Japan in February 1905, Bertha begged Jane to let her stay behind. Her mom was sick again, and Bertha was desperate to stay in California to take care of her. The detectives found out that even on the ship over to Hawaii, Bertha was trying to convince Jane to let her go back. Beyond their disagreements about Bertha's work schedule,

she and Jane also argued about Bertha's personal life. Apparently, Jane suspected that Bertha was having an affair with the butler Albert Beverly. Jane made no secret of her disapproval of Bertha's romantic escapades, but besides Jane's moral aversion to the relationship, she also saw it as a threat to the household. If two of her staffers were distracted by their feelings for one another, she believed it would impact the quality of their work. Of course, clashing about time off and Bertha's personal life weren't exactly grounds for murder, but detectives Calendon and Reynolds already knew Bertha had committed a different crime against Jane. One of Jane's other employees had ratted out Bertha for keeping some of the money Jane gave her to run errands. Bertha and Beverly usually

split the profits between themselves. When the detectives confronted her about the kickbacks, Bertha admitted she was stealing, but insisted she'd stop doing that a year ago. David Starr Jordan was present during Bertha's interview with Detectives Callendon and Reynolds, which was unusual in and of itself. But knowing Jordan, it wasn't surprising. There's no doubt he understood that Bertha was implicating herself in Jane's murder with her many admissions. But even if Jordan wanted to find out the truth about Jane's death, he realized he couldn't let Bertha go to trial for murder. Bertha knew everything about Jane,

including her turbulent relationship with Jordan. He couldn't risk Bertha revealing his indiscretions and arguments with Jane while on the stand. So, he got creative and recruited Bertha to his side. Bertha was smart. She knew things looked bad for her. On top of her freedom being at risk, there was also a huge financial element involved. While most of Jane's employees were willed $1,000 each, Bertha was supposed to get a whopping $15,000,

equivalent to about $535,000 today. When Jordan explained that he could protect Bertha as long as she followed his instructions, she readily agreed. By this point, Dr. Waterhouse was in the middle of his report, but he was missing some information about the day Jane died. So Jordan set up an interview between him and Bertha. Once again, Jordan was present for the whole thing. While talking to Waterhouse, Bertha completely changed her story again. She didn't mention Strychnine at all and insisted that Jane had died a peaceful death. Bertha also changed her account of the picnic

she and Jane had earlier that day. This time, she didn't say anything about all the sweets Jane had eaten. Instead, she insisted it was a cold and windy day and Jane had sat outside for an hour. Bertha explained that she and Jane's maid, May Hunt, had to help her up after the picnic because the cold weather had made her sick. This didn't make sense. It was in the 70s that day, but it led Waterhouse to conclude that Jane had died from heart failure after feeling ill. Once Jordan announced Waterhouse's findings to the press that Jane had died by natural causes, there was uproar in the Hawaiian medical community. It had only taken Waterhouse three or four days to assess the situation. He wasn't at the autopsy,

he wasn't there when Jane died, and he wasn't even under oath or cross-examined. Waterhouse's report relied largely on interviews with Bertha Berner and May Hunt. Dr. Francis Howard Humphreys, the physician who treated Jane before she died, accused Waterhouse of unethical conduct for consulting on the case without any first-hand knowledge. Clearly, Waterhouse knew he was in trouble because as soon as he received payment from Jordan for today's equivalent of about $12,000, he left for Sri Lanka. We don't know if Waterhouse left because he knew his medical career was in jeopardy, but apparently he'd always wanted to cultivate rubber. The process of rubber tapping involves

cutting into the bark of a rubber tree at a specific angle to harvest the latex material. It just so happened that Jordan invested in rubber plantations, and the trees grew especially well in Sri Lanka. Either way, Jordan didn't need Waterhouse around anymore ever since he went public with the doctor's findings. But there was more work to do. Despite the report, most people still believed Jane had been poisoned. To try to change their minds, Jordan decided to cast doubt on the doctors who testified at the coroner's jury. So he had detectives Calendon and Reynolds interview Dr. Humphreys. While almost all of the transcripts from Jane's case were mysteriously lost, a portion of Dr. Humphrey's interview was published in a newspaper.

And based on the interview, it's clear that detectives were trying to intimidate Dr. Humphrey's into backtracking his claims about Jane's death. However, Dr. Humphrey stood his ground. But that only made Jordan more determined to break him. In a particularly ruthless move, he even accused Humphreys of planting the strychnine in the baking soda mixture after Jane died. Although Jordan's claims were completely unfounded, they were given more weight than anything Humphreys said. After all, Jordan was a university president and prominent scientist going up against a doctor from a recently annexed island. Even the newspapers reporting on the case could tell Jordan was manipulating the story in his favor. case could tell Jordan was manipulating the story in his favor, but as long as Jordan and his team got the outcome they wanted, he didn't care about the fallout. In March 1905, Stanford University President David Starr Jordan undermined Hawaiian authorities

and hired a local doctor to rule on Jane Stanford's cause of death. With the doctor's announcement that Jane had died of natural causes, Jordan was ready to put the whole affair behind him. But Jane was one of the biggest names of the 20th century, him, but Jane was one of the biggest names of the 20th century, and the public was desperate for more information about her dramatic death. On March 15th, thousands of people lined the streets of Honolulu to catch a glimpse of Jane's coffin on the way to the Central Union Church. After an elaborate funeral service that included Hawaii Governor George Carter, Jane's casket was transported to a steamship headed for San Francisco.

David Starr Jordan, Bertha Berner, and Detectives Jules Calendon and Harry Reynolds accompanied Jane's body during the travels. A week later, on March 21st, the ship arrived in San Francisco. The anticipation around the city was palpable as people wondered who the authorities would believe. The coroner's jury or Jordan? That same night, the city's acting chief of police released a statement. Jane Stanford had died of natural causes. Just like that, the investigation into Jane's death was officially over.

The public was outraged by the news. Although there was literally no proof that Jane had died of natural causes, the police chief's announcements wasn't all that surprising. Jordan was friends with many members of the police department. Beyond that, detectives Callendon and Reynolds had lied so thoroughly and so strategically, there was almost no chance a prosecutor would get a conviction even if the case did go to trial. So they saved themselves an even bigger headache by giving Jordan the result he wanted. That still leaves us with one very big unanswered question. It seemed like Bertha was the killer, but had she been working with Jordan all along? According to Richard White's book, Who Killed Jane Stanford? A Gilded Age Tale of Murder,

Deceit, Spirits, and the Birth of a University, the most likely answer was no. Even though Jordan probably knew Jane was planning to fire him after her trip, and while he cared deeply about saving his job, Jordan cared about the university more. Killing Jane just wasn't worth the risk. A murder trial would have embroiled the school in a huge scandal and damaged its reputation, which explains why Jordan may have orchestrated a massive cover-up. It may also be why, despite knowing that Bertha was the most likely suspect in Jane's murder, he decided to protect her. Finding that Jane had died by natural causes also ruled out other potentially problematic outcomes. At the time, many people used strychnine to die by suicide.

If authorities believed that was what happened to Jane, it would have created an opening for people to question whether she was of sound mind when she drew up her will. A huge chunk of her fortune was supposed to go toward the university's endowment, and the rest would go to her family and staff. If the will was deemed invalid, it was possible that no one in Jane's circle would get their money. A natural death was the perfect solution for Jordan. It meant the school could put on a respectful funeral for Jane, in the very chapel she'd built,

and receive the endowment that Stanford University had been promised. That explains why Jordan may have covered up Jane's murder. It also rules him out as an accomplice, which means Bertha Berner probably acted alone. But why would she resort to murder? From the available research, it was clear that Bertha resented Jane. She barely ever gave Bertha time off, tried to control her love life, and was generally a difficult person to be around. Normally, someone in Bertha's situation would probably just quit, but Bertha had a lot of money at stake, and her payout likely depended on her playing the role of Jane's devoted companion

and employee. It's possible that Bertha believed if she could find a way to free herself from Jane's influence while also keeping her inheritance, her problems would be solved. Bertha often bought Jane's baking soda from one specific pharmacy in Palo Alto. Over the years, Bertha had become good friends with the pharmacist, P.J. Schwab. They were so close, there were rumors that he and Bertha were lovers. Given he had a criminal record and his affection for Bertha, it's possible that he was willing to sell her strychnine without noting it down in the pharmacy's records. Assuming she got the strychnine from Schwab, Bertha would have made her first move on January 13, 1905. That night, Jane met with Stanford's Board of Trustees at her San Francisco mansion to discuss firing Jordan. After the meeting, Jane was supposed to go to Palo Alto with Bertha. Although most of Jane's staff was

already at the Palo Alto property waiting for Jane's arrival. Bertha convinced her to stay the night at the mansion in San Francisco. At some point after the meeting, it's possible Bertha prepared the strychnine baking soda mixture. But if she was the person responsible, it was her first poisoning attempt, and she was too heavy-handed. Jane could taste the strychnine right away, and Bertha was forced to go to Japan and Hawaii with Jane a few weeks later. Continuing this same line of thinking, before Bertha left, she would have consulted with Schwab. He knew how to disguise the poison so Jane wouldn't taste it. But Bertha wasn't a professional. This time, the strychnine was obscured enough that Jane drank a good amount. But once she was done, there was still enough poison left at the bottom of the glass for the Hawaiian authorities to identify. And there's one more smoking gun.

Originally, Bertha told officials she'd purchased a fresh packet of baking soda before the Hawaii trip, but she didn't end up bringing it. Instead, she said she brought along a pre-mixed bottle that Jane had used previously. But a few days after Jane's death, a newspaper reported that a packet of baking soda was found among her things in Honolulu. And there was just enough soda missing for one dose. was just enough soda missing for one dose. That meant Bertha had lied about not bringing the new packet with her to Hawaii, probably because she used it to give Jane the fatal dose the night she died. But by that point, Bertha was already in league with Jordan, and he made sure Detectives Callendon and Reynolds didn't follow up on the evidence. In the end, Bertha Berner was gossiped about and reported on, but never considered a serious suspect.

Bertha knew what Jordan had done for her, and once they were back in San Francisco, she even wrote him a letter thanking him for his help. While there's no excuse for Bertha's actions, it's worth noting that she might have thought she was actually helping Jane by easing her into the next life. In an article written five days after Jane's death, her brother Ariel Lathrop said he and his wife regularly attended seances with Jane. He also claimed that Bertha was a medium herself. Jane constantly spoke about wanting to reunite with her dead husband Leland and their son Junior. It's possible that Bertha thought she was doing Jane a favor by killing her. Either way, Bertha was never convicted.

No one was. For about a hundred years, no one knew how Jane Stanford really died. But that didn't mean the public wasn't asking questions. Finally, in 2003, Stanford University neurologist Robert W.P. Cutler revealed what had been hidden for so long. With the publication of his book, The Mysterious Death of Jane Stanford, the world finally learned the truth. Jane probably didn't die naturally. She was murdered. Years later, in 2022, Stanford University history professor Richard White took it even further with his own work, Who Killed Jane Stanford? A Gilded Age Tale of Murder, Deceit, Spirits, and the Birth of a University. White built on Cutler's hypothesis and put forth

his own theory about who killed Jane. And while the evidence unequivocally pointed to Bertha Berner, pointed to Bertha Berner, will never get an official conviction. It's an unsatisfying ending, but Jane is probably at peace with it because she achieved her most important goal, creating one of the world's best universities. Every day, thousands of students walk past the mausoleum where Jane, Leland, and Junior are buried. And there's no doubt they're getting a world-class education that Jane would be proud of. Thank you so much for listening. I'm Carter Roy, and this is Murder True Crime Stories. Come back next week for the story of a new murder and all the people it affected.

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is executive produced by Max Cutler. This episode of Murder True Crime Stories was sound designed by Ron Shapiro, written by Natalie Pertsofsky, edited by Alex Benidon, fact-checked by Ron Shapiro, written by Natalie Pertsovsky, edited by Alex Benidon, fact-checked by Catherine Barner, and included production assistance from Kristen Acevedo and Sarah Carroll.

Murder True Crime Stories is hosted by Carter Roy. You may know as serial killer's crimes. Now, uncover the psychology behind them. Mind of a Serial Killer is a Crime House original. New episodes drop every Monday. Just search Mind of a Serial Killer and follow wherever you listen to podcasts. If you're fascinated by the darker sides of humanity, join us every week on our podcast, Serial Killers, where we go deep into notorious true crime cases. With significant research and careful analysis, we examine the psyche of a killer,

their motives and targets, and law enforcement's pursuit to stop their spree. Follow Serial Killers wherever you get your podcasts and get new episodes every Monday.