{"id":454203,"date":"2022-05-28T16:02:33","date_gmt":"2022-05-28T13:02:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/who-killed-stanford-u-founder-new-book-solves-janes-murder\/"},"modified":"2022-05-28T16:02:33","modified_gmt":"2022-05-28T13:02:33","slug":"who-killed-stanford-u-founder-new-book-solves-janes-murder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/who-killed-stanford-u-founder-new-book-solves-janes-murder\/","title":{"rendered":"#Who killed Stanford U founder? New book solves Jane\u2019s murder"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32a23fde04a\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32a23fde04a\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/who-killed-stanford-u-founder-new-book-solves-janes-murder\/#%E2%80%9CWho_killed_Stanford_U_founder_New_book_solves_Janes_murder%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Who killed Stanford U founder? New book solves Jane\u2019s murder&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWho_killed_Stanford_U_founder_New_book_solves_Janes_murder%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Who killed Stanford U founder? New book solves Jane\u2019s murder&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Jane Stanford\u2019s death was one of the most sensational of the 20th century \u2014 and now, more than 100 years later, a new book offers enough proof to call it murder.<\/p>\n<p>Stanford, beloved by her community, survived the deaths of her husband and son while keeping her family\u2019s namesake university afloat with her own money. She seemed like the unlikeliest of murder victims when she died in Hawaii, spasming and vomiting, poisoned by strychnine.<\/p>\n<p>Who would want to kill a generous old lady?<\/p>\n<p>Plenty of people, according to a new book by veteran historian Richard White. There are so many possible suspects in \u201cWho Killed Jane Stanford?\u201d (W.W. Norton) that the book reads like a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> of \u201cClue\u201d \u2014 among them, a disgruntled university president, an overworked personal assistant, a recently fired \u201cmanservant\u201d and a handful of aggrieved housekeepers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So, who killed the rich old lady in the Honolulu hotel room with the rat poison?<\/p>\n<p>White scoured the archives in search of answers. \u201cRarely have I encountered more documents that have vanished and more collections and reports that have gone missing than in this research,\u201d writes White.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily for readers, White has solved the mystery\u00a0and the record can finally be set straight on this century-old cold case.<\/p>\n<p>(Be warned: Spoilers abound.)\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/jane-stanford.jpg?w=682\" alt=\"Jane Stanford \u201cregarded a classical education as useless and cruel,\u201d writes White. \u201cGraduates of Harvard and Yale, she claimed, were of benefit to no one, including themselves.\u201d\" class=\"wp-image-22420154\" width=\"618\" height=\"927\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/jane-stanford.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1236 1236w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/jane-stanford.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=927 927w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/jane-stanford.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618 618w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/jane-stanford.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=309 309w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/jane-stanford.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\"\/><figcaption>Jane Stanford \u201cregarded a classical education as useless and cruel,\u201d writes White. \u201cGraduates of Harvard and Yale, she claimed, were of benefit to no one, including themselves.\u201d<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stanford University Special Collections and University Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Jane\u2019s husband Leland Stanford made his money in railroads \u2014 and according to White, this wasn\u2019t a clean way of building capital.\u00a0It took a fair share of \u201clying, cheating, self-dealing and backstabbing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The idea for a university came after the death of his son, who died of typhoid before his 16th birthday. According to lore, Leland Stanford Jr. asked his father to start one on his deathbed.<\/p>\n<p>The Stanfords were far from intellectuals \u2014 Leland Stanford was known for using his library as a place to nap \u2014 but they followed through and opened Leland Stanford Junior University to men and women in 1891. Two years later, Leland Stanford died. From that point on until Jane Stanford\u2019s death in 1905, the university was hers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe commissioned the statue of her family; she built the arch and church. She dedicated the church to Leland Stanford \u2014 \u2018my husband,\u2019\u201d writes White. Every part of the university from its design to its educational standards reflected back on its benefactress.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/memorial-arch.jpg?w=682\" alt=\"The memorial Arch, the statue of the Stanford family, and the Memorial Church were all funded by Jane Stanford to commemorate her kin, and stood until the quake of 1906.\" class=\"wp-image-22420158\" width=\"618\" height=\"927\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/memorial-arch.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1236 1236w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/memorial-arch.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=927 927w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/memorial-arch.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618 618w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/memorial-arch.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=309 309w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/memorial-arch.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\"\/><figcaption>The memorial Arch, the statue of the Stanford family, and the Memorial Church were all funded by Jane Stanford to commemorate her kin and stood until the quake of 1906.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stanford University Special Collections and University Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cJane Stanford regarded a classical education as useless and cruel,\u201d writes White. \u201cGraduates of Harvard and Yale, she claimed, were of benefit to no one, including themselves.\u201d Her university would prepare students for their \u201cusefulness in life\u201d as well as the education \u201cof the soul as well as the mind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She even successfully combated a legal challenge to the Stanford estate that put university funds in jeopardy. As the wife of the school\u2019s president and a future murderer suspect would later say, Stanford would have \u201cgiven her life, if necessary, to save the university.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>An apt statement if there ever was one.<\/p>\n<p>The first sign of something amiss came on Jan. 14, 1905.<\/p>\n<p>Jane Stanford went to bed early in one of the 19 bedrooms of her 41,000-square-foot mansion in San Francisco. She was reportedly the wealthiest of all her moneyed neighbors.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/elizabeth-richmond.jpg?w=682\" alt=\"The maid, Elizabeth Richmond.\" class=\"wp-image-22427838\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/elizabeth-richmond.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1023 1023w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/elizabeth-richmond.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682 682w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/elizabeth-richmond.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=341 341w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/elizabeth-richmond.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\"\/><figcaption>The maid, Elizabeth Richmond.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stanford University Special Collections and University Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Stanford drank from a bottle of Poland Spring Water, which claimed to cure all manners of nervous illnesses and diseases. When Stanford took a sip, she vomited. The water was bitter. She called out for help and a maid named Elizabeth Richmond came. Her personal secretary, Bertha Berner, who slept on the floor above Stanford, followed.<\/p>\n<p>Stanford wretched and spasmed that night, but pulled through. The next day she sent the bottle away to be tested for poison. It came back positive for strychnine \u2014 in a readily available and highly bitter form used as rat poison.<\/p>\n<p>This was bewildering to Stanford.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI did not think anyone wished to hurt me. What would it benefit anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The reality was that she had made many enemies. Her maid had recently threatened to quit over mistreatment. Another staff member, Ah Wong, held a grudge because Stanford owed him money.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"681\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/bertha-burner.jpg?w=681\" alt=\"The personal assistant, Bertha Berner.\" class=\"wp-image-22427863\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/bertha-burner.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1021 1021w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/bertha-burner.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=681 681w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/bertha-burner.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=340 340w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/bertha-burner.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 681px) 100vw, 681px\"\/><figcaption>The personal assistant, Bertha Berner.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stanford University Special Collections and University Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And then there was her personal secretary. Berner had worked with Stanford since the death of Leland Stanford Jr. and the two were close. Stanford considered her relationship with Berner to be \u201cone that cannot be bought, it is God-giving.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In fact, Berner had nearly walked away from the job several times after quarreling with her boss; one regular source of strife was that Stanford would often not allow Berner to visit her ailing mother. Other arguments involved men. Berner, a young, attractive woman in her thirties had many admirers and an active <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> life \u2014 too active for Stanford\u2019s old-fashioned tastes. When Stanford insisted that Berner live with her in her Nob Hill mansion, it made \u201cher relationship with Mrs. Stanford even more claustrophobic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>These were just the people under her roof. Others included a \u201cmanservant\u201d named Albert Beverly who had <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ed with Stanford until he was cut loose for inflating his bills and skimming off the money for himself.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/albert-beverly.jpg?w=681\" alt=\"The man servant, Albert Beverly.\" class=\"wp-image-22427783\" width=\"618\" height=\"929\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/albert-beverly.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1236 1236w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/albert-beverly.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=927 927w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/albert-beverly.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618 618w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/albert-beverly.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=309 309w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/albert-beverly.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\"\/><figcaption>The manservant, Albert Beverly.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stanford University Special Collections and University Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>And then there was the friction between Stanford and the university\u2019s president, David Starr Jordan, who disagreed with Stanford on almost everything about the school. Jordan hated the fact that he owed his job to a dead child. He also knew about Stanford\u2019s secret interest in spiritualism, a practice of communing with the dead.<\/p>\n<p>But the thing he hated most was having to follow the orders of (in his words) \u201cone aged woman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe controlled the endowment, the school\u2019s growth, its construction, and its priorities,\u201d writes White. She put her finger on scale on almost every matter pertaining to the day-to-day running of the university: Staffing, coeducation (she was not in favor of educating women with men), even petty things, like the installation of doorstops in the chemistry building.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/jane-stanford-bedroom.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"The sight of the first poisoning attempt, Jane Stanford's bedroom in the Stanford mansion.\" class=\"wp-image-22420169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/jane-stanford-bedroom.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/jane-stanford-bedroom.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/jane-stanford-bedroom.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The sight of the first poisoning attempt, Jane Stanford\u2019s bedroom in the Stanford mansion.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stanford University Special Collections and University Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cJane Stanford wanted to be loved and admired, but she needed to be obeyed. Obedience was the condition of working for her,\u201d writes White. Jordan was not obsequious enough for Stanford \u2014 and he knew his head was on the chopping block.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the long list of possible leads, the San Francisco Police Department was as flummoxed by the poisoning as Stanford was. Berner was cleared of any wrongdoing and the maid Elizabeth Richmond was fired. No arrests were made.<\/p>\n<p>Jane Stanford wanted this scandal to dis<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear as much as the college and the police department did.<\/p>\n<p>But the story doesn\u2019t end there.<\/p>\n<p>A little over a month later, Stanford died in Hawaii with Bertha Berner by her side.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/stanford-egypt.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"In Egypt, 1904, Jane Stanford (seated center), Elizabeth Richmond, her maid (at left), with her secretary, Bertha Berner, and her butler, Albert Beverly, on camels. \" class=\"wp-image-22420177\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/stanford-egypt.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/stanford-egypt.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/stanford-egypt.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>In Egypt, 1904, Jane Stanford (seated center), Elizabeth Richmond, her maid (at left), with her secretary, Bertha Berner, and her butler, Albert Beverly, on camels. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stanford University Special Collections and University Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>They were in Hawaii on their way to Japan. Berner, whose mother was seriously ill, did not want to go. \u201cShe was not eager to be dragged off to Asia in the company of an imperious and rich woman,\u201d writes White.<\/p>\n<p>Before they left San Francisco, Berner visited a pharmacy and bought three ounces of bicarbonate soda, a treatment for indigestion that Stanford often used.<\/p>\n<p>In Honolulu on Feb. 28, 1905, Stanford had a pleasant picnic before retiring to her room to lie down. She requested the bicarbonate soda, which Berner brought to her. Later she called Berner to her room. \u201cI am so sick,\u201d she said, wracked with spasms. Berner called for a doctor.<\/p>\n<p>White describes the classic symptoms of strychnine poisoning: \u201cJane Stanford could not swallow. Her jaws were set . . . Spasms overcame her.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/bertha-berner.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Prime suspect Bertha Berner, Jane Stanford\u2019s personal secretary, at her boss\u2019 Palo Alto summer mansion. \" class=\"wp-image-22420183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/bertha-berner.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/bertha-berner.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/bertha-berner.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Prime suspect Bertha Berner, Jane Stanford\u2019s personal secretary, at her boss\u2019 Palo Alto summer mansion. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stanford University Special Collections and University Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cThis is a horrible way to die,\u201d Stanford said before she stopped breathing. When she did, her body went rigid and the soles of her feet turned inward with the insteps arched.<\/p>\n<p>The Hawaii police department, physician and chemist announced that Stanford had been poisoned \u2014 this time with a more potent form of strychnine that could only be purchased at a pharmacy.<\/p>\n<p>The press had a field day with the death \u2014 producing lurid front pages of the various murder suspects and even floating the idea of suicide thanks to her interest in spiritualism.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\">\n<blockquote><p>\u2018Jane Stanford wanted to be loved and admired, but she needed to be obeyed. Obedience was the condition of working for her.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><cite>Author and veteran historian Richard White<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Meanwhile, the Hawaii side of the investigation continued. They discovered that Berner would receive $15,000 from Stanford\u2019s will. Berner also had a relationship \u2014 likely romantic \u2014 with manservant Albert Beverly, who had been fired for getting kickbacks that Berner also got a piece\u00a0of.<\/p>\n<p>But powerful people didn\u2019t want the charges to stick. No one in the administration wanted the University\u2019s dirty laundry aired. University president Jordan became the face of the counter-narrative that Stanford died of \u201cnatural causes.\u201d Jordan introduced his own physician who produced \u201cevidence\u201d that showed that Stanford likely died from \u201cangina pectoris,\u201d or overeating. The considerable gas from overeating at lunch \u201cwould have created pressure on the heart,\u201d the physician argued with a straight face.<\/p>\n<p>Berner\u2019s account changed, too. Instead of rigid, Stanford was now slumped over. She \u201cpassed away peacefully,\u201d Berner said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/david-starr-jordan.jpg?w=682\" alt=\"David Starr Jordan, first president of Stanford University, who served from 1891 to 1913. \" class=\"wp-image-22420212\" width=\"618\" height=\"927\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/david-starr-jordan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1236 1236w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/david-starr-jordan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=927 927w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/david-starr-jordan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618 618w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/david-starr-jordan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=309 309w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/david-starr-jordan.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 618px) 100vw, 618px\"\/><figcaption>David Starr Jordan, first president of Stanford University, who served from 1891 to 1913. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stanford University Special Collections and University Archives<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Despite a coroner\u2019s report that found poison in her system, Jordan announced that she died from \u201cadvanced age, the unaccustomed exertion, a surfeit of unsuitable food, and the unusual exposure of the picnic party.\u201d Detectives dropped the case, as an investigation \u201cwould not benefit the estate, the university, or the San Francisco police,\u201d who would be ridiculed for their mishandling of the first poisoning and overshadowed by the inexperienced Hawaiian police.<\/p>\n<p>Jordan worked at Leland Stanford Jr. University for 11 more years. And although a cloud of suspicion hung around Berner, she lived comfortably in Menlo Park thanks to the $15,000 Stanford inheritance. In 1935, Stanford University published Berner\u2019s story called \u201cMrs. Leland Stanford: An Intimate Account.\u201d The book is riddled with inaccuracies, \u201cwrong in almost every detail\u201d of Stanford\u2019s death, and became key to White\u2019s case against her.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBerner\u2019s lies and omissions did not spring from forgetfulness,\u201d Write writes. Particularly, Berner\u2019s omission of the pharmacy stop was particularly \u201ccritical to the mystery,\u201d White writes.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/stanford-university.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Powerful interests appeared to stymy the Jane Stanford probe amid fears of airing Stanford University\u2019s dirty secrets.\" class=\"wp-image-22420220\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/stanford-university.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/stanford-university.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/stanford-university.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Powerful interests appeared to stymy the Jane Stanford probe amid fears of airing Stanford University\u2019s dirty secrets.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cTwo poisonings, two doses of strychnine, Berner the only person present both times, plus her purchase of the bicarbonate that later contained the poison: all this spells trouble for Bertha Berner,\u201d he writes. This along with their rocky relationship led White to conclude: \u201cI think she was a murderer, but up until the moment of the murder, I can\u2019t help sympathizing with her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Along the way, White discovered an unexplored lead: Palo Alto pharmacist PJ Schwab who sold her the bicarbonate soda. Schwab, who had been accused of another financial crime, was located close to Berner\u2019s mother\u2019s house. Berner and Schwab both spoke German and were linked romantically. \u201cHe becomes for me the key to the whole mystery. Insert him in the narrative and things start to click into place. He worked in one of the Palo Alto pharmacies and was friendly with Berner. Accused of embezzlement, he was clearly a man willing to take chances and he could have gotten her the poison without leaving a record.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now that we can track the murder weapon to Berner is the case closed? Did she act alone?<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"676\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/who-killed-jane-stanford.jpg?w=676\" alt=\"Who Killed Jane Stanford by Richard White \" class=\"wp-image-22420218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/who-killed-jane-stanford.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1014 1014w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/who-killed-jane-stanford.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=676 676w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/who-killed-jane-stanford.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=338 338w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/who-killed-jane-stanford.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 676px) 100vw, 676px\"\/><figcaption>A decades-old case with many suspects may finally be solved. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Not exactly.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>White believes that the university\u2019s president was involved \u2014 he didn\u2019t poison Stanford, but instead was an \u201caccessory after the fact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jordan convinced Berner to change her description of Stanford\u2019s death to help suit his aims. \u201cJordan saved Berner because he had to in order to save himself, the will, the trust documents, and ultimately the university,\u201d writes White.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn an age of surreal conspiracy theories, it is a reminder that conspiracies can be quite real.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/28\/who-killed-stanford-u-founder-new-book-solves-janes-murder\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Who killed Stanford U founder? New book solves Jane\u2019s murder&#8221; Jane Stanford\u2019s death was one of the most sensational of the 20th century \u2014 and now, more than 100 years later, a new book offers enough proof to call it murder. Stanford, beloved by her community, survived the deaths of her husband and son while&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":454204,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/leland-jane-stanford-1.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[129702,17209,70595,71789,75562],"class_list":["post-454203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-5-28-22","tag-books","tag-murders","tag-poison","tag-stanford"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=454203"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/454203\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/454204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=454203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=454203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=454203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}