John Viano

/by

John Viano

Date of Birth: 1891

Born In: Italy

Age: 41

Occupation: Gardener

Marital Status: Single

Died: 20 Jul 1932

Cause of Death: Suicide, gunshot to the head

Death Location: Menlo Park

Burial Plot: 55

FindaGrave ID: 240536753

John Viano

Obituary

REDWOOD CITY TRIBUNE
July 21, 1912
RICH WIDOW SLAIN, MAN SUICIDES
GARDENER KILLS WOMAN EMPLOYER IN COTTAGE ON MENLO PARK ESTATE
Found murdered two months to the day after her husband died, the body of Mrs. Edith Orr Spencer, wealthy Menlo Park widow, was discovered in the head gardener's cottage about 8:30 o'clock this morning, while the latter, John Viano, lay dead on the cement floor of the garage below.
Police, coroner's and sheriff's deputies called it a case of "murder and suicide."
Mrs. Spencer, about 40 to 45, and the widow of the late Franklin M. Spencer, wealthy San Francisco elevator company head, was last seen alive last evening about 5:30 o'clock by Vincent Cruz, 27, the houseboy, when he brought the dinner tray to her bedroom.
Cruz told Dr. J. C. McGovern, San Mateo county coroner, Assistant Attorney Richad O. Bell, Deputy Sheriff Thomas Maloney and Police Chiefs Frank Love of Menlo Park and Edward Farrell of Atherton, that he left her writing letters after he had called for the tray and laid out her pajamas and prepared her bed for the night.

HOUSEBOY DISCOVERS MURDER
This morning, about 8:30, the houseboy again went to her bedroom to serve her breakfast. As he opened the door and saw that the bed had not been occupied during the night, he dropped the tray from fright and ran downstairs to make an investigation.
He summoned Narciso (Willie) Paulino, 35, Filipino assistant gardener. The two searched the grounds for John Viano, about 50, the head gardener, but not finding him about, called upstairs to the living quarters where he resided: "John, John, John."

SHOT THROUGH LEFT EYE
Getting no response, they rushed upstairs and then fell back, startled
to find the body of their employer lying dead just inside the door of the living room. She had been shot through the left eye, the bullet passing through the head and falling about four feet from the body. The furniture was in order, indicating that there had been no struggle.
Paulino summoned Police Officer Thomas Kearney of Menlo Park, who called Chief Love.
Coroner McGovern, Deputy Coroner John Layng of Redwood City, and Deputy Sheriff Maloney of Sheriff James J. McGrath's office and others were notified.

GARDENER'S BODY FOUND
While Maloney, Layng, Farrell and Love looked over the gardener's cottage for clues to the murderer, Officer Roy Hubbard of Atherton, who with Officer Kearney had been searching the grounds, ran upstairs to say that Viano's body was found in the machine shop downstairs.
He had shot himself through the right temple, the bullet emerging and imbedding itself in the wall some feet away.
Under Viano's right arm and shoulder lay the .32 caliber automatic revolver which had been used in the double killing.

QUARRELS POSSIBLE MOTIVE
The possible motive for the suicide and murder was given by servents, who said Mrs. Spencer and Viano had repeatedly quarreled and that she had discharged him as a gardener a number of times but that he refused to leave the premises.
Kenyon Spencer, a nephew connected with the Spencer Elevator Company of San Francisco, which was owned by the widow's late husband, was summoned from San Francisco. He refused to discuss the case, saying that he did not know of any quarrels between his aunt and the gardener.
The spencers did not have any children and it was not known whether she had ay sisters or brothers. Spencer's mother, Mrs. Dorcas J. Spencer, lives at 1218 Spruce Street, Berkeley.

BODIES IN REDWOOD CITY
Spencer left a considerable estate beside the beautiful 10-acre home on Arbor road, in Menlo Park. All went to the widow, and she was required to post a $135,000 bond. She was allowed $1,000 monthly for her support from the estate.
Spencer died May 21 in the Palo Alto Hospital after a brief illness. He was 59, and a native of Grass Valley. Walter Hood of San Francisco
is handling his estate for the widow.
Both bodies were removed to the Layng & Tinney chapel in Redwood City, where Coroner McGovern will hold an inquest probably on Tuesday.

Additional Information