The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, April 29, 1898, Page 16

16 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1898. SPANISH AGENTS MAY LI AT SANTA CRUZ Federal Secret Scrvice Agents Are Working for a Clew to the Pow- der Mill Carpenter Nelson and Others Saw Strangers Action Taken at the Special Meeting of the Board of Supervisors Called by His Honor Yesterday. on the Ground Just Before the Explosion. Two, and probably three, bodies| have been found at the Santa Cruz| powder magazines of the California Powder Works which cannot be ac- counted for. This strengthens the theory that the explosion was the Te- sult of design. Secret service agents of the Gov-| ernment are working on the case on the theory that the disaster was caused by the agents of Spain. Sev- eral workmen, especially Carpenter Nelson, who was severely wounded, saw strangers at and near the works a few minutes before the disaster. It is believed that, if the explosion was the result of design, the detona- | tion was caused by the firing of re- volvers whose bullets reached the gun cotton warehouse. Those who fired probably thought they were far enough away to escape unharmed, but the explosion was not downward and upward, as they doubtless calculated it would be, but in all direcfions, and the criminals died with those whose lives they destroyed. Details of the theory follow: There are several circumstances that tend to confirm the theory that the Cal- ifornia Powder Works’ va the result of treachery. uspicion points strongly to the fact that Span- ish agents may have caused the trag- edy that costl many lives and a fright- ful loss of propert Two more bodies than the ten known to be missing have been found, also the fragments of another body, which may make thirteen killed and but ten known to the people of Santa Cruz and vicin- ity. It is bec g an intevesting ques- tion who the missing are. The Government has taken a hand in he | tigatic concerning this ex- wires were freely used service agents all d yes: with a view of losing no time « e the princ who sent the agen to do the aw 1 work he second unrecognizable body waa )’ 1 at 10 ock yesterday morning, charred ond gnition, even if ¢ ofie in the vicinit ever E DEAD Disaster. NO REFUSAL TO PAY THE WIDBER BOND Mayor body, but fragments of a human be- ing. These ghastly relics were found amid the ruined machinery, and it is now believed that there were three strange men, if not more, lost in the explosion that cost ten faithful em- ployes their lives A circumstance that lends color to the suspicions of foul play is that seve- ral of the workmen noticed strangers in the vicinity of the powder works some time before the explosion. All employes were very busy at the time | and, therefore, none of them paid very close attention to the strangers, but there is not any doubt in the minds of several of the workmen that the men they saw in the vicinity of the works a few minutes before the disaster were | strangers and that they had no busi- | ness in that part of the country. Jenks F. Nesmith, secretary of the company, was visited yesterday by a carpenter named Nelson, one of the | men who escaped from the terrible ex- plosion with his life, though bearing a number of wounds. Nelson is one of the men who saw a stranger about the works a little while before the explo- slon. Speaking of the circumstance, | Nelson said: “I was very busy at the time, but I | distinctly remember that I saw two men near the works a little while be- | fore the explosion. I was thrown over | an eight-foot pile of wood and I es- | caped in a miraculous manner with my life. I am still suffering from the shock, but I have a plain recollection of seeing two strangers. They may have been there for the purpose of blowing up the works hey may have been there innocentl Secretary Nesmith says there is no doubt in the minds of the company that ‘ the explosion took place first at the gun cotton warehouse, and this lends color to the suspicion that some one did the job from evil motives and that it was | ot an accident. | “If the gun cotton had been set fire | to,” said the secretary, “it would have | burned without harm, while the slight- | est detonation would have exploded it. A man might have gone to one side of | the place where the gun cotton was °d and watched his chance to fire volver or rifle shot into the works. | would have been sufficient to| all the damage. If any one had | done this for the purpose of maliciously | wrecking the works he might have | thought that he would escape by going | o While Mayor Phelan has churned himself and those in his immediate at- mosphere into a high state of fear and indignation over the supposed refusal of the Fidelity and Deposit Company to pay the $100,000 bond of A. C. Wid- | ber, the defaulting Treasurer, the sure- ty company has, in reality, not re-| fused to meet its obligation. As a| matter of fact, no formal demand has | been made to the proper person for the payment of the bond. | So far has the Mayor's apprehension | that he might be called upon to meet part of the defalcation carried him, that he has made broad threats against the surety company to the effect that he would not approve any more of its bonds. It is reported that he even thought of asking the Supervisors to pass a resolution declaring void all the bonds of this company, given as surety for city and county officials and em- ployes. In line with his apprehensions | and misconceptions, he called a special meeting of the Supervisors, which was held yesterday. for the purpose of tak- ing action to compel the payment of the bond. All this was {rrelevant, immaterial, | incompetent and unnecessary, judging | Phelan Worked Himself Into a Frenzy Over the Matter Without Cause. | exposure was imminent, and during that | time It is safe to infer from the facts piclous jingle of silver in one of the sacks supposed to contain gold. This was the discovery of the fraud. Instead of reporting immediately to the commissioners he reported to the Treasurer, and not until ten days after- ward was this shortage made good, nor for twenty-five days afterward were the commissioners {nformed of the defalca- tion. In the meantime the Treasurer knew that he was under suspicion, at least by one or two of his own deputies, and that that he abstracted a large part of the money. On the 2th of March, for in- stance,we counted $25,000 in the box of the Public Administrator, and that has been stolen. The acceptance of mint seals after carefully examining them is in uni- versal vogue among banking and com- mercial institutions. The Mayor and the Auditor have personally participated in every count in the city treasury, and the following Superior judxes have from time to time acted: Judges Bahrs, Heb- bard, Dunne, Belcher, Slack, Cook, Dain- gerfleld and Troutt. Respectfully submitted, JAMES D. PHELAN, Mayor. Supervisor Britt moved that the com- | munication be referred to the Finance | Committee. It was so ordered. Communications were read from the | Fidelity and Deposit Company of | Maryland, in which the company asks | that the Board of Supervisors author- ize proceedings against A. C. Widber and also against the Mayor, Auditor WIDBER’ The Document Th Whereas, Augustus C. Widber, at day of November, 1896, was elected to as, the amount of such bond has been 000) dollars. Now, therefore, know all men by America, for the payment of which aforesaid, jointly and severally bind at Is Now a Check in Favor of the City for $100,000. urer in and for the city and county of San Francisco, State of California; and whereas, the said Augustus C. Widber is required by law to file an official bond previous to entering upon the duties of said office; and where- C. Widber of the city and county of San Francisco as principal and Fidel- ity and Deposit Company of Maryland as sureties, are jointly and sev- erally bound and indebted unto the State of California in the sum of one hundred thousand ($100,000) dollars lawful truly to be made, the parties jointly and S BOND. the general election held on the 3d the office of City and County Treas- fixed at one hundred thousand ($100,- these presents, that we, Augustus money of the United States of several sums of money, well and severally Indebted herein as themselves, their heirs, executors, | it. | culty may be obviated. | a larger coat built, and the other is to | LEES GRABS SOME MORE GREATNESS The Chief Duly Cred- ited With the Cap- ture of Widber. How the Local Shirley Dare Justly Earned His Reputation. An Episode That Is Causing Large Chunks of Mirth at the City Hall. WHY THE POLICE LAUGH. On the Prison Register Appears the Veteran’s Name as the Dafault- ing Treasurer’s Captor. Citizens of San Francisco will long remember Wednesday, April 20, A. D. 1898. Several events occurred that day to make it memorable in the annals of the city by the Golden Gate. Thers was the departure of the First Infan- try for the seat of war, thrilling spec- tacle of Chief Lees at the head of a battalion of police, and the announce- ment that Treasurer Widber had | “blown in” a hundred and odd thousand dollars of the city’s cash in a vain at- tempt to cultivate a wine appetite and a string of horses that could run. | What man, woman or child who stood | on Van Ness avenue or Market street | that day but feels a thrill even now | at the recollection. Riding at the head | of the police escort, and the first fig- ure to greet the expectant eye, came the Chief. (It may be noticed that he is not charged with commanding the battalion; Lieutenant Birdsall per- formed that duty, and most credita- | bly.) Mounted on a magnificent | charger he was an inspiring sight, al- belt he may at times have ridden a trifle lopsided, due to a tender regard for | the ingrowing saddle. The western | sun glinting on his gold laced uniform made the Chief a thing of striking beauty and reminded the beholders of | a Chinese joss. The reason Chief Lees | doesn’t put more gold braid on that un- | iform is because there is no room for This is a source of considerable | worry to him and at present he is con- sidering two plans by which the diffi- One is to have | decorate his boots. There are dra backs to both; a larger coat would giv him the appearance of a junkshop, | ROBINSON WILL NOT COME BACK His Resignation in the Hands of Chief Lees. “Handsome Willie” Now on His Way to Alaska. He Expects to Join “Swiftwater Bill” in the Far Northwest. NEPHEW WOLF DOWNED. He Will Not Responsible Position Be Promoted to the Mads Vacant. Captain Robinson of the City Prison has resigned. This fact was made known last night by Chief Lees after due medi- tation, and shortly after 8 o’clock he sent for the reporters and handed them the resignation of Robinson. It read as fol- lows: CHICAGO, April 15, 1898. To the Honorable Board of Police Commis- sioners—Gentlemen: I tender you my resigna- tion as Captain of Police of the City and County of San Francisco, and request that it £0 into effect on Ma: 595, HENRY ROBINSON, Captain of Police. When questioned about the resignation the Chief said it had been received by Judge Tobin several days ago, but as he is confined to his bed by a severe attack of la grippe he did not open it until yes- terday afternoon. He at once sent for Commissioner Al- | estate. vord, who, after reading it, turned it| over to the head of the Police Depart- ment. “It Is not true that I was aware that Robinson in gn when he was granted a lea t absence,” vehemently remarked the astute Chief. *'I knew noth- ing of His intention except that he was anxious to go east to settle up his father's e His father was a very rich man, and I naturally supposed that he left Captain Robinson a large portion of his He, however, toid me that he in- tended to return to this city as soon as he succeeded in settling up the estate. ow about my hephew, Sergeant Wolf. He was prombted to the position of sergeant by Judge Tobin, who realized his fitness for the place. Four months before Captain Robinson was granted a leave of absence Sergeant Woll was as- signed to duty at the City Prison by order of the President of the Board of Police Commissioners. “‘After Robinson left the city the Com- missioners decided to allow Wolf to act as captain of the prison during the ab- sence of ‘Handsome Willie, as he ig familiarly known to his subordinates. I never intended to use my pull with Com- missioners Alvord or Tobin to promote Wolf to the responsible position of cap- tain of the prison.” Notwithstanding the Chief’s denial it is known that Judge Tobin, when it became whispered that Robinson would not re- turn, wrote the head of the department that under no consideration would he submit to Wolf being s inson’s place. He that Wolf had been nlac son without his conse ief against tr to promote 2 over the ral men_ who manifestly more capable of filling the position, It Is expected that the vacancy will be filled at ths meeting of the board on Monday night. There are a number of candidates " for the place, principally 2mong whom are Lieutenants Hanna and girdsall and Sergeants Bidwell, Lind- Leimer, Brown and Duncan. At the same meeting the Commission- ers, it is understood, will appoint Ser- I t Moone lieutenant, to fill the vacancy caused by the tragic ending of will succeed Mooney at t station. As the posi- one of the softeat in partment, Lees is determined that his relative shall get i g ‘Warrant Number Four. Another warrant was issued yesterday from Judge Low’s court for the arrest of W. A. Shepard of the Clerks’ Exchange on the charge of petty larceny. The com= plaining witness this time is James B, Nelson, who alleges that he paid Shepard a fee of $5 for a position in a retail dry goods store, but when he went there ha was told there was no vacancy. —_—————————— Fell Into a Shaft. Peter McEwen, secretary of the Geo- graphical Society of California, fell into an elevator shaft in the sidewalk at Bush and Kearny streets yesterday afternoon. He was picked up unconscious and taken to the Receiving Hospital, where he soon recovered. He escaped without injury. ADVERTISEMENTS. Sailor fondness for your Here’s an opportunity to show your stirring times he wants a sailor suit— he’s just as proud of our sailors as his 8 I boy. With these while he would have to discard stir- 5 i knew the corpse in life. The discovery | to one side and firing from a distance, administrators, successors and assignees, firmly by these presents, sealed rups if the footgear were to be Seen‘! father 5 of course he would like to dress of this body was made by Charles Crag- | believing that the danger of the ex- | with our seals, and dated this 19th day of December, in the year of our and that would be uncomfortable, to | Lk hill, & kman at the ruins. Bodies | plosion would be upward and down- | Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety-six. * | say the least. ike one. supposed to be those of the ten men ward; but this explosion extended in | The condition of the obligation is such that if the above bounden Au- It was close on to clock | B CEET known to be missing, whose fri all directions, and-the person or per- | gustus C. Widber shall well, truthfully, perform and execute the duties and already the'news of Widber's de- | Boys’ sailor suits, in light mourn them as dead, had already been sons who made such a calculation, if of Ban Francisco, as required by law, as well as those which may be re- falcation had become public. Even the | bl a1 + f found and taken to the undertaking es- | they did make it, were probably killed quired of him by any law now existing, as those which may be required throngs that watched the procession | ue materia (about the tablishment of Wessendorf & also, and this would account for the | by any law enacted subsequently to the execution of this bond, then this had paused in their cheering long | same shade as Uncle Sam’s To add to the mystery extra bodies found.” | obligation to be void, otherwise to be and remain in full force and effect. | enough to discuss the startling intelli < ¢ > ion and to confirm the s Three-fourths of the machinery used Signed and secled in presence of < | gence, but the Chief rode in blisstul | naval colors for his sailors’ > in authority at the v for the manufacture of government AUGUSTUS C. WIDBER. [Seal] | ignorance, | . Sl 8 thoER 6L ( powder was not harmed at all. It is H. J. MAXWELL, [Seal] | It was at the foot of Market street, | suits); large square collar body with none to claim now thought that the works will again Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland. | sust ‘9 the volica;battalion Hadidm ool il a4 o discovered about 6 be running full time on government By F. L. GILBERT, its Attorney In fact and General Agent. | Upiin: linie. 'that the Chiet: heard tho | y mmed Wi Rather, it was not a complete | work within less than thirty days. Approved this 21st dav of December, 1836 | news. One of his trusted men in the “‘upper office” broke through the line | and whispered the information to his| | | black braid and soutache; ADOLPH SUTRO, Mayor, ex-officio President Board of Supervisors. % i French cuffs; silk ‘ ribbon ‘W. BRODERICK, City and County Auditor. | } 10 LAWRENCE “Kid” Johnson Brought)| Them Forth With a Punch. | street, San Francisco, Cal, They Fought Before the Berk- eley Beacon Athletic Club ' Last Evening. The Winner Proved Himself to Be a Hard Worker and Willing to Go the Distance. “K1d" Johnson, who is employed by the Keystone Boller Works, 1 without doubt | a coming “slogger,” and from all ap- pearances an explosion of a boller took | place last evening at the Beacon Ath-| letic Club in West Berkeley when Jim Lawrence of Seattle stopped a left- | hander with the pit of his stomach and went to the floor in an exceedingly dis- tressed condition. For weeks past a fight | has been on the tapis and George Baker was matched to fight Johnson. However, | Baker was not In evidence and Lawrence took his place, much to his regret, for besid: receiving the ‘“stem winder” in the abdom region he broke a small bone in bis ht hand when he fell to the floor and was counted out. Previous to the “event of the evening.” “harles Tie and one Beck fought a three- d go, as dld Joe Lavigne and Hugh O'Brien. A good exhibition s given by Cha Turner of numerous battles’ fame and Ben Lewls, who has gained some reputation as a clever sparrer. Will- fam Carroll acted as master of ceremonies and carried out his duties In a business like manner. After the vrincipals had been warned not to hit in the break-a and to fight fair from all standpoints, Mr. Egan w ked to introduce the fighters, as he was the referee. | Johnson stripped at 121 pounds and Lawrence, who gives his nationality as “Spanish,” tipped the scales at about 140 pounds. His weight did not avail him much, as the result showed. As they stepped to the center of the ring the “Kid made a ru and after a few passes showed himsclf to be exceedingly clever. The fight was finished In one punch, which was landed with a great deal of precision_and terrific force on the solar plexus. The winner showed himself to be willing to go_the “pace,’ and without | doubt can whip better men than Law- | rence. The fight follows by rounds: | Round 1—The men stepped to the center of the ring, Johnson swung his left on the stomach and the fight was over, The members of the club seemed to be at first disappointed with the short fight but when the club physician was called | in he said that Lawrénce was suffering | from a severe blow in the “wind,” but | would recover as soon as his nervousness | left him and his breath returned. George | Baker sent a challenge to the winner, and | it is probable the fight will be brought off in the near future. Jimmy Anthony and | 1 Dempsey. recently from Australia, | were back of Johnson and Charley Turner | with J. Le Strange backed Lawrence. The | fight was for a small purse and gate | mone; which amounted to about = $50. The fans and bottles which were carried into the ring for the use of the fighters &re in their original condition and lgay be | The Golden Gate Association Has | from then on everythin, | floor manager, an lica Co. of San Francisco— Drawing April 28, 1898. No. 42044 wins $3750, sold in Stockton | and San Francisco, Cal. No. 28198 wins $1260, sold in San Fran- cisco, Cal. No. 35319 wins $625, sold in San Fran- | cisco, Cal. | Numbers 13105, 15665, 25066, 42412 and | 45156 each win $62 50, sold in San Jose, | Oakland and San Francisco, Cal. Prizes cashed at 35 New Montgomery 10 DANCE TILL DAYLIGHT DAWNS A Grand Bal Masque That Takes Place at the Pavilion To-Morrow Night. Everything Prepared for a Royal Good Time. To-morrow night there will be sounds | of revelry in the old Mechanics’ Pavilion, | and the vari-colored beams of the cal- | clum lights will flash their soft colors over the rich costumes of knight and lady falr, gathered together at the invi- tation of the Golden Gate Association to time the flying hours by the rhythmic tapping of thelr footfalls as they mingle in the mazy pleasures of the dance. It is expected to be one of the most | magnificent masqueraders that have ever | taken place in the famous ola structure, but it will differ from many of the others. inasmuch as it will be perfectly respect- | able, as fs guaranteed by the standing of the gentlemen who have the affalr in | charge. There will be twenty-two rich prizes, all of jewelry, the cost of which amounts | to $1200 in the aggregate. The first ladies’ | prize will be a handsome marquise ring, | and the corresponding prize for gentle- men will consist of a handsome split- | second gold watch. All the other prizes | will be of proportionate elegance, Decorator Tobin of Native Sons fame | has charge of the adornment, and it goes | without saying that the result of his la. | bors will be something to look back upon and remember. Two bands will be # at- | tendance—string orchestra to furnish | dance music and a brass concert band to | in the interludes. - F. R. Tobin, the | well known and popular trombonist. has | been especially engaged for the latter. Dancing will begin promptly at 9:30, and | g will be thrown | ime in every way approves of. d L. Head will act as d will be assist; v :he following floor and reception co%’n:?{! ce: Dr. A. N. Copsey, John Willis, A. Guerse, Devine. Eugene Korn, E\xséulri:g Leon E. Price. sam 'Dannen. | oe Lppinger, v’ Williams, | Jumes Steenbock, Harry M. Campe, Huge | Ehrenpfort, Charles Teiel ang ‘Harry | Monahan. The officers of the Golden Gate Asso- ead, president; H. B. | giln\lon flrv(:: Ed L.‘;! locum, vice president; Charles L. Doy- and’ W. nunungz?x'.,} chet, secretary, treasurer. —_—— Try our §1 Eyeglasses. 710 Market & 1 Geary, | wide open for a good ti that respectability School Director E, R R R R S e RS AR R SR TR R R S e e e R RSP SS from the statement made yesterday to | a Call representative by Frank L. Gil- | bert, local agent of the surety company. He declared his company stood ready to pay the bond, but first wished to | ascertain what could be realized from | the property of Widber. It would then pay the deficiency. He stated that | no demand had been made upon the company, and that consequently there could have been no refusal to pay. ‘When the Mayor called the meeting | of the Supervisors to order there were | present Supervisors Devany, Delany, Dodge, Morton, Britt, Smith, Clinton and Rivers. The surety company was | represented by Mr. Gilbert, who was accompanied by his attorney. Mayor Phelan lald the object of the meeting before the board in the fol- lowing statement, which he read: SAN FRANCISCO, April 28, 1898 To the Honorable, the Board of Super- | visors -of the City and County of San | Francisco—Gentlemen: I desire to inform | you that the Treasurer of the City and County of San Francisco is a defaulter in the sum of $117,083 79, and that he has confessed to the defalcation and has been indicted by the Grand Jur{; for the crime. His fidelity was insured by the Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland in the sum of $100,000, as required by law, and in sald bond, prepared by the City and County Attorney and approved by Mayor Sutro, Auditor Broderick and a Judge of the Superior Court, there are no condi- tions under which the right of the city to demand payment on the failure of the Treasurer to perform his officlal duties faithfully can be questioned. On Tuesday, April 26, I and the City and County Attorney, called n the president of said corporation with a view of arranging for the collection of the amount of sald bond. I made a verbal demand upon the president for the pay- ment of the whole amount of the bond, and was informed by him that a formal written demand could be made upon the authorized representative of the company in this city, and that he had communi- | cated the decision of his company to the | Board of Supervisors, which is self-ex- | planatory and which has been received and will be laid before you at this meet- ing, which I have called for this pur- ose. The urgency of this meeting arises from the fact that the fiscal year is drawing to a close, and the public business re- quires the funds that should be available in the city treasury, and which by rea- son of this defalcation have been seri- ously depleted. I trust the Board of Supervisors will, in their wisdom, see fit to authorize the bringing of a suit in the name of the city and county against the Treasurer and his bondsmen. ‘With respect to the counting of money by the Mayor, the Auditor and a Judge o¥ the Superior Court, to which the Surety Company makes reference, I de- sire to inform the board that the said officers have done their duty and that by reason of their count on the 26th of last March of the moneys in the treas- ury the defalcation of the Treasurer was discovered. Were it not for this fact, the length to which the Treasurer might have gone in d:éfleung the treasury can- not be estimated. The method by which the commission proceeds is to enter the great vault, open the interior safes, and to see and count over all the money con- tained therein. Two-thirds of the con- tents of the vault ordinarily is contained in open trays and exposed, and the other third .is contained in sacks, for the most gan under seal of the mine of the United tates. These sacks are removed from the Interior safes, some of them weighed and others opened and counted, and the seals of all carefully examined. On the occasion of the last count, when the discovery was made, it ap- peared to the commissioy, that these seals were all intact. In passing back one of the sacks, which the commission had taken from the safe, Chief Deputy De la Montanya testifies that he heard a sus- | urer, to recover the amount of Wid- and others responsible for the count of | the moneys in the custody of the Treas- | ber’s defalcation. Their demand against | the counting board is based on the al- leged careless manner in which the money was counted by the Mayor, Britt moved that all the communica- tions, of which there were three, be re- | ferred to the Finance Committee, and this was so ordered. He then offered the following resolution: Whereas, on the 2ist day of December, 1896, Augustus C. Widber, late Treasurer of the City and County of San Francisco, | gave his officlal bond in the penal sum of one hundred thousand ($100,000) dollars | for the faithful performance of the duties of his office for the term of two years, commencing on the first Monday of Janu- ary, A. D. 1897, with the Fidelity and De- posit Company of Maryland, a corpora- tion, as the “sole surety thereon; and whereas, sald Augustus C. Widber re- signed his sald office of Treasurer cn the 22d day of April, 1898, and was on_that day a defaulter in the sum of $116,715 34, or thereabouts, money received by him in his officlal capacity "as such Treasurer, and for which the surety on his official bond is responsible, no ‘part of which | llen';e has been repaid; now, therefore, e it Resolved, That the City and County Attorney be and he is hereby requested to report In writing to this board, at its next meeting, what steps shouid be taken by the board to recover from the said Fidelity and Deposit Company of Mary- land, a corporation, the amount for which it is liable upon said official bond, and to furnish with said report such resolutions as in his judgment should be adopted by the board to accomplish said recovery. This was adopted and the board ad- Jjourned until Monday at 2 p. m. After the board adjourned Mr. Gil- bert made the following statement, de- fining the position of his company in the matter: “All that we desire to say is, that no formal demand has been made upon us for this money, and we have not re- fused to pay the bond. We simply | take notice of the fact that a defalca- | tion has been made and ask the city | to collect what it can on account of | the defalcation, credit the defalcation with that amount, and then let us| know the balance, which we agree to pa; y. ‘It is like any other case of insur- ance. If a man’'s house is partly de- stroyed by fire, there is a certain sal- | vage which can be realized upon, and which will go against the insurance. ‘When the salvage is ascertained the in- surance company pays the balance, and | that is exactly what this company will | do in this case. “If there is any question about the responsibility of the company, it will deposit In a special deposit the full amount of this bond to await the de~ termination of the amount of the sal- vage. “If it were perfectly platn that this | Wwhole defalcation had occurred since | the last examination of the money, and that Widber had no property whatso- ever, the city would have a check with- | out any delay, and the only delay which we now have is occasioned by the fact that we desire to have the benefit of what salvage there may be.” Both the city authorities and the surety company are making vigorous efforts to discover the whereabouts of some of the missing money. It is be- uexed that ?in;’ne of it may be traced and recovered from the persons wh - lleved Widber of it. i i —_———— “Women of the Red Cross and What They are Doing in the War,” in next Sunday’s Call. i | his charger with a rrateful sigh, he | ering himself away from the deck of | threw himself into a convenient buggy | (there was no hack near) and dashed off to the City Hall to obtain the de- tails and set the ponderous machinery | of his department in motion to effect the capture of the lefaulter. Not much detective work was neces sary, which was bad, for the case did not promise to add greatly to the| Chief’s luster as the capturer of crim- | inals. All he was called on to do was | to ascertain the place of Widber’s con- | cealment, and that was easy. From Chief Deputy de la Montanya Lees | learned that Harry Morse, his old rival, | and a man of ability, was already at | work, and so all that was necessary was to discover the direction Morse's | men were heading. It was soon found | that Captain Callundan had telegraph- ed to Constable Palmer of Walnut Creek asking him to find out if Widber was at his ranch. Receiving an affirm- ‘ ative reply, Callundan started on the | 4 o'clock train (half an hour before | Lees heard of the defalcation) to arrest | the culprit, first wiring Palmer to take good care that Widber did not get away. ‘When his sleuths had brought in all this information, Chief Lees detailed Detectives Wren and Cody to make the capture. Callundan arrived at Wid- ber’s ranch about fifteen minutes after Palmer had placed the Treasurer un- der arrest and the two started for Wal- nut Creek with their prisoner. On the way they encountered Wren and Cody, who were then going out to make the | arrest, and the latter, upon learning | that their man was already in the toils, Joined Callundan and Paimer and re- turned with them to the city. At the | ferry the party was met by Chief Lees, who took Widber and his own officers in a carriage and drove them to the City Hall ~ | used at the next fight, if such a ov CHARLES W. SLACK, Superior Judge. superfor. Instantly the veteran’s en- | 1 = | amsgat the mext feht. i¢ such an’uneven oy I e e bow. Also with green col [ | / | —_——— R R R R S S AR A A e ah i A T TR SR SR SN AP SP P EP U e relief overspread his features, and low- lar and shield trimmed with pe 4 The Original Little Beneficencia Pub- whi old. Boys’ stylish middy suits in light blue material ; green collar and vest trimmed with braid and soutache on red inlaid clcth. Knee pants with buckle and bow at the kunee; for boys 3 to 8 years old. Such a suit will make your boy happy. He can play he’s onme of Uncle Sam’s midship men, We've a line of boys that are hard wear. After being conducted to the office of Chief Lees, where he confezsed his guilt to Mayor Phelan, Auditor Brod- erick, and half a dozen others, Widber was locked up in mysterious room 6, across the hall from Lees’ office, a de- tective or two being placed in the room with him to see that he held no commu- | nication with outsiders. Why this was done, instead of placing Widber in a cell in the prison, as any other pris- oner would have been Lees alone can explain. Widber had confessed, there was nothing more the police could learn from him, but the Chief saw fit to hcld him in communicado for the time being, and the Chief's will is law— | or even mightier than the law some- times. Later in the day Lees, Phelan and Broderick filed information against Wibder with the Grand Jury, and the latter's indictment quickly followed. Then Lees summoned Detective Wren and Man Friday Colbv and the three conducted Widber to the City Prison, where he was formally bocked on a charge of felony embezzlement. When the desk sergeant asked for theinames of the arresting officers the Nero of the Police Department promptly replied: “Chief Lees and Detective Wren.” Pocr Codv was turned down, while his fovored comrade shared with the Chief the glory of a capture with which they had nothing whatever to do. But of such is bullt the record of the Chief as a thief-taker. After a time, when all others have forgotten the story of the marching troops, the daz- zling chief and the flight and capture of the defaulting Treasurer, Lees will make casual mention of “How. 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