The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 7, 1901, Page 23

Borone TOXGIOH GRIXO RO SHOXOXONORE , Pages 23 10°32; Der 3 X OXOE SF XL 2 PX GXOXOXOXOROD i Call, Pages 23 10 32 DORONP XX PXPRORIX O X GXOXIHPXOTINO § i ; : i Driere*onont SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, JULY 7, 1901 \ GENTLE MANNERED BURGLAR PAYS AN UNWELCOME NOCTURNAL VISIT TO THE HOME OF A. B. HAMMOND Crawls Through a Window of Their Jackson-Street Residence, Meets the Ladies, Takes Some Coin and Receives a Sweet Admoni- tion From Miss Florence Hammond, Daughter of the House Y "AB. FAMMOND. Q) N T & Q glar, and a oat work in the s rk is not idence of A. street, a lit- Mr. Ham- Hammond, e servants, home. The e second nto_the bed- lady hav! most had carry much hen her from the next red to her again: e dreaming—that e was bidden, and silent in all proba- was being plun- ght that she de- oform. Then she »form me!” she ere is a burglar st Florence Hammond gave cis Irwin. the butler, T s bedroom on arms, and the RUN DOWN BY TROLLEY GAR _ So Badly Hurt That He Suffers Loss of His Right Leg. B rning little Howard , whose home is &t wes run over by an uth on that street: nd the motorman | pon being a was ght leg Wou T y the hospital at once geon Bunnell, who had gone as a witness in a Coroner's hout waiting to give his Dr. Bunnell at once hospital Entering the he saw that an operation essary and the surgeon to operate. seantime Coroner Leland, finding sipg, sent an officer with r Bunnell. The officer went 1 Hospital, and finding the n» with his apron on ready to refrained from serving e operation proceeded. hope, the surgeons say, ctim of the trolley car that will survive After the Dr. P been per- plained that he had sroner Leland rela- . the chief surgeon. according to his own view. place was at the hospital hig when a patient in a critical condition was waiting to be operated upon. Coroner thought #F BUILER i 1 will try, miss,” said the burglar. Good-by, 'then,” said Miss Hammond, holding out het hand. The burglar shook hands with her with all formality and in rather a swell manner, and the butler showed him to the door. Francis is a | Frenchman and courteous by race, but he was almost outdone by the marauder. The | burglar ad told Mrs. Hammond that he had a pal outside the house, and so the ladies hesitated for a little time to ring up the police siation, but the alarm was given presently, and when the officers Teached the house there was no trace of the polite young man. lar coolly met him at the door of Hammond’s room with a drawn re- . “You come any further,” ob- the burglar, “and you are a dead Irwin ¢id not come any further. the burglar turned to the ladies, wing most courteously: 1 really do not want to alarm you, la- ald. “I have a mother and s s myself. But I must have money.” “Bring him my purse, Mary,” said Mrs. Hammond, who was pretty cool herself, all things considered. The maid brought the purse, and upon Mrs. Hammond’s request that he return her some articles in it of no possible value to him the burgiar emptied it of its con- tents, took some $23 and odd cents that it contained and requested the butler to show him out of the front door. He was g0 cool that i* was perhaps contagious. At all events Miss Hammond asked him at this point how he got in. > just keep your windows closed,” he said, “and you will never be troubled by burgiars.” “But you will not hurt us, will you?” Miss Hammond said. “I would not hurt a hair of your head, miss, I think too much of my own sis- ters.” “And you take this money and try to be good—for the sake of your sisters?” Miss Hammond went on. D e 2 o Y Leland, on his part, wanted his witness and sent an officer after him. The little boy who was hurt, Howard Holy, is the youngest of a large family, his father being a salesman for an in- stallment house. The motorman, whose name is Sterns, says that he saw the child, but pot in time to prevent the acci- dent. He did his best to stop the car. but it was too late. He was not running at &n unusual speed, he said, but it was im- possible to bring the car to. a sudden standstill. Conductor Cox corroborated the story of his motorman. Sterns was arrested when he reached the end of his run. Installations Are in Order. The following named officers of Court German America were publicly installed in Foresters’ Hall last Friday night by the board of deputies of the A. O. F.: P. Harman, C. R.: O. Zoellner, S. C. R.; M. Fox, T.; W. Clears, F. §.; W. Pertch, R. S.; H. Plagemann, 8. B.; N. Bottle, J. B. M. Wild. 8. W.: M. Brokowaski, J. W.: Dr. Kuckein, surgeon. After the instal- lation there was a social hour under the direction of W. J. Plagemann, O. Zoellner, C. Hauser and P. Harman. The officers of Bay City Circle of the Companions of the Forest of America will be publicly installed in the Alcazar build- ing to-morrow night. After the installa- tion there will be an entertainment. The recently elected officers of the Sts. John Lodge, Anclent Order of United Workmen, will be installed in public in Pioneer Hall on next Thursday evening. A committee of the lodge has prepared a programme of entertainment for the members_and_their friends. Next Thursday night District Deputy Grand Chancellor Clifford will install the following officers of California Lodge of the Knights of Pythias: E. M. Eisfelder, C. C.; Charles C. Crowlev, P Millman, P.; Warren Y. Dean, M. of W. Frank A. Brooks, K. of R. and 8.; Henry Beaver, M. of E.; John Huber, M. of F. Arthur O. Davis, M. at A.; James M. Ha ris, I. G.: M. Schumacher, O. G. An ir- vitation has beer. extended to the Past Chancellors’ Association to be present. There will then be an old time smoker, a programme of musical and literary num- bers and “an agreeable surprise for one of the newly elected officers.” Court Sutro Heights of the Foresters of America has made arrangements to have its officers instalied in Pythian Castle to- morrow night. Arrangements have been made for an interesting mee! Mrs. Hammond says, despite the fact - + | ES oo MEMBERS OF HOUSEHOLD VISITED BY A POLITE BURGLAR. e that the burglar had concealed the lower part of his face by tying a cloth over it she would know him again anywhere. An inspection of the premises made after daylight showed that the housebreaker tad tried every window on the lower floor before he climbed on the shed in ‘ne rear of the house. MALICIOUS BOYS WAECK BUILDING Vandalism on Telegraph Hill Leads to Small Riot. Al A crowd of boys carried away a portion of a building on Prescott court, near Val- lejo street, last evening and caused a riot that claimed the attention of the police for a couple of hours. The building which the voung vandals partly demolished was adjacent to one of the tenement houses destroyed by fire on the morning of July 3. It had been drenched with water to an extent that rendered it unfit for habitation, and the occupants had removed to other quarters, About 7 o'clock last night a mob of boys visited the property and started to MURDER CHAAGE IGHINST WLSTN Coroner’s Jury Says He Shot Little Maggie Hartwell. Witnesses Swear They Saw the Child Fall as the Pistol Flashed. The story of the manner in which Rob-i Wilson shot and killed little Maggie vell on Shipley street was retold yes- terday in the inquest before Coroner Le- | land. All the witresses united in saying that Wilson fired the fatal shot. Althougl: | they did not see the revolver. they saw | Eim raise his hand. saw the flash of the | pistol and saw little Maggle fall immedi- ately. George Hartwell, the 16-year-old brother | of the dead girl, said that some of the | chiidren threw a firecracker on Wilson's | porch, wherg Wilson was sitting. and that immediately Wilson stepped down to the | sidewalk, raised his right hand in the | manner of a man about to fire a pistol | and that there was a flash and a report | from /Wilson's hand. Immediately there- after Maggie fell to the sidewalk and said, | “Wilson shot me.” Maggle was on the sidewalk with other boys and girls about seventy-five feet away from Wilson and | in the street was a large bonfire which | threw its light upon the accused and the crowd of boys and girls at which he fired. All the witnesses said that Wilson was disliked by the children fn the neighbor- hood, because he showed his hatred for them. He owned another house on the opposite side of the street and in front of which the bonfire had been burning. The immediate provocation for the shoot- ing, they said, was the throwing of the firecracker upon Wilson’s porch. Edward Gegan. Laura Chessman, Mrs. Catama- torf and others saw the flash near Wil- son’s hand at the time the shot was fired. Mageie said to several of the boys and girls who gathered around her that Wil- son had shot her. The accused man is large and powerful, although his hair and beard are gray with | the frosts of sixty winters. He sat with | his counsel, Robert Ferrall and ex-Judge | Bahrs. By advice of his attorneys, he did | not make any statement. | The jury did not deliberate more than | five minutes on his case before they re- turned the following verdict: That the sald Maggle Hartwell, age about 11 vears, nativity California, occupation schoolgirl, residence 206 Shipley street, came to her death at the Central Emergency Hospital, July 5, through gunshot wound through body. And we, the jury, further find that Magsle Hartwell came to her death of a gunshot wound fired by Robert G. Wilson, and we charge said Robert G. Wilson with murder. Wilson appeared in Judge Conlan’s court vesterday morning on the charge of mur- der. The defendant was instructed as to his rights, and by consent the case was continued till next Wednesday. L e e e e S e s o SCHODLADUSE 5 HOT SHF The Superintendent Con- demns Washington Grammar Building! —_— In his monthly report for June, sub- mitted yesterday to the Board of Educa- tion, Superintendent Webster calls atten- tion to the dilapidated condition of the Washington Grammar school building and | urges that steps be taken to remedy the matter. Deputy Jordan, who made a per- sonal inspection of the school, says in his report: iz The buflding of this school s condemned as ld, unsightly and unsanitary. The windows are so poor, the walls and ceilings so old and grimy that If pupils retain self-respect it must be due to extraordinary influence on the part >f the teachers. The impression of a_visitor would be that school authorities had sadly neglected this school. | Acting principal and teachers were found generally ready to co- jperate with the deputy on all matters set Corth in accordance with the directions of the Superintendent. The first grade is in especlal- y good hands. Deputy Superintendent Kingsbury re- ports that he visited the Lowell High School ind found the classes to be in good con- jition. The school lacks some necessary ‘acilities in the scientific department. The 3irls’ High School classes were found to se doing satisfactory work. The Lincoln Ivening School was completely inspected ind the teachers found to be in earnest :nd giving close attention to their work. | Much complaint exists concerning the | iuality of the ink furnished this school. It s thick and so adhesive as to be unfit for ise. Any attempt to make it thinner by he addition of water causes it to be so ight as to be scarcely readable. Deputy Superintendent Howard writes hat, as in his last report. he would azain nlead for larger and better equipped play- ~rounds for at least the new school houses hat may be built. Therein a trial could “e made of the real industrial training in hat kind of work now so much neglected this great country of such vast agricul- nral resources. Relative to reading. Deputy Sullivan ays that no branch of school education 5 more valuable and none is more impor- tant. Bvery branch of sehool work is af- rected by it and education goes on by neans of it as long as life lasts. There s 1o roval road to readine. but there are ~ertain well-¥nown avenves alang which he way is shorter and the work easfer. i leads to the suzgestinn that as there | ‘s g marked difference followed in teach- ‘ng reading in the schools, observahle not ~nly In the teacher's work, but alsn In he child’s vocabulary. the teackers of the srimarv grades should be called tozethe: ccasionally for the purpose of fllustra ng and discussing methods for the teach- ng of readi~~ < Stole Landlady’s Jewelry. Detective Rvan arrived from Portland ~esterday morning with George Russell, Alias Walker, alias Brooks. the waiter who is accused of siealing $5M worth of fewelry from Mrs. Amy Johnstone, 431 yFarrell street, where he had a room. He stole the jewelrv on June 2 and fled tn Portland., where he was arrested while ‘rying to dispose of it. He sald his real tear the building down. They carried doors, windows and lumber away with a rapidity that startled the neighbors. Sev- eral residents in the vicinity made a pro- test. but were driven away by showers of bricks. When the owner of the building attempted to stop the maliclous work he was accorded the same treatment. A riot alarm was sent to the central poli - tion. and Sergeant Christiansan. sith s posse of officers started for the scene. It took some time for the policemen to sup- press the commotion. A search was made for the stolen lum- ber and some of it was recovered. Ansal- do Jovana, an Itallan fisherman. in whose house one of the doors was found, was arrested and charged with petty larceny. John Greenan, one of the boys who par- ticipated in the trouble. was also taken to prison. where ie was charged with ma- licious mischief. If a boy doesn’t love his mother his 1s a hopeless case, ‘Tukey against Emma A. Tukey, and name was Arthur ¥. Reerher and that he was a rative of New Hampshire. The jewelry was recoveres In the Divorce Court. Sults for divorce on the ground of do- <ertion were filed vesterday by W. V. Charles H. Blossfeldt against = 'Katie Blossfeldt. The action for divorce insti- ‘uted by Margaret Alcese Borlini against Alrea ‘A Borlini hag ‘been {ransferrca from Alameda County to this city for trial. —_— Foresters Will Pienie. The sixth anniversary picnic of Court | feared to risk it. Sutro Heights, Foresters of America, will be held BSunday, July 14 at Glenwood Park, in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The members of the court are working inces- santly to make the outing a pronounced success. large number of gate prizes, many of which are of considerable value, Will be distributed. GAS EXPLODES IN BASEMENT OF BANCROFT HISTORY BUILDING LIFTING SIDEWALK INTO THE AIR Three People Are Injured and Others Have Narrow Escapes, While Employes in Various Structures Rush to Doors and Climb Out Upon Fire Escapes—Restaurant Is Damaged 7 o EDESTRIANS on Market street were startled at 8:45 o’clock yes- terday morning by a terrific ex- plosion. Gas had accumulated in the basement of Bancroft His- tery building at 722 Market street and in some unknown manner became ignited. The explosion that followed played havoc with the cement sidewalk and other por- tions of the building. Market street was crowded with people at this hour and, fortunately, only a few pedestrians were passing at the time over, the spot where the ex- plosion occurred. Argello Arata, a recent arrival from Alaska, who lives at 309 Broadway, was one of the unfortu- nates to be there at the fnopportune mo- ment. He recefved burns about the face and hands and a severe shaking up. Will- ing hands lifted him out of his position of peril and he was quickly sent out to the Emergency Hospital. Rumors that a number of people had been killed spread, and brave men examined the ruins to dis- cover if any one else was engulfed. The others who were walking over the side- walk at the time of the explosion escaped the danger by, rushing into the street wheé\ they felg the sidewalk bulge up- ward. Ropes Immediately Stretched. The police were immediately on the scerie. - Ropes were stretched and curious people were kept in the background. Every precaution was taken to prevent a second explosion; but in this the work- men failed. The big service pipe which nupplied the tenants of the buildng with gas was broken off by the fall v. he con- crete, and the gas poured out. The first thought was to stop the flow, and this was done with startling results. When the broken pipe was capped the gas was driv- en back and filled the manholes, an elec- tric spark ignited the fluid, and there were ioud reports. The iron covers of the man- holes were blown some distance into the air, and pedestrians and horses wero treated to another seare. Ernest Herbst of 839 Bryant street was severely burned. The scene in the Bancroft building after the explosion was extremely exciting. The men and women employed in the various offices ang factories were frightened by the noise and rocking of the big building, and fearing that death was near made wild attempts o escape the danger. They ran down the stairs and out through the Stevenson street exit. Many of them crowded on the fire escapes, and there was some danger of them falling off. Cool heads in the street below advised the i frightened people that all danger was past and advised them to re-enter the building. Many of them did_so, but a dozen or more Exzcitement in Restauran Johnson’s restaurant. which is in the building, was crowded with peopie at the time of the accident. The diners were startied by the roar and rattle of broken glass and dishes and with ona concerted movement. dashed for the door. The in- terior of the eating establishment suffered somewhat from the explosion. e floor- ing was ripped up in a number of places, the transom was broken and the glasses in the windows were shattered. Counters were blown upward and a big hole was opened in the floor. Dishes were thrown from the tables and the plastering was cracked and loosened In a dozen places. Charles L. who conducts a tallor- ing establ t 721 Market street, was the greatest sufferer through the ex- plosion. The windows were shaftered and the dust thrown up by the exnlcsion cov- ered the goods in his establ'shment. The flooring and dressing rooms were data- aged by the shock and the plastering was also damaged. The greatest damage was done in the hack of the store. Six big windows used to lizhten the -place were blown out into the street. and it is miraculous that passing people were not cut by the flving glass. A heavy iron shutter was tcrn from its fastening and f,!\l with 2 clatter to the sidewalk. The framew~rk Iu the basement and the doors leading thereto were spiit and ruined. Damage to the Building. The people at work in the store were stunned and did_not know whether to run or stand still. Ralph Forrest. a boy em- ployed in the tailoring establishment, was ENDS A WEARY EXISTENCE BY INHALING COAL GAS G. A. Buttel Tastes of So-Called Sport- ing Life and Finds It a Failure. Weary of the pace he had kept in the sporting world, G. A. Buttel, of whom lit- tle is known, ended his life in the Hack- mefer House, 123 Eddy street, Friday night. ,Three months ago Buttel rented apartments in the house. He did no work and was a familiar figure lnr::omnx cir- cles. Friday night he retired as usual, but his failure to leave his room yester- day morning gave cause for alarm. When the door was battered down his lifeless body was found on the bed. A gas tube had been secured in the suicide’s mouth by means of a string tied around the head and the other end had ‘been placed over an open burner. In the room and close to the body were several notes. One was addres to a Mr. Schultz, and requested that the writer's remains be cremated. Another contained the half completed sentence: | Being tired of a sporting life since 1900. _The last notg contained a request from WINDOWS BLOWWN OUT ON STEVENSON, STREET, e TERRIFIC RESULT OF THE EXPLOSION OF GAS IN THE BASEMENT GF BANCROFT HISTORY BUILDING YESTERDAY. NARROWLY ESCAPED DEATH FROM FLYING DEBRIS. MANY PEOPLE = —— thrown to the floor and suffered a broken that the explosion was not caused by his wrist. McClure Cowen, an elevator man corporation. However, he ordered his emploved in the building, was standing carpenters to repair some of the damage in the Stevenson-street entrance and was blown half way into the street, but for- tunately escaped injury. Mr. Lyons claims that he is in_no way responsible for the explosion, He says the bfsement was cccupied by Whitaker, Ray & Co. He be- lleves his damage is very heavy, as he will have to dispose of the stock and fix- tures. He had to close his place of busi- ness and disappoint many customers. Ly is insured. Whitaker, Ray & Co. were unable to assess their loss. Mr. Wiggin of that company stated that blackboards and hunpdreds of desks were stored in the hasement and only a close examination of the school furniture will disclose the dam- age. He says the company is insured. The building itself is damaged in many rlaces. It was built ymmediately after the great Bancroft fire, which occurred fifteen years ago. The walls were crack- ed and the flooring was forced upward by the explosion. It is understood that the building was covered by insurance. The damage to the structure is said to amount to $4900. Causs of Explosion. The cause of the explosion was discov- ered an hour or two after it happened. It apoears that the gas pipe of the Pa- cific Lighting Company. which runs close and parallel to the curb in front of the History building, sprung a leak and the gas found an outlet in the basement of the structure. This leak was caused by two electric wires crossing the pipe. The great heat generated burned through the iron and .made a hole two inches in diam- eter. The workmen had to tear up the street in four places before they colld locate the break. President Joseph B. Crockett of the San Francisco Gas Light Company was on the scene immediately after the explosion. He set a number of men at work investi- gating the affair and was relieved to find Buttel that his ashes be sent to his brother, Claus Buttel, in Oxnard, Ventura County. It was dated June 1 and proved that the deceased had contemplated end- ing his life for some time. e i Music in the Park. The Park Band will render the following programme._ to-day: Overture, ‘‘The Flutiet’ Morceau, “‘Florencia” Selection. zgar Student’ Descriptive, ‘‘Benediction of the Polgnard: Overture, ‘“Le Directoire’ Cornet solo = Willlam Mahood. Fantasia on ‘‘Cavalleria Rusticana’..Mascasni ‘‘Aubade Printaniere™. .Lacome “Parade March”.. o RO Y Mrs. Studebaker Passes Away. Mrs. Fannie Dulin Studebaker, mother of Mrs. Scott McKeown and Peter S. Studebaker Jr., died at her residence at 118 Twelfth street, Oakland, Friday. She was 42 years of age. The funeral will be held fsom the family residence to-day. Interment will be at Laurel HIll Ceme- and engaged a policeman to guard. the premises. In discussing the accident, Mr. Crockett said it was similar to the one that occurred in front of the Phelan building a year ago. He says these acci- dents are likely to occur at any time, de- spite the precautions taken to prevent them. The electric currents that escape from the underground wires pass over the pipes and the current eats into the iron. The damage is not discovered umtil the odor of gas gives warning. Before the Explosion. Many hours before the explosion the storekeepers in the vicinity of the build- ing noticed the odor of gas. Mr. Johnson and the Spreckels Market people tele- phoned to the gas company that there was a leak. Men were sent immediately to re- pair the pipe and were working in front of the building when thadgas exploded. It has often been said that rats will lgave a sinking ship. The stallkeepers in the Spreckels Market can vouch that scores of rodents scampered to places of safety long before the explosion occurred. They were evidently driven out hy the gas. ‘There was a rumor rife that represent- atives of a local electric light company were responsible for the accident. It is claimed that two men from the company were at work in the basement looking for a defective wire. They were lowered into the basement and a few seconds later Wal- ter Pantry, the janitor of the building, who was standing near the entrance of the elevator on the main floor, heard one of the men ask the other if he had a candle. he man then scenting gas re- marked that.the use of a light might be dangerous in such an atmosphere. A few minutes later Pantry was thrown off his feet. On regaining his equilibrium he rushed out to the entrance and was in time to see the sidewalk rise up and then fall into the basement. PRI SRR RN ORI RRO8 &8 R i i O e | @il e MESSENGER KERNAN DIES IN THE BATHS Sudden Ending of a Well-Known At- tache of the Custom- House. Thomas B, Kernan, who was messenger in the office of First Deputy Collector Farley in the Custom-house, died sudden- ly at 2 o'clock yesterday morning in Burns’ baths, un Grant avenue. Twenty | minutes befors he died the attendants | called in Dr. Duncan, who had been at- tending him for three Valvular dis- ease of the heart was the cause of death, B. H. Baird. uncle of the dead man and Justice of the Peace at Byrom Springs, was notified of the death of his nephew and came to this city t evening to at- tend to_the interment of the remains, Mr. Kernan was a native of Kentucky, 38 years old and was a fine specimen of physical manhood. He was appointed i mefsénger in the Custom-house on August E , and held that position up to the time of his death. : — e ; ‘When snow ceases to come dowm lce begins to go up.