The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 9, 1904, Page 37

| Pages 37 to 4 | € THE ) CALL Pages 37 to 4 SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1904. OUENT HEATH FINISHES FIRST IN AUTO RACE MARKED BY DEATH AND DARING American Driving a, French Car Leads| by Narrow Margin! SLIPPING TIRE COSTS A LIFE| Thousands Cheer as; Eighteen Starters Flo Around Track Oct 8 —George Arents 1 lies dy- ng Island, and sel, is dead as race for the am K. Vander- as wrecked by tires was taken to a , where he Arents was pital, where it was from a cerebr: early hour t ffeur mang ted to live. summoned to idering the pro- allowed morn- first, was given out as race itself is one t and nerve-ten- | time than many . Heath, an e n horsepower ¥id repre- B Club ~of run of ement, repre- | s g the s and driving an €ig hors: hine, also and twenty- | him. CLEMENT ENTERS PROTEST. the | Clement | had been ed that he i over a minute | this had been have won the | said his gasoline tank 1d that time was e was repairing conditions of the rted that his time in charged against him. | s races of the kind, | of accidents and a | were Fortunately, s along the course >arl I, a the car of The tires slipping 8 o'clock, two The car was endous rate and was > when it suddenly i over. Meusel was t he machine, while A to one side. Both to a hospital, where hour later. Arents’ | shed. ! ted at 6 o'clock. The | as r a thirty-mile triangle, vere sharp and dan- places the railroad | y at grade and | guarded by signal] e crossings Gabriel, | narrowly missed a train, in one in- ut two feet ahead of The starters in the race F 2 At two »America France Germany uttgen ... 3 Willlam *Waltao . o After the first car was off, promptly 2t 6 a. m., the others followed at two. minute intervals. The Vanderbilt car was out of order when it came to start and it was more than two hours late when it was ready. A flying start in violation of the rules was made, but the car kept on. It was officially barred, however. The first accident of the day occurred when car No. 19, driven by Waltao, stopped for repairs at Heinpstead. The 90 | first round, and to machinist, Antonio Bonderi, was under the vehicle when it started without warning and the r wheels passed over his body. His injuries are not se- ! rious, however. | SPECTATORS PANIC-STRICKEN. The machine owned by E. R. Thomas | and driven by Hawley while making one of the turns swerved from the road, | upon gr: along the road and narrowly missed crashing into a tree. | Spectators were panic-stricken, but the | danger soon passed. Later the Thomas machine broke down and retired from | the race. ! Frank Croker’s daring driving was a feature that brought spectators to their feet. After the fourth time around the thirty-mile triangle, however, his ma- chine had sustained injuries that put it out of the running. There was a continuous bursting of tires at one point in the course that aroused suspicion. Investigation show- ed that a quantity of sharp naiis and ran broken glass had been thrown on the roadway. To this cause was due the retirement of a number of the ma- chines early in the race Of the eighteen starters but eight remained in the race at the fifth round of the triangle, or when the race was half over. Heath covered the last lap of thirty at the rate of 7= miles an hour. His average speed during the ten laps vas miles an hour. The four remaining in the race and who were from two to three laps be- hind at the finish, were called off with- out being allowed to finish, it being found impossible to keep the crowd any longer under control after the ex- | citing race between Heath and Cle- ment. Heath passed Queens in the second | round in second plz having jumped from seventh to fourth piace in the -cond place in the second round. At the third round Heath finished seven minutes and fifty-eight seconds ahead of Gabriel. At 8:30 o'clock Teste was first, Heath nd, Clement third and abriel rth. Heath, however, finished the fourth round in the lead as to actual Hawley quit at the end of the sec round. SIXTY-THREE MILES AN HOUR. Heath continued to lead until the eighth lap, when he was delayed by | trouble with his tire, and Clement passed him. At the 150-mile point, at the end of the fifth round, the standing was: Heath first, Gabriel second, Clem- ent third, Lytttle fourth, Teste fifth.| Heath's average speed in the first half was sixty-three miles an hour. Heath after the delay finished his eighth lap and entered on the ninth at terrific speed. Clement, who started | later than Heath, was now three min- utes in the lead, official time. The ex- citement in the grand stand began to increase. Clement had only a lead of one minute and forty-eight seconds en- | tering the last lap, according to the of- ficial announcement. Heath had gained a minute on him, but it did not seem | that he would wipe out the two min- | utes remaining. | On the two men came to the finish | line, the crowds cheering and velling, | throwing hats into the air and wav- ing handkerchiefs, coats and canes— | on came the ponderous machines, puf- | fing, chugging and snorting like jug- | gernauts—there was silence in the crowd, the machines whirred, and then one flashed across the line. It | was driven by Heath and was followed one minute and twenty-eight seconds later by Clement and America’s first big race for automobiles had been | run. The official elapsed time for the en- tire course of 300 miles is: Heath, 5 hours, 26 minutes, 45 sec- onds; Clement, 5 hours, 28 minutes, 13 seconds. E e — | SURETY COMPANY PAYS BOND OF EX-CONSTABLE Corporation Is Obliged to Reimburse in Part Creditors Who Have Claims Against Weidler. OAKLAND, Oct. 8.—Final settle- ment has been made by the United States Fidelity and Guarantee C pany of the claim of the county for ex-Constable Edward Weidler's bond, amounting to $2000. The last install- ment of this amount was paid into Justice Quinn’s court yesterday. Weidler left this city four months ago, having appropriated to his own use money collected by him as Con- stable. Claims against him aggregat- ing thousands of dollars have been filed by persons whose cases he han- dled and whose money he collected and used. The money paid into the court by | the surety company has all been used in paying part of these claims. The Dean Law and Collection agency had in charge eight claims, handling | about $1500 of the defalcations on as- signments. Some creditors will not receive anything, as all the money represented by Weidler's bond has been paid out. { Weidler's whereabouts may be known to a few of his friends, but the authorities have been unable to find him. He is said to have written re- cently to acquaintances in this city that he is working in a northern State for $1 a day, but expects soon to be in Canada. ————————————— Watch Our Show Windows. We are offering attractive specials in m- groceries, wines and liquors. Rathjen Company, 9 n st. Phone, South 893, »iy e S ol STOREK TELLS OF BUNKO MEN Missing Secretary of Leath- er Workers’ Union Turns Up, but the Cash Is Gone R SITS IN A LITTLE GAME Takes a Hand With Strang- ers and Loses Money Be- longing —— W. C. Storek the secretary of the Leather Workers’ Union, who was re- ported to the police as missing, has turned up safe and sound. He did not run away with the funds of the union, as some supposed, nor was he kidnaped by emissaries of the Citi- zens’ Alliance, as others hinted. He simply had a severe tumble from his perch on the water wagon, imbibed too freely with strangers, engaged in a poker game and lost not only his own money but some of the funds of the union as well. He appeared at the headquarters of the union yester- sadder but wiser man. rding to his story, Storek left headquarters of the union at 927 sion street about midnight Thurs- v and went to the corner of Fifth Market streets to catch a car. He in his po: ion the books of the union and $325 belonging to the or- ganization, which he had expected to use in paying strike benefits. While standing on the corner he was ap- proached by a glib stranger and after the two had had several drinks to- gether a third person was introduced and a quiet game of cards proposed. The men seemed to be such good fellows that Storek was thrown com- pletely off his guard and readily con- sented to take chances of winning or losing a few dollars. The trio went to a gambling house.on O'Farrell street and played poker. Storek lost all his own money and then began to draw from the funds of the umnion. The game seemed so one-sided that his suspicions were aroused and he-quit the party, only to sit down at anotl.:er table with other strangers.” When he finally quit the game he was out about $235. He promises to refund to the union all the money he lost. After quitting the game Storek did not at once go home, but took a room in a downtown hotel. His mother, alarmed at his unusual absence, noti- fied the police and the Coroner. Storek gave an excellent description 1 of his companions to the police and | yesterday afternoon Harry Walters, a well-known bunko man, was arrested by Detectives Ryan and Taylor and his name placed on the detinue book at the city prison. H. dental. Ira Bronson, an attorney of Seat- tle, is at the Grand. L. A. McIntosh, a mining man of Chico, is at the Grand. Baron de Gotlene of Vienna is regis- tered at the St. Francis. Charles H. de Lancy, U. 8. N,, staying at the St. Francis. W. J. Way and wife of Chicago are staying at the St. Francis. ch of Salt Lake is at is R. J. Trimble, a mining man of Towle, is at the Occidental. Former State Assemblyman C. B. Jillson of Napa is at the Grand. R. H. Herron, an oil supply man of Los Angeles, is at the St. Francis. A. W, Stewart, a stockman of Court- land, arrived at the Grand yesterday. H. H. Forney, a railroad man of Los Angeles, is staying at the Grand. William Pierce, a well known young capitalist of Suisun, is at the Palace. C. J. Hurrle, president of the glass works at Stockton, is at the Occiden- | tal. E. L. Metzger and Howard Butcher Jr. of Philadelphia are guests at the | Palace. Fred McNeil, a prominent railroad man of Chicago, and his wife are at the St. Francis. ®A. A. Wright, chief clerk of the Hotel Portland, and his wife arrived at the St. Francis yesterday. Telfair Creighton of Los Angeles, who is interested in oil wells in South- ern California, is at the Occidental. Lieutenant Colonel C. A. Smart of Montreal and Edward R. Wilkinson of Brockville, Ontario, are at the Pal- ace. E. F. Hutton of the New York Stock Exchange, who has been here on busi- ness connected with his San Francisco branch, leaves for home to-day. Francis W. Smith, formerly assist- ant manager of the Young Hotel in Honolulu, has been appointed chief clerk at the Hotel del Monte. Claus Spreckels and Mrs. Spreckels, ccompanied by their son, A. B. Spreckels, returned last evening from a several months’ sojourn in Europe. George A. Jones, civilian attache of the United States quartermaster’s de- partment, arrived from Washington yesterdey and is registered at the- Oc- cidental. Among the late arrivals here is Thomas G. del Rosario, the Provincial Governor of Bataan, who is returning to the Philippines after a visit to this country. Governor Rosario is also a member of the Advisory Board of Public Instruction and the attorney for several nrominent societies in the Philippines. to Organization had the weapon in his | success. Convict Stroh Denies Charge of Inhuman g DE JHILIP CASEY. T I ! — SICNS 4 DEED [NDER THREAT H. H. Lowenthal’s Wife Says He Compelled Her to Con- vey Valuable Property ‘With a heavy knotted cane held over her head by a husband who she feared would kill her, Mrs. Jennie Low- enthal, wife of H. H. Lowenthal, they attorney, was compelled, she says, to deed all of her property to kim. A month later the Superior Court de- clared Lowenthal incompétent and J. Bernhard was appointed his guardian. Yesterday Mrs. Lowenthal began suit to have the deed set aside. She says that she signed the document under duress and menace, against her will and without consideration. Her husband, according to the comi- plaint, was mentally incompetent and acting under insane delusions. He presented a blank form of deed for her to sign and, holding the cane over her head, threatened to kill her if she did not do his will. She declares that he was in the habit of carrying a loaded revolver, and she feared that he then pocket and would use it. Although signing the deed she says she did not appear be- fore the notary, and the purported acknowledgement is not correct. Mrs. Lowenthal alleges that the property was conveved to her by her husband when he was in full health and in control of his mental-faculties. The lots are located at Ridley street and Elgin Park, on Baker street near Grove, on Clay street near Devisadero and on Washington street near Baker. Henry K. Wolff is the plaintiff’s at- torney. ‘When Bernhard was appointed Low- enthal’s guardian it was shown that the latter was sutfering-from locomo- tor ataxia and was unable to care for his estate, worth about $30,000. —_———————— ST. BRIGID'S BAZAAR OPENING SUCCESSFUL Church Is Crowded With Visitors, ‘Who Enjoy Themselves at the Various Booths. The opening of St. Brigid’s Church bazaar took place last night in the new church building on Van Ness ave- nue, near Broadway, and proved a big The nave of the church, which is as yet unfinished, afforded an excellent place in which to hold the affair. The building was beautifully lighted and on each side, hetween the large pillars, were placed. the booths, loaded down with articles for sale. The booths were all in charge of pretty women, members of the parish, | cipline in the penitentiary. and the articles for sale were dainty and quite reasonable. A separate booth for dispensing refreshments was a featufe of the evening .and did a rushing business. Music was fur- nished by members of the church choir. The proceeds of the bazaar will go to the church fund as there is still a great amount of work to do before the church will be ready for its first service. The bazaar will continue for two weeks. Use of Straitjacket | | on Him. i | { | CONVICT WHO WAS PUNISHED | PRINCIPAL WITNESSES AT YESTERDAY'S RECTORS INTO THE ALLEGED MISU: DED | ssopr 4 INQUIRY BY THE PRISON DI- OF THE STRAITJACKET. THE TRUTH OF CHARGES, | Reports that cruel use of the strait- jacket was being made at the San Quentin prison were investigated by | the Board of Directors yesterday and found to be absclutely without found- ation. { Adam Stroh, a burglar convict from | this city, who was alleged to have been | the victim of treatment that almost ! caused his death, testified that, out- side_the usual discomtiture and mental | ang@ish, the only pain he suffered was from cramps of the stomach, and this only for a veriod of twenty minutes. He admitted having in his possession a vial of morphine, and told the Di- rectors that he deserved punishment for the serious infraction of the rules. 1le said that no permanent ill resulted from his experience in the jacket. When asked if he had any complaint to make the prisoner answered that he had nope,zand further assured the Di- rectors that it was absolutely neces- sary to have some form of severe pun- ishment to hold out to convicts in or- der to maintain discipline among them. Stroh thought that Warden Tomp- hins ought to belieye his story as to how he obtained the®drug—that it was given him by an outgoing prisoner. He insisted that this was the truth after he was in the straitjacket for ninety-five hours, and did so still when before the board yesterday. The Di- rectors did not give him credence, how- ever, and it was apparent that Stroh was upholding the rigid convict law never to disclose the channel of drug supply through the prison walis. WASTE OF TIME: Testimony was taken of. Warden Tompkins, Dr. Philip Casey, Chief Turnkey Bert B. Swan, Lieutenant of the Guard D. J. Sullivan and Sergeant J. H. Murray, but in no place could the prohe find any evidence of cruelty. The Directors were very much in earnest in the inquiry. Senator Feiton, as soon as it was opened, declared that he wanted the allegations sifted to the bottom and Messrs. Fitzgerald, Ray and Devlin expressed themselves like- wise. The end filled them with dis- gust. They simply dropped the whole matter without formal action and went on to other business. Not only was valuable time wasted by the Directors in investigating charges that had no basis of fabric, but a serious step had been unwitting- ly taken toward demoralization of dis- Convicts will go to any bounds if they think they can cause unpleasantness through | newspaper and other criticisms for those who guard and rule them behind the bars and walls. The board convened at the prison at 10 a. m. and did not finish its work till 5 p. m. President Fitzgerald was on hand, notwithstanding his letter to Governor Pardee that he could attend | no more sessions and that his succes- sor must be appointed at once. The accusation that Tompkins was ruling ! his hands. | for the enlightenment of the Legisla- | with unwarranted severity, however, brought the Director away from his office for the day. 1 | PRISONS ARE CRIPPLED. | The niost important business trans- | acted at the meeting was a vigorous | indorsement of the recent report of the State Charities and Correction Board, in which the deplorable conditions at | | California’s two penal institutions, re- | sulting from the parsimonious course cf the State, was forcibly brought: to public attention. Felton suggested that the board| should make a report to the Governor | and the Legislature, setting forth the | impfovements urgently needed in the| prisons. President Fitzgerald here| spoke up. | “Unless there is a change in the ap-| propriation of funds,” he said, “and if ho more liberality is shown the pen- itentiaries, the conditions of maintain- ing them will certainly be discourag- ing. The situation now is deplorable, and the State simply must set aside money to relieve it. We have to keep| five or six men in some cells. With| our woeful lack of room it is absolutely impossible to segregate the hardened criminals from those for whom there is hove of reform. “All the books of the prisons are kept by convicts, and we must trust them with our most important affairs. They might falsify or destroy records and cause the most serious complica- | tions. Those connected with the man- agement of the penitentiaries are sit- ting on volcanoes. They could easily be entangled at any time in charges of mismanagement and wrengful acts. CONVICTS IN POWER. | “Owing to lack of funds the institu- | tions are dependent on the men whom | it is our aim to confine and punish. | Even our telegraph operator here is a | convict, and the messages concerning ! the affairs of the prison pass through | | | “The men whom we employ to guard the prison receive no more than $50, a month and board, and it is utterly, impossible to get the kind of men we | ought to have in those very respon- sible positions. Something must be, done to help out the penitentiarfes, and I cannot speak too forcibly of the ur- gency.” Commissioner Felton again gave em- phatic indorsement to the report of the Public Charities and Reform Board, and Devlin was delegated to prepare a ¢ statement forthwith of the situation, | outlining the needed imprevements for | presentationf to Governor Pardee and | ture, . Felton and Wilkins were delegated to investigate the officers’ quarters and the requests for other small improve- | ments at San Quentin. * “Those officers’ quarters are a| shame and a disgrace,” commented Fitzgerald. “Yes, they are, and something ought to be done right away to improve | PRESE | er Bureau for relief from NVESTIGATION REVEALS NO EVIDENCE OF CRUELTY DIRECTORS ANNOYED BY SILLY REPORTS HE charge that Warden Tompkins had abused the | use of the straitjacket at | San Quentin failed utterly of substantiation at an investi- gation made by the board of directors yesterday. Convict Adam Stroh, who was sald to have been the vietim of cruel and inhuman punishment, de- nied absolutely that undue saf- fering was inflicted on him. He assured the board that his health was not impaired nor did he afterward feel any ill effects whatever from his experience of being laced up for hours. That he deserved pu ishment in a severe form, pos- session of a vial of morphine being his offense, was frankly admitted by the prisoner. | The Warden and subordinate officers were examined search- ingly and they all testified that as soon as Stroh was released from the jacket he was able to walk away, to take a bath and to climb four flights of stairs the next morning to the dun- geon. The ineuiry developed no evidence of cruelty whatever in the management of the peni- tentiary, and the directors were disgusted with their waste of time over fake reports. —_— T RAIN FAR REACHING Weather Burean Says Storm Is Immovable and Covers the Entire Pacific Slope ———— It is almost useless for the citizens of San Francisco to appeal to the Weath- the rains. The only encouragement given out at weather headquarters is the fact that the condifions are abnormal. It might be assumed from this that a snow- storm is in order, but the Weather Bu- rean officials will not go this far in their prediction. They say, however, that.the present rain cloud is the largest in existence and hovers over the entire Pacific slope from the Rockies to the Pacific Ocean and from the Mexican line to the north | @as far as weather reports are obtain- able. Only one little section of this vast area is unvisited by the downpour and that is Arizona and a portion of New Mexico. These Territories, how- ever, have had their share of heavy rains during the summer. The rain clouds above are almost im- movable and there is no promise of a high wind to drive them away. Thun- derstorms have visited Red Bluff, Sac- ramento and Fresno. The Weather Bureau does not expect to hear of any great loss at those places, as its warn- ing bulletins were posted twenty-four hours in advance of the storms. There is a strong southwest wind developing in Southwestern Utah, but it is pre- dicted that its force will be spent be- fore reaching California. The rainfall yesterday was .54 of an inch, a slight increase over Friday's precipitation. o -+ them,” added Felton with vehemence. Harry Oppenheimer, murderer and guilty of several assaults with knives on prison guards and convicts, sent a letter to the board, asking to be let out of solitary conflmement, to which he has been subjected during the last five years. No attention was paid to the | request. Oppenheimer is vicious and Warden Tompkins said it would be dangerous to release him from cell. the IN NEED OF JACKET. Thomas Maguire, convicted of rob= | bery in Alameda, was brought before the board for its instruction as to how he shall be compelled to work. Warden | Tempkins has given up the task. “Why are you unwilling to work?"” “I never did work.” “How did you live without working when you were free?” “By stealing.” Maguire was a striking example of the need of the straitjacket. With the obstinacy of a mule he refused to an- swer questions. He was in the jacket for twenty-four hours and has since been in the dungeon, but he is deter- mined not to work. His plea is illness, which the physician declares positively to be a sham. He declared his side bore mafks of the straitjacket, but am examination revealed none. Director . Felton spoke vigorously of the very unsatisfactory lighting and power servise by the Bay Counties Power Company. The lights flicker con- stantly, and freqdently the power cur- rent fails, compelling the jute mill to be shut down. The Nirectors have lost ! patience with the corjoration officials. Felton and Wilkins were appointed a committee to obtain estimates of the | cost of erecting an élecirie plant at the prison, with a view of nroviding an in- dependent supply. The board has reason to be discour- aged with the parcling Jf prisoners, for eight men released on probation have resumed their criminal careers. There are fifty men out ¢m parole in the | State, however, who are leading indus- trious and upright lives. Those paroled vesterday were Charles Young, Pedro Yannmes, Bert Clayton, David Wieler, Francis Stevens and & | B. Radlex.