The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-11-04
STOLE FROM POLICEMEN.
Crimmins' Brother-in-Law
Is a Thief.
CAPTURED WHILE AT WORK.
He Drove Police Patrol Wagon and While
=. at the Station Burelsrized the u
fcers' Lockers

Phil Crimmins' brother -in-law. George j.
Van D0Ten. is a thief
= He was caught by Officer L. Z. Mott last
-: night while trying to break open locker
in the Central police station. at the OLD CITY
Hall. and was arrested upon two charges OF
burglary.
Crimmins' brother-in-lsw, who has thus
cast cloud upon the name and campaign
of his eminent relative, held, as might have
been supposed, position under the CITY
government where the labor was hight ana
the remuneration heavy.
Van Doren drove the patrol wagon,
vulgarly I, rmed the hurry up wagon.
In spite of his high and easy position
and me attractive salary attached Van
.Doren did not keep his hands from picking
and stealing. BE WIS thief, ana store
from those who could not afford to be robbed.
All the policemen who are connected with
the Central station have lockers In the Ola
City Hall, IN which, while Oh uuy, they
keep their handouts, weapons aud Uniform
p coats.
These lockers are in rows built along the
sides of a narrow room, about thlrty-tlye
feet long and Eve feet wide. There Is a
recess on one emo of this long, narrow room,
and at the other end an opening toward
Dunbar alley.
TWAS an easy matter to enter the room
unseen by the officers at the station, and
Van Doren, whose wagon was kept IN the
:. alley. soon learned the fact
. Nine months ago this owners OF the lockers
began 10 lose their property. One missed
:. coat another pair OF handouts and an
. other a valuable pistol. Suspicion was
: focused upon no one. not even upon an
Uprep who mad been arrested and fined for
robbery before Mr.. Crimmins' Board OF
: Supervisors selected him as proper person
70 drive the wagon.
The newspapers told the story OF the
robberies and made sarcastic comments
on the inability Of the police to protect
their property.
The thief, however. became cautions and
ceased bis assaults upon the lockers. About
three months ago he resumed operations at
the old stand and the police again found
upon going 10 their lockers that some one
bad been there In their absence and had
not gone away cmpty-handed.
Their suspicion fell upon Van Doren.
Early one evening an officer who was look
ing for him to answer a call for the wagon
found him concealed In a box OF sawdust In
. the recess at the end of the locker-rO0m.
He feigned sleep and was with some diff
=. Guilty made 10 understand that he was
. wanted on the wagon. Nothing was done
at the time. but Van Dozen was watched.
:: Two or three nights ago Policeman Nc
- Laughlin's pistol was stolen from his
locker, and Officer Mott was detailed 10 lay
: in wait for the burglar.
: He found him last night at 5:45 o'clock.
While concealed behind q locker Mott saw
: Van Doren enter the room aud try to pry
omen the door of Officer COnb0y's locker
with a file. Mott started toward him, and
: Van DOren dropped the tool and placed his
:: foot upon il.
J. Don't bother about this" said the de-
teeted burglar. lyon and l are good friends,
= and my time will be up in two months"
he evidently believed that the Crlmmins
dynasty will be oVerthrown on Tuesday
next
At that moment the patrol-wagon was
called and Van Doren went out with it
:. satisfied that Mott would hardly dare to
prefer charge against relation of Phil
Crimmins.
: But Mott dared.
When the thief returned he seized him by
the collar and placed him behind the bars
The prisoner asked Mott to remember that
e be was GTimmns brOther-in-laW and had
al 0mnip0tent pull with the boss
When be was booked for burglary he said
that owing 10 bis pull he would have every
officer broken who spoke or did anything
against him.
The evidence against Van Doren is con-
elusive. After his arrest an officer went to
70 his house and said that he had come for
: Georges pistol. Mrs. Van Doren, suspect
ing nothing. opened drawer, and there the
officer found pistol in case Oh which the
name OF Policeman BuFresS was stamped.
It was stolen from BurTess' locker some
time ago, and with 1t was stolen an anne
% thyst ring which Officer Mott thinks he
:: once saw upon Van Doren's hand. The
ring has not been recovered.
In the drawer with the pistol was dice
box which had been stolen from Officer
Cowboys locker.
Five pistols and a pair OF handouts.
which had been stolen by Van Doren at
various times, were found in pawnshops
whose keepers Identified him as the person
% ~ nd n
Tense had been purchased.
Two or three weeks ago Officer Mott
:. recovered a coat which had been taken
from his locker by Van DOren and sold TO a
dealer in old clothes.
Van DOren says he is innocent, but
would not explain his presence in the
p: loeker-rOom DOR how he obtained the
weapons found in his house and In the
pawnshops. He is % years old and has but
one eye. six months ago he married the
pretty 16-year-old daughter of a German
salo0n-keeper.
Van Doren was arrest ed about three years
ago, charged with burglarizing the hard
ware store of }. J. Cass at 366 Third street.
At that time Phil CTimmins lived on Har.
rison street, near Third The back yard OF
:. Crimmins and Cass joined each other, and
= through this means V an DOren was enabled
p to gain an entrance into Cass' store, which
he did without being seen from the front
where the police were on the watch.
After bis arrest considerable of the stolel
=. property was returned to Cass by the burg
:: lars friends.
However, the thief was held for burglar,
by the police magistrate, and after man
:: months awaiting trial, was at last-througl
the pull OF Phil Crimmins and Martin Kell,
allowed by the then District ATTORNEY
Jimmy Page, to plead guilty to grand lar
ceny before the late Judge j. McShafter.
The Judge, not having been allowed to in
form himself Of the facts of the burglary
accepted the plea and fined thu burglar m,
SUN OF $500. which sun was paid by Grim
MINIS.
Almost Immediately after this, the Third
street boss with the aid of his chum KelIy
had his thleying brother-in-law appointed
driver OF The patrol wagon for the Southern
station.
0pnEp nC Uaprcrrnc