The record-union., 1892-10-22
WALLIS A6SAILhNTS.
They Were Run Down and Arrested
by Officer Talbot.
Fred Davis and John Mullen Confess
That They Shot Wall While
Bent on Robbery.

NANA4S a PlCIO VI QObSCtLN6 NOItA ludI COilU
not be excelled by any of the more ex-
perienced officers in the State.
He has succeeded in placing behind the
prison bars the two men who shot P. II.
Wall, the Sixth and P-street grocer,
week ago last Tuesday night.
1t will be remembered that Wall heard
noise outside his store, just as he was
about to close for the night, and went out
to investigate, armed with a cheese-knife.
There he encountered two masked men,
who told him to throw up his hands. In
stead, however, he made dash at them
with the knife, when one of them shot
him, the bullet passing through his right
lung. The men escaped. He still sur
wives, but his recovery is rather doubtful.
The crime had been enveloped in mys-
terry until yesterday, when the truth came
out by the confession of the men who
committed the crime.
The first theory advanced was, of
course, robbery, but this was abandoned,
as it did not seem reasonable that an at
tempt of that kind would be made at that
hour, especially as 1t did not appear
likely that Wall had any money to speak
of in his store. He himself was under
the impression that it was the act of some
persons who bore enmity toward him.
Different theories were advanced as the
days passed, and officer Talbot concluded
that perhaps there was "a woman at the
bottom of it," and tried to get Wall to
admit it; but the latter insisted there was
nothing of the kind.
falt hot - o,,o ~ ..,a,,
was found at the scene of the shooting,
and Talbot thought it might lead to
clew as to the owner. A few days after
the shooting he learned that young man
named Fred Davis. who had been driving
a truck for S. w. Butler, ST., had failed
to report for work on the morning of the
shooting, and looking up a friend of
Davis he obtained the first real clew, that
person partly indentifying the hat as be-
longing to Davis.
Pursuing his investigation, Talbot
learned that Davis showed up OF the sec
ond morning and told his employer
he was going away. He also learned
from $. w. Butler, Jr., that Davis had
been seen at the Roma Hotel fire, on the
same night that Wall was shot, and that
he wore white straw hat.
On Saturday of last week Talbot had to
go to Oakland after Joe Silva, a burglar,
and lost a couple of days in searching for
Davis. The latter, it seems, had gone to
Stockton in the meantime, but returned
here the first of this week, and was found
and arrested by Talbot on Wednesday.
In the meantime Talbot had also been
looking for the other man. and found a
couple of friends of Davis, but becoming
satisfied neither of them was the man
wanted, they were not arrested. He sue
ceeded, however, in having Davis hat
fully identified.
Tie latter stoutly denied any knowl-
edge of the shooting until yesterday
when Talbot succeeded in making him
believe that he Talbot knew all about
the crime. Then Davis confessed, and
also told who it was that was with him III
the raid on Wallis store which he said
was really for the purpose of robbery.
The other man was a youth named
John Mullen, and Talbot last evening
effected his arrest.
The two prisoners were taken into
Chief Rodgers Office, and there, in the
presence of District Attorney Ryan, the
Chief, Police Judge Cravens and officer
Talbot, they both confessed. They said
they went there to rob Wall, that he re-
sisted with a knife, and Davis shot him
with an American pistol of the "bull-
dog" pattern, and of "A caliber.
Davis said he had borrowed the weapon
from friend named Frank Garrett, tell
ing him he was going in the country and
needed gun" Late last night Officer
Talbot called on Garrett and was given
the pistol.
Davis also told the officers that he and
Mullen wore masks made of blue plush,
and that he had thrown his away in lot
at Sixteenth and I streets. Chief Rodgers
drove out there and found the mask.
Mullen said he had thrown his into the
alley between Fifth and Sixth, O and P
streets, but the place was not searched
last night.
Neither of the prisoners are known to
have associated with desperate characters
and both have respectable relatives here
Last night the heart-broken mother of
young Davis-who was her only support
visited the City Jail and was almost
beside herself with grief. The sister of
Mullen also called to see her brother,
and she, too, wept bitterly over the mis-
fortune that has enveloped him and his
family.
Officer Talbot worked assiduously to
unravel the mystery surrounding the
crime and is justly entitled to the credit
which is generally accorded him for his
success.