The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-02-19
THIEVES AT WORK.
How They Are Stripping
the City Hall.
THE POLICE DON'T SEE THEM
A Protracfed and Audacious System of
Sneak Thieving That Has Grown
Into Alarming Proportions.

Inc most outrageous and long-continued
system OF petty larceny to be found in this
city exists right In the special domain Of the
law-the new City Hail."
Supervisor James Ryan paused moment,
as ii to observe the effect of his words, and
then continued:
From lime lmmemorial this practice has
prevailed about the City Hall with varying
intensity, but it seems to have been left for
these latter days to witness the develop
ment OF such petty thieving into a whole
sale denuding of the building that almost
passes belief.
TABLES, chairs. pictures, stoves, doors
anything that can be moved or gathered up,
disappears speedily and completely. just so
sure as 1t is left for few moments without
watch over it. Anything in the line of
personal property is whisked off almost as
soon as left
Janitor HOnan. who has been recently in
stalled over the new City Hall, joined in
the conversation at this point.
Things have to be bolted to the floor"
said he, 'or they will walk away. / can't
say that l ever saw man going off with
any OF she halls furniture. [ would GER
taialy have stopped him and asked his au-
thorIty and where he was going.
The worst yet was when some unknown
ago, and actually tore out lead pipe and
got away with IL. What he wanted with
the pipe Is mystery to US, but found the
closet broken and had TO lock it up for re-
pairs"
rs it not your duty to look after the hall
ana guard 1t against any such spoliation"
WAS asked.
1T Is" said Honan. "But when you
consider the size OF that building-thirteen
acres-and the amount Of space for one or
TWO men 10 watch 1t is not surprising that
such thieving is done"
And all OF the foregoing is but a hint to a
constant wrong the city and county daily
suffer from these sneak thieves at the City
Hall.
There have disappeared within the past
few days from the department rooms an
expensive Brussels carDet, several sofas,
two valuabe rugs, a number Of chairs and
every cuspid0r in sight.
Down on the basement floor were four
heavy oak setteeS. These would have been
the last thing an ordinary thief would think
OF stealing: but with the accomplished gang
that infest the hall the size and weight of
the settees we're NOT to be considered. and so
yesterday they were among the long list of
the missing.
On the third floor, carefully locked in,
was an old comfortable sofa a few nights
ago when the jantor left for the day.
When he looked for it the following
morning il was nowhere TO be found and he
was forced to place enc more piece Of fur
niture on the debit side of the city's ac-
counts.
The thing about the CRATES of certain
rooms has been taken off piece by piece.
Scarcely chamber in the hall has escapes
the daily and nightly raids of the larcenists
AT the present rate OF speed 1t will only be
matter Of few months before the interior
Of the new City Hall will be as bare and
depleted as the treasury.
To guard the building there is detailed a
Waterman and special police officer, who
makes complete round of the halls every
thirty minutes. These two officers are on
duty by day and night, and with q survey
OF the halls every half hour it is natural 10
suppose some intimation of mischief would
have reached them.
When the officers and the sergeants were
seen by a CALL reporter last night they
denied any knowledge OF things going
wrong in the hall. and expressed great
surprise when Informed that certain things
had happened.
This. then. Is most complex and aston
ishing state Of things. TIE City Hall Ia be-
ing made the scene of open and sudacinus
stealing; its furniture is being stolen, even
parts OF the building are droken out and
carried away. Apparently both at night
and all dsy long trained thieves are actively
engaged in denuding the city building
under the very eyes of the police and watch
and no one can be found VINO knows any,
thing about It,