The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-25
CONFESSION OF HILTON
Claims His Employer Planned
the Robbery and Shared
the Spells.
sONoMA's PERMANENT FAIR
Superior Judges of San Diego De-
clare the Game Law Un-
constitutional.

= UKIAH, CAL, June M.-The Superior
Court room was crowded to-day at the pre-
hminary examination of George W. Hilton
and David Oldham, charged with the rob-
berry of the coast stage on June Is. Great
interest is manifested because one of
the accused, Oldham, is deacon
of the Baptist church and related to
leading citizens of Ukiah. District Attor-
ney Sturtevant and T. l.: Carrothers are
conducting the prosecution, with Detective
Thacker of Wells, Fargo d Co. close by,
and Senator J. H. Seawen appears for Old
ham. Hilton, who made a full confession,
intends to plead guilty, and so has no
counsel.
The stage to the coast from Ukiah was
$1019 o. taken from Wells-Fargo's box.
The robbery took place about 8
o'clock in the afternoon, about six miles
southwest of Ukiah, at the foot
of the mountain, on the road leading
to Anderson Valley. The robbery
took place within few hundred
yards of where four men were at work in
field. Because OF this the theory of the
townspeople was that the hold-up must
have been committed by some one living
in or near the town. This theory was
strengthened, because it was evident that
whoever robbed the stage must have had
certain information in order to carry out
the plan.
Supervisor John Flanagan, whose home
is at Mendocino, comes at times to the
county seat to cash warrants due himself
as a county officer and Road Commits
sioner, and when he makes these trips he
is usually commissioned by many of his
ncighbors to cash warrants for them also.
On the day of the robbery Flanagan drew
large sum of money from the County
Treasurer and expressed it to himself at
Mendocino. Evidently the highwaymen
knew this money was on the stage.
When the hold-up was reported search
began for the robber. Sheriff Johnson took
the trail with his bloodhound, but succeed
ed only in finding the robbers mask, the
boxes broken open and pair of overalls.
That night a man with a shotgun
stayed at Charles Stanford's in the
mountains about four miles from the scene
of the robbery. Early in the morning the
stranger departed, saying he had some
friends near Hot Springs from whom he
had strayed, and inquired the way. A
small boy at Stanford's directed him. and
this circumstance became very impor-
tant factor in the case.
City Marshal Burke was searching with
the Sheriff, and was sent mp to the house
of Oldham, about four miles from Ukiah,
on the road to Low Gap to inquire of Old
ham the whereabouts of man in his en-
ploy on the day of the robbery. Oldham
accounted for the whereabouts of his hired
cd
so good man as Hilton with the crime.
Burke reported. but the Sheriff was not
satisfied with Oldham's story, and went to
the latter's house himself, only to find
that Hilton had gone to Whittier Springs
in Lake County. Sheriff johnson and
Marshal Burke started for Whittier at
once, taking Standford's boy along.
Hilton was found at Whittier, and was
recognized by the boy and Immediately ar
rested. After Hilton was jailed. the Sheriff
interviewed Oldham, wko stated that Hill
ton was with him at his camp at the time
of the robbery. He said Hilton was max
ing pickets for him at his redwood camp,
and that he knew he was there, because he
went over to the camp to see him. Hilton
had made about $50 pickets.
An investigation showed that no new
pickets had been made. Enough had now
been obtained to warrant closer inquiry.
and Oldham was brought to the Sheriff's
Office and confronted by Detective Thacker.
Sheriff Johnson and ex-Sheriff Stanley.
Here, upon being closely pressed, he re-
coded from his first statement and asserted
that he did not see Hilton on the day of
the robbery. Hilton was brought in, and
Oldham remarked when he entered:
"Well, Hilton, seeing the evidence these
men have against you, guess did not see
you Saturday afternoon at o'clock"
This was more than Hilton could stand.
and he then proceeded to unbosom him.
self He made a full confession, implicit
ing David Oldham and stating that Old
ham had planned the robbery and was to
have half the plumber, and that he had di-
vided the booty according to the agreement
with Oldham. He told the Sheriff where
he could find his half of the money, and
Sheriff Johnson by his direction went to
the cabin he occupied at Whittier Springs
and secured $45S from the mattress of the
bed in which he slept.
Oldham still stoutly denies that he has
the other half or any part of the money
The prosecution to-day introduced as little
evidence as possible to warrant the hold
ing of Hilton, and Justice Critchfield held
him in $1,000 bonds to answer to the SUI
perior Court pending the examination of
Oldham. The court adjourned till to-
morrow morning at o'clock.
SIN R1FAELITES STARTLED.
Queer Antics of Man Tho Suddenly
became Insane.
SAN RAFAEL, CAL, June 24.-Mr. N.Y.
ers, highly respected citizen OF San
Rafael, startled the West End neighbor-
hood this morning at O'Clock by walking
out of his house en- deshabiIie and making
a speech to an imaginary audience on the
street Officer Healy was notified and took
him to his house after having a severe
struggle with him.