The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-24
WATCHMAN NAGEL' SSTORY
MesSrs. Newman and Levinson
Believe He Was Bound
by Robbers.
THE POLICE ARE sKEPT1cAL,
The Sidewalk Cellar Door Found
Unboited NO Money or
Goods We're Stolen.

The police do not believe the story told
by Newman & Levinson's night Waterman
regarding the attempt to burglarize the
kearny-street dry-goods store Saturday
evening.
Waterman Nagel was discovered about
8 o clock in the front part of the store,
bound securely and gagged. The police
are of the opinion that Nagel bound him
self, or that he was willingly bound by
confederate.
But not even the wisdom of the police
goes so far as to even guess at the possible
motive that Nagel could have had in such
| performance. Certainly not robbery, for
no robbery was perpetrated, though the
time was ample, the opportunity ripe and
the cashdrawers burdened with the best
part of the afternoons receipts. Not 2
| penny is missing-not an article is gone.
But if it is difficult to explain why
Waterman Nagel should have bound him
| self. it is even more difficult to explain the
motives of those who did bind and gag
him.
| Detective Ben Bohen, who was one of
| the first to arrive on the scene, SAYS the
story told by Nagel was not likely one.
| He says Nagel did not tell it with truth
| full manner.
Policeman Chisham, who was first
| brought to the scene by a messenger-boy
dispatched by Salesman Seymour, says he
found Nagel bound more securely than a
man could have bound himself Yet he
does not believe Nagel's story. He says
Nagel told it in hesitating, vaciilating
manner; that he contradicted himself fire.
quently in very material points; that he
| had evidently been drinking-as though to
prepare himself for the ordeal-and that
he volunteered nc statements but only an
swered the questions put to him.
| But Newman & Levinson have more
faith in their night Waterman. Both gen.
tlemen said yesterday that they believed
his story implicitly and were of the opinion
men that were intent upon robbery.
Further, Mr.. Newman said: eve have
discovered evidences of the window lead
ing into the Arlington House having been
| forced open from the outside. We have
found also that the sidewalk elevator door
| was open.
"Of course it is very hard to account for
the action of the burglars. 1t is quite pos
sible that one of them might have secreted
| himself in the basement Saturday morn
ing. while the elevator entrance was open.
| And then, when the store was closed at 6
o'clock and everybody gone out except the
night Waterman, it wonld have been easy
hiding place, assisted a pal to enter from
the window communicating with the Ar
| lington House and then carried out the
programme as described by Nagel
at is true, that so far as we know now,
| they did not secure anything, but some
thing that we know nothing of may have
! happened to scare them off. They NAV
| have been amateurs in their business and
/ easily scared. At any rate we can see no
reason to doubt the truth of Nagel's story
He says he slid downstairs after the robbers
| had gone, and that statement had been
| thought queer from the fact that there was
no dust on his clothes. But our stairs and
floors are kept very clean and free from
dust. We keep men constantly sweeping
and busting. And there are unmistakable
marks of mans shoe heels indented on
| the stairs, showing that some one did slide
down those stairs in the manner that
! Nagel SAYS he did"
| the proprietors of the establishment, are
! good judges of all the facts in the case, for
| they have questioned Nagel very closely
and have remained on the premises since
the discovery was made Saturday evening
They have examined the store carefully
i and ought to be able to make very good
guess as to the truthfulness or falsity of
! Nagels statements.
| Nagel says he was bound at about half
| past o'clock. That left the robbers two
| and half hours to operate in, and vet
they secured no booty-out of large store
full of valuable goods, many of which
could be carried off in the pockets without
attracting attention.
The police point to the fact that Nagel
was bound and gagged by cheesecloth
taken from roll in the store. This, thew
think, is very singular, for robbers who
had planned such deed would surely
come prepared with a gag already made
and rope ready for binding the Waterman,
whom they must have known was on hand.
| The police have given up the attempt to
| solve it.