The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-12
The Defaulter Was Arrested in
a Saloon on Eddy
Street.
HIS WIFE WAS LEFT BEHIND.
Lambert Refuses to Talk About His
Case or Tell Why He Went
Away.


he went. No one saw him go aboard the
Mariposa when he embarked for the
islands with Gertie Mahaney, and no one
saw him come off the Alameda. At least,
Denny Holland, the Oakland detective
who was waiting for him with nervous
fingers, did not see him, and Holland
knows him well. The detective from the
modern Athens was not sure that Lambert
was on board, but he was quite sure that
he would know him if he saw him, and
was equally sure that Lambert would
know him and would give himself up to
him.
The astute detective was wrong on all
propositions save one. He was right in
his surmise that Lambert would know him
If he saw HIM. The defaulter saw him and
rushed right by him, elbOWing him as be
went down the gangplank. The Alameda
came IN on time as usual and shortly
before o'clock steamed up to the Oceanic
dock. Lambert was on deck dressed IN
light suit of clothes, the same he wore
when he went away so suddenly. He
caught sight of Holland and altered the
plan he had conceived. He had shaved
his mustache and the absence of the hir-
suite appendage changed him considerably.
His disguise was not complete enough to
pass the scrutiny of Detective Holland he
thought so in a twinkling he lodged
below and got a suit of clothes from one OF
the deckhands. Quickly getting inside of
the old buds he smeared his face with SCOT
and his admiring constituents in the steer
age declared that he wouldn't know him
self.
Detective Holland had taken the pre-
caution of having a watch placed on the
forward gangway, while he and two police
men looked after the main plank. No one
was allowed To land until the passengers
were mustered and examined. But the
gangplank had to be run up and a number
of deckhands ran down to the dock to
make it fast, and several others went with
them to assist in getting out the forward
gangplank. 1t is said that Lambert was
the first to get ashore and Holland was the
first to get aboard. Lam bert ran up the
dock to the forward gangway and kept on
going. There was a large crowd on the
wharf and he was lost in the throng.
While the detective was hunting the ship
for him he was hunting a shelter.
The missing man went aboard the Ala
media under the name of w. A. kimball
He struggled himself aboard and paid his
passage in the steeTage after the vessel
was well out to sea: He is a man who
makes friends readily, and he confided
his story to few OF the men below decks
They promised to aid him in getting off
the vessel, for they believed him innocent
from the fact that he was coming back
He said that If he could be at liberty
ashore for few hours he could fix things
and the sailors helped him ashore.
Councilman Hoffman of Oakland who
was at the wharf watching for Lambert
when the steamer docked, tells an interest
ing story of the efforts of the officers to
apprehend the fugitive.
1--WE knew that Lambert was on the
steamer" said the Councilman, land the
Oakland officers were on the alert but
Lambert did not materialize We also
knew that one of the walters on the steamer
had formerly worked in Oakland, and we
went to him for information. He said he
knew nothing about the defaulter except
that the latter had left for China with his
wife before the steamer sailed for San
Francisco. Detective Holland thought his
answers sounded queer, and at once went
to his bunk and searched it.
: 1.-The first thing he laid his hands on was
? Lambert's Oyercoat, and then we were sure
that he was passenger on the vessel, and
when confronted with this evidence the
waiter confessed that he had not told the
truth when he said that Lambert had gone
to China. He said that the fugitive had
come over on the steamer, but had left her
before she locked and was hiding in San
Francisco. He also said that he was to
meet Lambert on Market and Kearny
streets during the evening.
''In view of his previous misstatements
the officers believed that he was still try
ing to mislead them and that Lambert was
hidden on the vessel.
HOLLAND at once telegraphed to Oakland
for couple of additional men to search
the steamer more thoroughly and to watch
her tonight 50 that Lambert could have
no chance of escaping. Detective Williams
and Sergeant Hodgkins were sent over.
From the officers of the vessel we
learned that Lambert had not purchased
ticket IN Honolulu, but had boarded the,
steamer from a boat after she left the dock
paying for steerage passage under the
name of \. A. Newell
1t was rumored in Oakland Yesterday
that Lambert had succeeded in getting
past Chief Shaeffer on the gangplank of
the steamer and had reached Oakland.
Several officers were called of their beats
and sent IN citizens clothes to watch his
mothers house.
After getting clear of the steamer Lam
bert, it appears, came uptown and began
TO visit his favorite saloons, the resorts
where he made himself familiar before his
departure for the island republic.
The detectives learned Of his movements
and finally caught him in Howes saloon,
Jos Eddy street. Police Officer Riley was
the man who arrested Lambert. Notice
was sent to Denny Holland, the Oakland
detective, and he and two other officers
took Lambert across the bay.
Lambert was met at the station by
delegation OF his friends, who had been
informed of his arrest and were waiting
for him. Lambert had evidently been
drinking heavily, and was in maudlin
state when landed in the County Prison.
r'You will understand" he said, ''that [
am the one who must answer to an indict-
ment for the shortage which is claimed to
exist, and until | can see an attorney | can
not give a statement of this matter I can
tell you, however, that within an hour
after 1 am at liberty I can explain this
whole business and show that there is no
shortage at all.
every dollar which passed through my
hands can be accounted for and will be
accounted for. Why went away cannot
tell you except that it was in the interest
of other parties, and shall protect them
by keeping my mouth closed. Why did
come back? Simply because I had bust
ness to attend to and wanted to see to it
personally. | was not offered any induce
ments to surrender myself, and when I
got through my business l sent word to
the officers where they could find me-
How he left the steamer is a mystery to
the detectives who were watching the
gangplanks. Lambert's own story of his
disem barking is that he took a sack of
L. L. i IL IL