The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-05-15
FLIGHT OF A MURDERER
Search of the Santa Clara
Sheriff on the Steamer
Gaelic.
WAR NARROWLY AVERTED.
The Assassin of Lum .Df Escapes.
An Officers Ignorance
Saves Trouble.

The Occidental and Oriental steamer
Gaelic sailed for China and Japan yester-
dav afternoon with very few passengers
and a large volume of freight. Among the
passengers were !, c. Grub, Captain Bid
del and Lieutenant William NJ. McKelvey,
Z. S. NJ. c., g. Matsuo, Mrs. LANCE and
two children, and the Chevalier de Kontski
for Yokohama, and Thomas NJ. Boyd for
Yokohama.
Just before the steamer sailed the Sheriff
of Santa Clara County appeared on the
dock and wanted to know where. Chew All
Fong was.
There was nobody on the dock who
could give the Sheriff the desired informa-
ton. SO the officer went on board with
Chinese guide to point out the hunted
man. The Sheriff and the Chinaman
searched the ship and then went ashore
with the firm conviction that the muir
derer was OH the steamer.
Il have hunted the whole ship, said
the. Sheriff, 'but have been unable TO To-
cate my man. You see, | got here too
late to make the search l woud like TO
have made"
''Wen you have only suspicion that
the murderer is on board ?"
II, L
is on board, but how can find him among
the hundreds of Chinese who are. on
board ?'
ibid you muster the steerage passen-
gers?"
mo, I didn't examine every Chinese
who went on the steamer"
well, don't you know that that was the
only way to find your man?'
II didn't think l could do that"
The inflammation was extended to the
Santa Clara Sheriff that he had the right
to muster the men, and that if the Chinese
passengers did not all answer to the roll
call he had the privilege of enlisting the
engineers department in his service.
why, yes, " said one old stager on the
water front, 'if the steamer is going to be
DELAYED in her departure because of the abb
sence of one Chinaman you can bet that
the engineers will get in and rout him
out"
Then the Sheriff went to work. He went
to Detective Gibson and asked if such
things could be done.
IF you have warrant, yes" said the
officer of Durrant fame.
i've got a warrant all right" replied
the officer.
At this juncture Captain Anderson, the
detective OF the Mail dock, came up and
the predicament of the Sheriff was recited
to him.
4Why, certainly" said Anderson, eff the
man is on board we will get him for you.
The gangplank is now being hauled in,
and the only man who can stop the ship is
Secretary Stubs. There is the gentleman
coming off the steamer now"
The Sheriff rushed up to Stubs and
explained the case. On the night of May
3, he said, Lum Di was shot by Chew All
Fong at Mayfeld, and the authorities of
Santa Clara County had evidence that the
murderer was to take passage on the
Gaelic
Mr.. Stubs assured the Sheriff that the
ship had been searched by the ship
officers and no one who was not a pas
senger on the regular list had been found.
AS Mr.. Stubs spoke the gangplank was
hauled in and the Gaelic began to back
out into the stream.
1l"It's too late now," said the Sheriff, "but
Chew All Fong is on board just the same"
And the Gaelic went out into the stream
unmindful of the Sheriff of Santa Clara
and the murderer she carried away. Had
the Sheriff understood his business and
attempted TO stop the boat another serious
international complication might have
arisen between Johnny Bull and Uncle
Sam. The Gaelic is a British ship, and
the Sheriff's ignorance saved him from
twisting the lions tail and thus immor-
taliZing himself.