The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-15

not engage in any of the burglaries or rob-
berries, but stayed in the rooms occupied
by the four and kept guard there.
AT the City Prison, while each of the
four was being searched separately, they
told contradictory stories. Fraser was the
first. He said he was a sailor and had
come to this coast first about five years
ago, which would make him at that time
II years of age. He said he came here
from Tacoma about five months ago. He
was native of England. He accounted
for his black eye by saying he got into a
scrap with stranger in saloon on How
ard street.
Smith kicked vigorously against being
sketched, but soon became tractable. He
said he was born in Berkshire, England,
and came here four or five months ago.
He got his black eye in a fight with Fraser,
which was a contradiction of Fraser S
story.
Wilson was more talkative. He was
born in Eugene City, Or, but he could
not name any of the prominent people
there. He was in Portland from 1888 to
1892 as a messenger with the American
District Telegraph Company. He had
been in the city four or five months.
The boy Marson said he was born in
Dodge City, Kansas, but has lived for some
years in Los Angeles with his mother, a
widow. He ran away from school, and
while working in a vineyard at Benicia met
Fraser. He and Fraser came to the city
together about two weeks ago and met
Wilson and Smith. His story contradicts
Fraser's. He is an intelligent boy and has
evidently been led astray by the three
others.
They all, of course, denied that they had
anything to do with the burglaries or rob-
berries. 1t was learned from Marson that
they all intended leaving the city by last
evenings train for the south.
Last night Officers Ryan and Moriarty
ascertained that the four had been living
at the Oakland House, GAY Howard street,
for the past week or ten days. They occu-
pied three rooms and the officers carefully
searched each room, but found no trace of
Whites watch. The landlord said he never
saw them with a gripsack and the pre-
sumption is they had engaged another
room somewhere for keeping their plum
der. Efforts will be made to find its loca-
ton. Wilson went under the name of
Church.
Witte the grocer, was seen last night by
the officers, and his description of the
three robbers TALES exactly with that of
Wilson, Fraser and Smith. Jackman, a
neighbor, who went into the store while
the robbers were there, also gave correct
description of them.
The officers went out to Mr.. Franklin's,
1880 California street, but found that
Miller, the butler, had taken turn for the
worse and was delirious, so that he could
not be spoken to.
This morning Witte and Jackman and
Conductor Wilton and Gripman Dowd of
the Jackson-street car will visit the prison
to identity the prisoners.
Captain Lees said last night he had no
doubt the officers had caught the right
men. From the raw work of the burglars
and robbers he had been satisfied they
were new to the business.
None of them are known to the police
and it is believed they have only been in
the city for the past ten days. They had
evidently come from the south, as the glass
flask containing the powder had the name
"The Southern, Bakersfield, Cal" blown
upon it. 1t was thought at first they might
have been the murderers of the Webers at
Sacramento, but their youth is against that
theory.
Their speedy capture is looked upon as
an exceedingly clever and important piece
of work