The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-02-07
THE BOYS STORY.
Calmly Chewing Gum, They Talk
Freely of Their Many Mis-
daadG

Freely Of Their Many Mis-
deeds.
Majors gave his name to the officers as
Ralph Ford, but this afternoon he was
identified as Abe Majors, son of man
who was hanged in the County Jail about
ten years ago for murder.
Sheriff White called at the prison this
afternoon, and was the first to recognize
Ford.
'Why, Majors, is this your said the
Sheriff.
II guess it is" said "Ralph Ford
well, I'm sorry for you," said the
Sheriff, who at once told Chief Lloyd of
his prisoners identity.
Burt Willmore chewed gum as he sat on
bench and talked to CALL man. The
lad was apparently unconcerned, and
smiled as he recounted his many adven-
lures. Not suggestion of shame could
be seen, and neither did he seem proud of
his achievements. He simply talked
| away as if it was the most natural thing in
| the world that boy of 16 should arm
himself with a huge revolver and dyna-
| mite and go forth and wreck safes.
81 first thought of leading the life of a
| robber," said Willmore, when I got out
of work some weeks ago. did not think
| it would be wrong, as l thought must
make living somehow. and Majors told
me it was pretty good thing. / worked
for Mason & White, the candymen, since
| 1891. | worked there steadily until the
| finding of the Blythe diamonds, for which
Mr.. Mason gave me his note for $780,
The diamonds, it will be remembered,
were deposited with Mr.. Mason for safe
keeping several months ago. One day
| they were stolen from the safe and Will.
more found them in a dry goods box out
side Kahn's store. His story was doubted
at the time, but to-day he swore that it
was the truth.
after Mr.. Mason gave me the note,''
continued WiIlmore, Il took $50 out in a
bicycle, and as / thought / needed vaca-
ton and as Mr.. Mason had me badly
scared 1 took five weeks trip into the
country. After came back again went
to work for Mr.. Mason and had charge OF
the Berkeley branch store. 1 injured my
hand about Thanksgiving and since then
l have not worked steadily. About Christ
mas Majors lost his job and he came over
to our house and stopped with US.
ut was he who made the first PROPOSE
ton to go into this business. It looked
like good thing the way he painted it,
so consented. Our tools we got at differ
ent places. The dynamite we stole from a
quarry out New Broadway, and the other
tools we got at different places. He bought
them. One OF, the drills he got in Ala
media, / know, and paid $4 for it. The
other was purchased in Oakland, don't
know where, and cost 50 so. The fuse and
caps came from San Francisco.
The first place we tackled was Mason's
branch store in Berkeley. the one in which
we had previously been employed Every.
thing worked nicely and no one disturbed
US. We saw two men outside for minute
but we kept quiet and they did not see us
We opened the safe and found $24 and q
gold watch, which we took. We went into
the barber-shop next door, but did not
find anything of value.
"Then we went to Alameda. We went
over about IL O'Clock at night and went
through stores until nearly O'Clock in the
morning. During that time we entered
nine stores. but did not get mucn. We
took gold watch, some shirts and a few
little things. We walked from Alameda,
coming by way of Twenty-third avenue.
"Our next burglaries were those out on
| San Pablo avenue. We worked nearly all
night but did not get much
I'VE also robbed the millinery-store, the
coffee-store and attempted to loot the shoe
store on Washington street We used q
piece of crowbar to pry open the windows.
The papers printed a list of nearly every
thing we took, all of which was of little
| value.''
Abe Majors, when brought out, talked
very yolubly about the Girard safe cracking.