The herald., 1896-02-18
THE TRUMAN BURGLARS
The Bungling Work Of the
Police
STOLEN PROPERTY IS PURCHASED
On the Recommendation of De-
tective Goodman
THE PLUMBER WAS HAWKED
Up and Down Spring Street for the Past
Two Months
Details Of Extraordinary Police Activity
Which Amounted to Nil
Msjor Ben 6. Trumsu Relates Some Of the
Facts Surrounding the csss, Which Form
An Interesting chsin-fiow He
Was Kept Ia ignorance
Up and Down Spring Street for the Past
Two Months
Details Of Extraordinary Police Activity
Which Amounted to Nil

An Interesting chsin-fiow He
Was Kept Ia ignorance
Burglars are making merry in the city Of
Los Angeles. They are having a good
time and are disposing of their swsg with.
out any Difficulty.
Il is now nearly three months ago since
the residence Of Major Ben G. Truman was
burRIarized in broad daylight and close on
to $4,000 worth of diamonds and jewelry
secured.
The police, under the able direction Of
John Nj. Glass, have been working on the
case ever since and the results that have
thus far been obtained speak for them
selves.
The parties who committed the burglary
have been right here in the city ever since
and they have been hawking the diamonds
they obtained up and down Spring street
trying to sell them at any price.
The police have been aware of the fact,
hut have acted with supine indifference.
In fact one of the diamonds is now with
in stones throw of the police station,
bought by party at the ridiculously low
price of 500 upon the advice of Police
DEL6CtiN0 - G. IOOQtnau.
A complete history of the whole case and
all the facts connected Herewith makes
showing for the inefficiency of the present
police management of the city that has
never before been stronger.
1t seems that the two men who burglsr-
lied the Truman mansion are Bryant and
Miller. Bryant is now in the county Jail.
The police had Miller once, or at least
they had ample opportunity to have him.
Miller had one of the Truman solitaIres
worth $iOO. He had been peddling it all
oyer town to the jewelry stores and other
places trying to sell it.
Finally he did sell it for 500, and the
party to whom he made the sale gave him
check for the amount.
Then Miller attempted forthwith to cash
the check, it being after banking hours.
The police got on to him, investigated and
ascertained how he came by the check.
They obtained possession of the solitaire
from the man who bought it with his full
consent. he having in the meantime
stopped payment on his check until he
could investigate.
Goodman got the stone and took it to the
police headquarters. Here it was kept
for thirty-sX hours. In the meantime the
purchaser got nervous and went to the po-
lice station to inquire IL Goodman was all
right. The reply was that he was.
Then Goodman turned up with the dia.
mond and advised the man to buy it. He
said that it was a great snap and that he
would be foolish to let it go by,
Acting upon the advice of the police de-
tective and with the knowledge and con-
sent of the police department the man
purchased Major Trumau's solitaire dia-
mond. He gave 500 for it. He has it
now, and the major is advised by the po-
lice to pay $10O and get his ring back.
The whole case looks very black. and
there are many explanations that will have
to be made before the circumstances can
be cleared away.
THE TRUMAN BURGLARY
1t will be remembered by readers of The
HERALD that some time during November
last the house of Major Truman was bur-
giarized on an afternoon between and
o'clock, when the family were out riding,
and that diamonds and other jswelry, be.
longing to Mrs. Truman and Miss Truman,
valued at from $500 to $l600,were taken,
consisting principally. as the books at DO
lice headquarters show, of nine diamond
rings. seven bracelets, breast pins, 'stick
pins.' two watch chains, two or three less
ar articles, two purses containing little
money and two safe deposit keys; that the
poll @ department was promptly notified.
Detectives Hawley, Bradish and others
hea ed for Joberman and Twenty-third
streets, and found that the burglar or bur-
glars had entered by cellarway, and by
the use of pincers had opened four or five
doors and entered one room by breaking
open transom and crawling through it,
No rooms were entered upstairs except the
one containing the vauebles, and no other
repository was touched except the trunk
Gts tray) holding them.
Major Truman was requested 10 say
nothing concerning the burglary, and he
obeyed the injunction, but the newspap
dropped on the ''circnmstaEce" few days
later and presented brief description of
the statement above, which is taken from
the police records. included in which are
elaborate descriptions and diagrams of the
principal articles.
THEoRIzING hAwKsHAwS
The awkshaws, under the direction of
Chief Glass, advanced all kinds of theo-
res-some that Hill, who robbed Munson
the day after the Truman robbery, in the
same neighborhood, had performed the
job, and that, though pleading guilty and
returning Munson's things. he had buried
Truman's; others that it was the smooth
Marshall--who was captured by Mrs. Tom
mic Rowan, Dr.. and her able assistants on
the 9th of Decenlber-who had got rid of
them in some slick way; but the majority
of the detective, force inclined to the belief
that the job had been done by one or two
artistic fellows from the east, and that as
they had made good haul, including
money enough to get away with, they had
skipped the municipality by the first north
ern or eastern train.
RIGHT HERE ALL JHE TINE
1t now transpires that the burglars staid
right here for nearly three months, and
that for weeks one of them-tflere we're
two of them--was selling the Truman val
uables up and down Spring street, with no
detective to say him nay, and some of the
stolen diamonds are now being worn by
parties not hundred miles from the Hoi.
lenbeck hotel.
1t also transpires that the police Office
has made the most idiotic kind of a bungle,
IL nothing worse. in its treatment of the
Truman burglary case.
Detective Goodman had one of the large
sOlitaires in his possession and one of the
burglars where he could Put his hand on
him, and he said to the chief and TO
Clerk Moffat that he believed it was the
property of Major Truman. and that they
declared that it would be time thrown away
to send for Truman and that he (Goodmanl
need not say anything to the latter about it.
GOODMAN LET THE THIEF SLIP.
II also transpires that Goodman, instead
of going and seeing the Trumans, as he
lad done on several Occa sions before at