The San Francisco call., 1896-10-17
The Gift of a Passengers Trans
fer the Cause of the
Trouble.
TRIED TO RESCUE A PRISONER
The Arrival of the Regular Police
Saved the Spoilers From Being
0verpowered.

There was a small riot on the corner OF
Powell and Market streets late yesterday
afternoon, caused by the attempt of two
spoilers for the Market street Gable Com
pany to arrest two young men for violat-
ing the transfer ordinance. Had it not
been for the appearance of the police the
railroad employees would have been
roughly handled. AS it was they were
beaten, kicked and cursed by the crowd. Il
Since the passage of the municipal law
known as ordinance 1898 forbidding the
traffic in streetcar transfers the companies
have had spoilers or special officers around
the principal transfer points, and since
then the newsboys have been compelled
to deal in the sale of papers almost exclu-
sivelv, where formerly they did large
business in streetcar transfers.
Last evening julius Formel young
electrician, took a transfer from the con-
ductor of a Powell-street car, but instead
of boarding Market-street car he handed
the slip of cardboard TO another person.
This act was observed by three people
Henry Lefooitz, a newsboy, ana the COM
panv's special ofic ers, A. Pratt and l..
Krouse. The Soung newspaper-peddler
saw Formel's danger and ran to him, ex-
claiming ''Cheese it, the spotter is on TO
youP'
ct that moment Krouse seized Formel,
whom he placed under arrest, and Pratt
seized Lefooitz. The latter broke away
and ran to escape, out the special was too
swift for him, and the newsle was in his
clutches again. AS Pratt seized the lad the
second time the two fell in heap in the
gutter, the boy crying Justify.
RV this time nuhlic was TAKING an
interest in the case, and as the specials
were marching away with their strug-
Cling prisoners men, women and small
boys were excited, and threatening mis-
siles began to fly, ana Pratt and the boy
became separated from the others. He
made a break for the building, dragging
the lad with him, and on the way he was
struck several times by men in the crowd.
One man. a peddler, went SO far as to
whack the special with club, smashin g
his hat, and another pulled the captor' S
whiskers vigorously.
At last he reached the building ard
placed his back against the wall. Women
were active factors in the angry gather
ing by this time and their rem arks were
not pleasant to hear. A number of men
drew aside and We're about to make an
onslaught upon Pratt and rescue the
newsboy, but before they could act half a
dozen policemen, attracted by the crowd
put in an appearance and rescued the spe-
ciaI from his unhappy position.
Krouse, with his prisoner, had not Jared
so i'll, as he kept on the outskirts of tie
crowd. His prisoner, being much larger
than the neWsboy, did not create so much
sympathy, but even the specials positi on
was anything but pleasant. for he received
a vigorous tongue lashing from men,
women and boys alike.
The patrol-wagon was called, and the
specials with their prisoners were hurried
away to the central police station amid a
volley of abuse from the crowd. Formel
was charged with violating the transfer
ordinance and he was released On bail.
The newsboy was accused OF having COM
mitted battery upon the companv's SER
want. The boy says that he did not hit
Pratt, but that it was the peddler who
struck the blow.