The herald., 1897-03-24
Smooth Quartette Arrested
on Suspicion
THE BOGUS BILL SHOWERS
PASS IMITATION CONFEDERATE
MONEY
Four Shots Fired in the Me1ee--Fol-
lowed From q Restaurant and
Pointed Out to Officers

After an exciting chase, in which four
shots were fired and the whole neighbor-
hood in the vicinity of First and Los An
geles streets aroused, a quartet Of sus-
picious characters were last evening cap
tured by Police Officers Ritoh, McGraw
and Blackburn and safely lodged in the
city Jail to await an investigation of
their actions. Ed Brown, John Hart,
George Wilton and Frank Adams were
the names given by the men at the police
clerks desk and they are suspected Of
working the down town lodging houses,
passing imitation confederate bills on
gullible landladies.
On Monday night Brown and Hart en-
gagged a room in the Columbia lodging
house, No 304k South Los Angeles
street, of Mrs. Ball, the proprietress,
paying for their accommodations in good
hard cash Yesterday afternoon they
approached Mrs. Ball, and Brown told
her that they would like to engage the
room for two weeks. He rendered In
payment $40 bill, which was eyed
askance for a moment, but Brown con-
vinced the woman that the bill was all
right and received SO change. He and
Hart then left the house. Soon after their
departure 1t was discovered that the
supposed money was in reality worth
less piece of paper and roomer named
Charles Gibbon started out to look for
the swindlers.
Along In the evening Hart and Brown,
accompanied by Wilton and Adams, ate
supper in the Merchants restaurant on
Third street and there succeeded in pass
H.. Lii l. ~ A
they were coming out Gibbon happened
to espy them and followed. They turned
into Los Angeles street and started
north. Gibbon hastened up to Main
street and notified Officers Ritch and
McGraw, accompanying them to First
and Los Angeles streets, where they
waited for the quartet to come along.
being meanwhile Joined by Patrolman
Blackburn.
At the corner the quartet presently
appeared and were pounced upon, Hart
and wilton being grabbed and and held
Adams and Brown broke away and ran
north on Los Angeles street, and when
half way between First and Requena
turned UP an alleyway. Officers McGraw
and Blackburn staid with the two priso-
ners, while Ritch and Gibbon took after
the fleeing men. AS they ran up the al
ley Ritch drew his revolver and fired
four times after them. bringing Adams to
a stop. He submitted to arrest, and Just
as he was being led away back out of the
alley came Brown with McGraw In pur-
suit.
After securely Handwriting the two first
prisoners. McGraw had left them in
charge of Blackburn and made a flank
movement, getting in the alley in time to
head off Brown, who was getting away
He was chased out into the street ard
finally jumped fence into nursery q
pot, where he was run down and also ar
rested. When searched at the police sta .
tion an initiation $40 confederate bill
was found In Browns pockets and one
of $40 on Hart's person. No charge was
preferred against any of the gang, but
they were locked up on suspicion.
1t is thought that the fellow Richard
son. who was arrested few nights ago
by Detective Goodman while trying to
work the same game on a Main-street I
lodging house keeper. is one of the same
crowd At the time he was captured a
companion. who was waiting for him,
got away. The headquarters OF the gang
were located the next day In CONNER
cial-street lodging house. but they had
taken alarm at their companions ar
rest and changed their residence. Just
what charge can be preferred against
them is as yet undetermined, as they
in no instance represented the bogus biils
as genuine. but simply offered them and
received change from those foolish
enough to accept the stuff