The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-11-20
Burglar in the Hotel
Bertling.
STEALS VALUABLE TRINKETS
MRS. a. C. MORGAN THE VICTIM
IN THE CASE.
No Clew to the Thief, but From His
Manner of Working He Is Not
Thought to Be Pro-
fessional.

The apartments occupied by Mrs. A. c.
Morgan in the Hotel Bertling at ia Bush
street were entered by some burglar or
burglars during her absence on Thursday
afternoon, and the following articles were
stolen: A fourteen-karat Waltham gold
watch, numbered 206141-5734294; a gold
chain ring, a blue enameled diamond COL
lar button, q long chain and two gold
stick pins connected with chain, the
whole aggregating value of several hun
dred dollars
From the fact that the thief took the
jewelry from the jewel box, which was
lying in the right hand upper compart-
ment of the chiffonier, and did not disturb
or ransack anything in the room, it is
thought he was not a professional but
some one who had access to the hotel and
was familiar with it. Some money which
was under a small workbasket alongside
of the jewelry was not taken. 1t may be
that the thief was either disturbed in
his operations or was satisfied with taking
the contents of the box The rooms are
in the back of the house, and two hall
ways must be traversed before reaching
them. 1t is possible for some one to get
to them without being seen, but not prob
able, as there are several employees work
ing in and around the rooms all the time,
among them DeinS the elevator boy ana
the chambermaid; but neither of them
saw anything that afternoon to attract
suspicion.
The burglary was committed between
the hours of l and 6. Mrs. Morgan, after
eating her lunch, left her rooms a. quar-
ter. to l o'clock to go to the office of the
Etna Insurance Company, where she is
employed as d stenographer. She is quite
positive that the jeWelry was there then,
because she looked at the watch 90 see
what time it was. She is not quite sure
whether the door was locked or not
When she came home at o'clock in the
evening she went to look at her watch
again and found it gone, together with the
other tTinkets. She Immediately gave the
alarm, but no one could give her any eX-
PLANTATION. She grieved not so much Tor
the peCuniary value of the stolen objects
but on account of the associations at
tached to them, as they were all gifts
from very dear friends or relatives.
Everything else in the room was as she
had left it
The proprietress of the hotel is inclined
10 the belief that the thief was one or
several Chinese laundTymen who come in
and go out Of the house at all hours of the
day. Such a supposition Is plausible from
the fact that no particular notice would
be taken Of them. In that event it is
thought that the thief found the door
open, went quietly into the room and alb
stracted the jewelry. The apartments,
being in an out-Of-the-Way part of the
house, would allow him to carry on his
nefariOus work, and as 1t only took him
an instant 10 do it he quietly slipped out
unObserved. Again, he must have known
that the jewelry box Was in the chiffonier,
as no other drawers were opened, and
there was absolutely no confusion,
The police were notified by Mrs. Morgan
yesterday, and detectives have been
placed on the case, but there have been
no further developments.