The San Francisco call., 1898-04-17
CLARENCE GARLAND the Gas Burglar and His Pucky Captors

held on. I called to Katie. but she did the room and into the hall. Then the burglar threatened that if l did not let him go he would throw me over the ban ister. Katie heard us fighting in the hall, and she came and helped me.
 Then the shoe peddler came and of fered to help but we were afraid he might have been an accomplice of the burglar, and we would not let him near us or the man. By that time Katie and I and the burglar were down on the main floor. The shoe peddler, to show his good faith, went and got a young man to go for the police, and about half an hour later the patrol wagon arrived and took the robber away. He took s20 50 from a drawer in my room. but he threw 1t out of his pocket in the scuff1e. l was afraid he had got Mrs. Rothchilds jewelry, and if it was gone 1t might have been hard to keep suspicion from either Miss McGivney or myself, and l took good care that the burglar did not get away. As luck would have it, he only got the little money we had saved and which We kept in our room
 The burglar is the one who has been gaining admittance to the residences of his victims under the pretext of being an inspector of gas meters and gas regulators in the employ of the Electric Gas Regu- lator Company. During the past six weeks numerous complaints have reached the police of the operations of the bold burglar, and every effort was being made to capture him.
 The prisoner Is only a boy He claims he is only 16 years of age and asks that he be sent to the reform school instead of to a long term in State prison. He gives his name as Charles Grant, but hints that 1t Is not correct. Charles Gar land is believed by the police to be his olis Is his home. The prisoner, however says he is from Grand Rapids, and that previous to his coming to San Francisco he worked on farm near that city, He claims he came to this city early in Jan- uary, and that he had Sl50 when he ar rived. He claims he tried to get work but was not successful. but the police say he was for time employed in a Post street restaurant. The prisoner says his money dwindled down rapidly, and one day seeing the attractive posters an went to the race track and risked a few dollars. He won and that started his downfall. He kept on playing the races. and he was soon without money.
 T had to live he said 1 could not get work, and I studied out a plan of office one day and got in conversation with one of the clerks about the gas reg ulators, and managed to steal some of their blank stationery. Armed with that l had no difficulty in getting into the houses of people and helping myself I pawned the stuff stole for about s35O lost 1t all, and here I am. I was too sue cessful as a burglar and kept at it. I dld not intend to rob so many places when 1 started out, but when it came so easy kept on. and 1t was all for the ex. citement of the race track
 II robbed a good many places in this city in the disguise of gas Inspector l do not know the names of the people who lived in the houses. l only picked out the places that had the appearance of being the homes of wealthy persons and l always got enough to pay me for my trouble at each of them. I robbed two places in Oakland and one in Ala meda. The same gas certificates I carried here admitted me across the :sy to the houses 1 tried.
 ''I walked into the house in which was caught by the side door and there was no one to, stop me. If I had been Ques- tials to carry me through. The servants whom l expected to meet were engaged with q peddler at the front of the hoI1se when l entered. and when I heard the girl come up the stairway I hid under the bed, but she found me and gave me a hard fight. As soon as she took hold of me I knew l was no match for her in a fight, and she had the best of 1t from the start. l was fairly caught and I will