The herald., 1898-04-07
ARE TnfMCMAHON BOYS
BILLY HAD BEEN WINGED BY
DETECTIVE FLAMMER
BUT HAD MANAGED TO ESCAPE
The Officers Think They Have the
Gang That Has Been Terror
izing Temple Street

The balance Of the alleged gang OF foot
pads was captured last night by the poiic
detectives and now the residents of the hi.
section can venture out or their house
after dark without fear of being halted b.
enterprising young men who are In searcl
of other peoples cash.
Dennis and Billy Mcmahon are the name
Of the men arrested and they are sons
ex-Assistant Fire Chief McMahon. Bill.
McMahon is lying unconscious at the re
ceiving hospital from the effects OF ethel
administered by a physician in attending
a bullet wound he received from Defective
Flammer while making his escape from
the officers last Tuesday. Dennis was un
hurt.
Their companion, "Frenchy' Peterson
was arrested Tuesday morning at the cor
uer of Pearl street and Bellevue avenue
Ali three are ex-convicts. By the arrest o.
the trio the officers are confident that the!
have succeeded In breaking up as desperate
q gang of crooks as ever infested Los An
geles.
While reports of various hold-ups have
reached the officers for the last month OF
more, the officers are not certain that the
gang had a hand in all of them. The re-
cent bold work that has terrorized the peo-
pie residing in that section west of Buena
Vista street and north of Temple street, is
believed to have been done by the Nc.
Mahons and Peterson. In support Of this
belief the officers have the descriptions OF
the robbers to go upon. One of the first
people to report meeting the robbers was
Otis Stevens. driver for the Reavis Hack
company This occurred last Thursday
night. He was passing along Montreal
street and at the corner of California en-
countered two men, one Of whom pointed
q revolver at him and ordered him to put
up his hands. Stevens looked at the men
all instant and then bolted UP the hill TO
Temple street Neither of the robbers wore
masks. The most extensive piece Of work
was done last Monday night. About II 80
o'clock, at the corner of Buena Vista and
College streets. Weiner and Kemper were
robbed by two men who were unma sked.
The same evening Josef Rubo was held up
by three men. Descriptions were furnish
ed the officers by the victims and in every
case no masks were worn and the men
were described as being young in appear
ance. In some instances the robbers
OPSid III Pdio III OlHGlS Iii &c W dS
the number
Last Tuesday Detectives Goodman and
Flammer went to the cottage at the north
west corner Of Pearl street and Bellevue
avenue. to where the officers had traced
three men whom they had reason to sus-
pect Of having had hand in the robberies.
These men were the McMahons and Peter
son. Goodman went to the front and un-
successfully tried to open the screen door,
The landlady, Mrs. Westphalen, went to
the door and asked what was wanted On
being told who was there she did not open
the door Immediately, but parleyed for the
sole purpose, it is thought, of enabling her
roomers to get out of the house. The de-
fectives finally forced an entrance and
started into the small room on the south
side of the house. The McMahons jumped
out Of windows, while Peterson ran into a
rear room and hid under mattress. The
detective followed and arrested him after
q sharp tussle.
In the meantime Detective Flammer, who
had been stationed in the rear of the house
In the yard says that, not hearing any,
thing from his companion, he stepped to
the side Of the yard and, happening to look
across Bellevue avenue, saw Billy Nc
Mahon running down Pearl street at the
top of his speed. Flammer jumped the
fence and gave chase. Mcmahon had got
about 100 yards start of him, but the Off
Ger did not dare to shoot at him, for the
reason that number Of women and chill
dren were standing on the corner. Flam-
mer ran across Bellevue avenue and called
to Mcmahon to stop or he would shoot
MIN. The fellow, instead, kept running.
although several times he turned and the
onicer expected that he was about to shoot
at him. Flammer finally drew his revolver
and shot at Mcmahon. The officer Thought
he had hit the fellow, but Mcmahon gave
no evidence of it then The bullet had
however, done its work, for it had struck
McMahon in the right hand and broken a
couple of bones, lodging in the middle
bones. McMahon dropped his hat when hit
and ran for probably 200 yards further in
tne street, until he got even with a hedge
In front OF yard and he turned and
jumped over this and disappeared from
view. The detective searched as best he
could around the place, but McMahon had
had too great a start and was to be found
nowhere. Flammer looked down Pearl
street and saw him running a long distance
away In the hills west of the street. No
1urther trace was obtained of McMahon
except from fruit peddler. The officer
encountered couple of peddlers and. ask
ing them If they had seen a man running
was informed that Mcmahon had snatcbed
the hat off the head of one of the peddlers
as he ran past them. Where Dennis went
nobody knew, other than that he had been
seen speeding down Pearl street north TO-.
ward the oil wells, f1ourishing a revolver
In the air. as If he meant business.
AS soon as the escape OF the McMabons
became known the detectives set to worI,
to try and locate them before they left the
city, and felt sure that the capture would
be effected soon If the men remained here.
They did not know then how badly Billy
McMahon had been wounded, ana this
probably was the reason that the men re-
mained in Los Angeles. Last evening De-
tective Auble was passing the corner of
Also and Howard streets and heard q
commotion in the saloon on the corner
He investigated and saw that Dennis Me-
Mqhop had grabbed up a chair ana whke
drunk smashed in couple of windows
by way Of amusement. The officer deter
tnined not to take him into custody then
reasoning that the man would be apt to go
Mhefe Billy was in hiding This he cnon