The San Francisco call., 1899-09-01
CLIQUE OF
THIEVES RUN
TO EARTH
Sacramento Authorities I'm
cover a Stolen Goods
Fence"
GANGS WIDE RANGE
It's Operations Conducted Through
out the Central Part of
the State.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

SACRAMENTO, Aug. Sl.-At speclal
session of the Grand Jury this morning
called for the purpose two nd1ct1ueHts
were returned against @. W.. van NOT
man, junk dealer of this city: Inc IN
dictments were based upon the COMES
sions of w II. Gestner and Frederick
Stephan, two grain-sack thieves, who
were arrested several weeks ago. In these
confessions there is revealed condition
of affairs the existence of which was little
dreamed of. The confessions are TO the
effect that a gang of thieves with us
headquarters at Sacramento has been op-
Grating throughout Central California for
the past year Scores of thefts and burg
laries committed liring the past twelve
months in Sacramento, YOlO, Solano ana
san Joaquin counties were the WORK o.
this gang. All goods stolen were brought
TO Sacramento and turned over TO van
Norman. who was told in every instance,
so the confession states, where the goods
came from and how they were OBTAINED
More than this, Van Norman is SAID 20
lent them vehicles and tools TO work WIN
and kept them strictly posted as to the
movements of the police.
pluhder of the gang s'l was brass. The war
with Spain had brought the market price
of this up to 16 or II cents pound, and
under his direction for 7 cents, shipping
it, so it is claimed, to Charles Harley, S44
Harrison street San Francisco. The steal
ing of brass is said to have been brought
TO close by a letter received py van
Norman from Harley notifying MN 10
cease shipments, as the police were
watching the dock. Before this letter was
received the gang engaged in series or
operations during which 1t did thousands
of dollars worth of damage on one oc-
casion the members of the gang broke the
brass fittings from valuable gold-mining
machinery near Folsom. a few days later
they tore the brass fittings from Two Dig
dredgers down the SACRAMENTO River;
near Trask's Landing. They then worked
up the river past Walnut Grove, Court
land and other places. wrecking valuable
pumping plants in the different reclama-
tion districts in order to get the brass
work. In this way the gang got many
hundreds of pounds of brass, all of which
they sold to Van Norman.
Not content with this haul the gang
turned its attention to the railroad yards
in Tracy. There, on one occasion, they
secured 800 pounds of brass. Working, mp
pumping plants and dredgers throughout
San Joaquin County, making a haul so
rich that they tried il over again few
days later with equally good success. A
third trip was planned to Tracy, but was
abandoned upon the receipt of Harley $
letter from San Francisco
The gang then turned its attention to
stealing grain and grain sacks. Thou
sands of sacks were stolen and hundreds
of bags of grain, scores of ranchers
fhpfho fbe rads large Of tbs eun
der was found in Van Norman's possess
sion.
When first duestMled, he denied that he
had any sich property sand, when it was
found, claimed that he had forgotten
about it. Shortly after mis- arrest to-day
Van Norman was confronted by Gestner
and Stephan. who repeated the stories
told in their confessions. Van Norman en-
tered a general denial. and was taken to
Jail in $4,000 bonds The entire mass of evil
dence upon which Van Norman was ar
rested, together with the arrest of GeSt-
ner and Stephan. and the confessions of
these two, was the work of Max P.
Fisher, member of the police force of
is considered as one of the cleverest bits
of detective work ever accomplished in
this section.