The San Francisco call., 1899-07-27
Was Yictinized for Thousands by
the "Brick" Mcpherson Gang.
An Ex=POliCeman Was One Of Them, and Prominent
Mems Names Are Connected With It-COn=
spiratOrs Get Under Cover.

want any one to work for me without
pay. He then said he had a party with
a big deal on hand who wanted 70 buy
my place, but that he needed $3l5 to
pay an assessment before he could
close the deal he had pending. I sup
posed he referred to some transaction
in real estate and tire assessment was
in reality delinquent taxes.
Mr.. Thorne said he must have the
1913 by II o'clock the next morning, and
wanted me to promise then that |
would let him have it. l said no, that
I must first have q talk With my nus
band. ! told Mr. Carroll that | did not
like that way Of doing business, but he
is not accustomed to the ways of the
city and said / guess its all right. |
don't think Mr.. Thorne would do any
thing wrong.
The next day we went down to
Thorne's Office and there We met Berry
who was introduced TO US as the man
who would purchase the property. Ny.
/ Carroll paid over the $3,J to ThOrne
and the latter passed it over TO Berry
at least that is my recollection of the
way it was done.
Il said to Berry, Don't you think you
had better come out and look al the
property before YOU decide to buy it?
That is not necessary, he said. Any
thing that is satisfactory to Mr.. ThGrne
suits me ! will have this matter closed
up in ten days.
L did not hear any more about the
sale or the money until about a month
later when ThOrne came TO me and said
everything was all fixed. but that they
needed $400 more for Assessments Mr.
Carroll let them have the money, but
they kept on coming after more at in
terVals Of three or four weeks although
they would sometimes wait a month or
two.
I thought there was something
wrong. but Mr.. Carroll thought that
after he had put the first few hundred
dollars out he must let them have more
in order to save the amount first ad-
VanCed.
Finally Berry began to talk of
big deal in Chinatown. He did not
say just what it was, but he sent for
me in April last and said a party in
Chinatown owed him $4,000 and was
to pay him the next day, but first he
must put up an assessment Of $40. He
was to repay the loan the next morn
ing, but instead of doing so he left
town.
L had met Smoot in Thorne's office
on several occasions and he had often
remarked that Berry was an honest
man, so after waiting around ThOrne's
office for several hours l went TO
Shoots house to get Berrys address,
SmOOt directed us to a place on Eddy
street or Golden Gate avenue. but, al
though We searched the entire neigh
borhoOd, we could get no trace of any
body Of that name. Then l threatened
to have Berry arrested, but .SmOOt and
ThOrne signed an agreement to pay the
$40 if I would not prosecute him. They
failed to keep their agreement and l
finally sWoTe to the complaint. That
was some days ago, but there was some
defect in the complaint and to-day l
SWOre to another"
Mrs Carroll said she never met Davis
and never heard anything about gang
Of smugglers. She said. all told. Berry
and Thorne got $31OO from herself and
husband, for which, with the exception
Of the last. they gave their joint notes
She said she had also loaned money TO
Harvey Brown, but declared that, al
though she met him in ThOrne's office,
he was in no way connected with the
ThOrne-Berry scheme.
In a later talk with Detectives Ed
Gibson and Wren at police headquar-