The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-01-06
WAS A WONDERFUL
POLICEMAN
ISAIAH w. LEES FOR NEARLY
FIFTY YEARS ON THE SAN
FRANCISCO POLICE FORCE.

Isaiah w. Lees, ex-Chief of Police of
San Francisco, died at his home, 1910
Pine street. shortly after O'Clock
Sunday morning, December q. His
funeral was held Tuesday afternoon,
December %, at O'Clock, from Maso-
mic Temple, under the auspices of FL
deity Lodge, of which he was a MEM
Der. The funeral was an imposing one,
as 1t was attended by a host of the
veteran chiefs friends, besides. large
delegations from many societies, in
which the chief held membership.
Among these were the Masons, the
California Pioneers the Exempt Fire
men and the Association of Retired
Police Officers. There was also a heavy
escort of police, under the command of
Chief Whitman.
The contributory causes of Chief
Lees death were diabetes and aDscess
OF the ear The abscess first attacked
the chief two months ago, ana was
soon complicated by diabetes. The pa
tient was attended by Drs. Galwey,
Pardee and Morse, and so far recover
ed that he was able to be on the streets
week ago yesterday with his daugh-
ter, Mrs. Leigh. On last Monday night
he. again suffered from the abscess and
gradually grew weaker, although at
times he seemed to rally. He was full
ly conscious up to within a few hours
Of his death, and as late as last We'd
nesday evening he arose from mis- bed
and signed petition to Congress for
pension for the widow of ex-Chief of
Police John Mackenzie who was a We
teran of the Mexican war.
Oldham, England, was the birthplace
of l. W. Lees. He was born there on
December %, 1880. When he was aged
one year his parents removed with him
to Paterson, n. J. There Lees lived out
his youth and young manhood, work.
ing at his adopted trade of machinist
and engineer. On May 3, 1S49, he ar
rived in California with the early rush
of gold-seekers and was employed at
his trade in this city until October rs,
1888, when he was appointed a patrol
man. Within a few days ne was at
tached to the detective service, and on
July Is, 1856, was appointed Captain of
Detectives He remained at the head
of the detective service for nearly for
ty-one years, or until April Z, 1897,
when he was appointed Chief of Police
to succeed Patrick Crow.,y, retired.
On January /, 1900, Chief Lees was re-
tired, at his request, from active SER
vice, on the pension of a Chief. His
retirement was the result of political
the condition which had forced him
out of the department. He had hoped
to round out an even half century in
the police service of the city, and dur
ing the later years of his tenure this
was the one great ambition of his life.
At the time of his retirement he had
been a police officer for over forty
six years, a longer term than that serv-
ed by any other member of the depart
ment.
During the forty-odd years of his
service as head of the detective bureau,
Captain Lees as his old friends called
him to the end, established for himself
a reputation beyond and above that of
any other detective chief in the cOun-
try. He was known at home and
abroad as one of the most capable de-
tectives of modern times. He held the
confidence and esteem of police officials
throughout the world-for his work
was worldwide in its connections.
There was never a criminal case so
complicated and so hidden that Lees
could not run it out to some sort of a
logical solution. His mind was at once
comprehensive and analytical. The
ordinary tricks of a detective officer
were matters of rolte to him, and he
employed them only as cOnVeniences.
Above all, he was an investigator OF
the highest order, and therein lay the
secret of his great success in the de-
tective business.
He was an interchangeable worker, car
ing less for bodily rest than for the
early accomplishment of his ends.
Some of his men, more laggard than
he, often complained that he was over
working them. But Lees was working
harder than any of them, and the very
labor of which they complained was
making record for them as brilliant
and efficient officers.
The great criminal cases successfully
handled by Lees are almost without
number But perhaps the most emil
nent among these are the church MUIR
ders of Theodore Durrant and the
poison murders of Cordelia BotlSin. The
Durrant murders occurred in 1895, when
Lee was So years of age. He was in
Los Angeles when the case opened, and
it was several days old before he ar
rived on the scene. Durrant had been
arrested on suspicion, but the police
were stalled for evidence of guilt. Lees
took hold of the case, and when the
trial came on several months later, the
prosecution presented one of the
strongest cases ever made out against
an accused murderer.
The evidence that convicted Durrant
was but a portion of the evidence pro-
cured by Lees. The public was never
informed upon the hidden motives for
Durrant's crimes, or upon the secret
character of the man, but Lees knew
all that. He had penetrated to the very
vtals of the case, and there was not
a dark spot but was uncovered to his