The San Francisco call., 1904-04-25

SAN JOSE, April A.-DrlVen TO deS-
peration by his losses on the races and
| gambling, Albert p. Thorndike, q pop
ular young society and business man,
essayed the role of a masked robber
this morning to recoup his finances.
J at the Del Monte Social Club, we'll
known resort, he held up five of the in
mates, took a $1,000 diamond ring from
one of the proprietors and then filled
| his pockets with twenty-dollar pieces
/ from the drawer. In an hour he was
captured by the police. He had two
mortal wounds in his head and soon oc-
cupied slab in the morgue.
To enter upon this sensational career,
/ ThCrndike had left his wife and baby
in luxurious home on Stockton ave
nue.. His friends claim that gambling
! had driven him insane, and that for
/ the past few days he had not been him.
] self.
| The Del Monte Social Club is located
at Is South First street on the second
! floor of the Archer building. At 12:40
! this morning Th0rndike threw open the
doors of the place and entered. He
wore a red bandana over his face and
| a black slouch hat. A long gray al
paca duster and overalls made up the
rest of his disguise. In each hand he
| had a revolver and as soon as he got
| inside of the door he demanded Hands
up
Seated about q table were Jack
Gulltenan and William George, pro-
prietors. and Everett George ). P.
! Marten, Jack Kerr and man named
| Davis They thought the masked in
| truder was joking and some one told
/ him to get out. He came closer to
| them and in order to enforce his de-
mand poked two of them with his re-
volvers.
BANDIT TAKES RING.
The inmates of the place were then
| lined up with their hands above their
! heads. Reaching into a drawer of the
| table Thorndike filled his pockets with
| gold pieces and then expressed desire
! for a $1,000 diamond ring that glistened
, on the finger of William George The
ring was at once handed over and
placing it on his finger the robber
/ backed out of the place keeping the
men in the room covered with his guns
| No attempt was made to rob the men
| in the place, and the fellow did not
| sneak a dozen words. He went about
his work nervously. He had been in
| the clubrooms once or twice before, but
| his disguise was so complete no one
knew him.
When Thorndike reached the door
he ran downstairs. A minute later
Guiltenan had recovered his COM
posure, and, revolver in hand, started
down the stairs after the man. When
he reached the sidewalk Thorndike
was turning into Fountain allev and
Guiltenan fired his revolver to attract
the police The robber ran along
south on Second street and Guiltenan
followed at a short distance behind.
Turning up Third street Thorndike
ran into Policeman Theodore Sven
son at the corner of Third. The po-
liceman ordered the man to halt, but
he paid no attention and when the
officer tried to head him off he drew
his revolver and fired at him. Sven
son was not ten feet away and he at
once fired at the fleeing man.
FUGITIVE OPENS FIRE.
Thorndike fired three times and
each of the bullets went through the
tail of the officers coat. One of
Swensons bullets evidently struck the
man in the chin, for he was seen to
throw back his head. Another struck
him in the left arm. The fugitive was
running south on Third street and
when he was struck in the chin he
stopped and almost fell. He then
walked slowly into the yard of C. w.
Guilty OH the east side of Third street,
i'm the middle of the block. Swenson
fired the five shots in his revolver
and was without any ammunition.
BY this time large crowd had been
attracted by the shooting. Charles
Coons, hack driver, handed Sven
son a loaded revolver and the officer
took it and tried to find his man in
the garden. In the meantime the po-
lice had been telephoned to and Of
ficers Langford and O'Malley respond
ed A search of the ground of the
Guilty residence was then commenced.
Under a sort of porch in the rear of
the south side of the house the Of
ficers' lanterns showed the crouching
form of Thorndike.
Swenson commanded the man to
come out and the fellow responded by
shooting at the officer. Swenson and
Langford returned the fire. Again he
was told to come out and surrender.
I'm too badly hurt" responded
Thorndike, at the same time shooting
at the officers. This time Swenson
fired and the man was heard to groan.
In a few seconds the officers dragged
him from the place and took him to
the Receiving Hospital. He was still
alive, but slowly dying.
City Physician Harris was called.
He found Thorndike with wound on
the right side of the jaw, another in
the right temple, which passed out
on the opposite side of the head,
crushing the frontal bone, and bull
let in the right arm near the elbow.
At 1854 o'clock he died.
Chief Carroll tried to get a statement