The San Francisco call., 1904-02-25
FOOTPAD HOOPER RETRACTS
HIS FLIMSY "CONFESSION"
Says He Wove the Fabric of Fasehood in Order to Joly
the Law Officers Who Questioned Him in Marin County
Ja--He and Carson Held for Arraignment Next Friday

and a reward for his capture is still hanging
over him.
But there is at least one grain of
truth in Hooper's confession" That
portion of it relative to the attempt by
Carson and himself to rob the shoe fac
tory at Petaluma was confirmed yester-
day, when Superintendent Cline in
formed The Call that a number of his
employees saw the buggy standing at a
nearby corner last Saturday and a
strange young man (probably Carson)
prowling about the factory. Before he
was -ent to the penitentiary Hooper
worked in the factory, and at that
time the employees were paid every Sat
urday. Since then the payday has been
changed to Wednesday,
HELD FOR ARRANGEMENT.
SAN RAFAEL. Feb. 24.-Austin Hoo
per and shorty" Carson have been
held in $4,000 bail each to answer the
charge of holding up" Shannon's sa-
loon at West End last Sunday night.
The preliminary hearing of the two
young crooks took place to-day before
Recorder Murray. Neither of them Of
fered any defense, and they were not
represented by counsel Only two wit
nesses were called-William Shannon,
the saloon-keeper, and James Grow,
who was in the saloon when it was
raided These men positively identified
Hooper and Carson as the robbers.
Late this afternoon Judge Lennon
had the men brought into the Superior
Court. He appointed E. B. Martinelli
to defend Hooper, While James K. Haw-
kns was chosen to look out for Car
sons interests. Hooper, at his own re-
quest. was arraigned, but asked that he
be allowed several days in which to
plead, and Judge Lennon fixed Friday
morning at 1O;3O as the time for en-
tering plea. In Carsons case the de-
fendant asked that his arraignment be
postponed until Friday morning, which
was granted.
A complaint has been sworn to in Sau-
salito before Justice Pryor charging
Hooper and Carson with grand larceny
at the saloon of Antoine Lawrence, but
District Attorney Boyd will try the
Shannon case first. 1t is believed that
before the trial comes UP Carson will
plead guilty. but Hooper vehemently
asserts he will give the authorities a
run for their money
MATERNAL LOYALTY.
Mrs c. T. Hooper, mother of Austin,
came down from Petaluma this morn
ing and had long interview with her
son. She is a wealthy woman and it is
believed she will furnish money to de-
fend him She did not hesitate to say
he was thoroughly bad, and asserted
she had given him every chance to be
decent. but he had caused her much
trouble for many years. She said:
Yes. Austin is bad. though he has had every
reason TO be otherwise. We were always indul-
gent with him and offered him all the advan-
tages Of education. II was our plan 20 send
him to Yale. but very early in life he gave us
trouble He was in the lone Reform School
and later in San Quentin. When he left there
on January Is last he came home and prom
ised US he would be good boy. They say he
wss in the Colonial Club robbery, but he was
at my home the night that occurred He left
Petaluma last Monday. ! did not want him to
90 for ] knew he would meet some of his old
companions and get into trouble again. l be-
lieve the boys intentions all right but in
bad company he is weak. While / have given
up hope of reforming him / can't desert him in
this hour of serious trouble.
Hooper's first crime was the stealing
of boat in Petaluma. With several
companions he organized a band of
creek pirates and invaded number of
clubhouses. shooting preserves and cab
ins along the river. For this he was
sent to the reform school, but made his
escape and was never taken back.