The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1905-06-05
Constable wilkins Shoots
Frank King and a Blood
thirsty Mob Tries Fran
tically to Lynch Officer
BREAKS DOWN DOORS
AND CLUBS RESCUERs
Crowd at Garibaldi Guard
Outing at Shell Mound
Park Become FreIzied
and Several Are Injured

To save brother officer from be-
ing beaten to death, Constable Ernest
= Wilkins shot Frank King dur
ing drunken row at the pic
mic of the GaribaIdi Guard at
Shell Mound Park yesterday. A
riot followed and wilkins was chased
through the grounds by furious mob.
Two shots were fired after him and
knives CLEANED In the hands of many
of his pursuers.
The constable darted into a club
house. where Captain L. Siebe. the pro-
prietor of the resort. and Oscar Dammer
blocked the door. The crowd burst
through, but wilkins had made his
escape. Cheated of its quarry. the mob
attacked the two men. Dammer was
beaten on the head with the butt
of revolver and seriously wounded.
j. Armstrong, the constable, whom VIII
kins had tried to save. was trampled
upon and his unconscious body was
kicked by the furious crowd.
King lies at the Receiving Hospital at
Oakland near to death The shot pene-
trated his abdomen and there Is little
chance for his recovery. He is team
ster and amateur prizefighter. sometimes
called the Congo Kid. Constable Arm
strong is also at the hospital in a dan
gerous condition. Constable Wilkins is
in the Alameda County Jail
The trouble began in the dancing pa
vilion at Shell Mound. Constable Wilkins
ordered King and Louis Luchetti from
the place. The pair jumped at him and
began to thrash him. Wilkins shouted
for assistance and Armstrong came to
his rescue. The latter was struck from
behind and the crowd. began to thicken
around the two officers
III get you-you,' shouted King and
he rushed at Wilkins. The constable
drew his revolver and report rang out.
King fell with a shrek
Instantly the crowd was. in a tumvlt
The pistol fell from wilkins hands and
he took TO HIS heels. Two shots were
fired after him and the furious mob fol-
lowed him.
Pickets were torn from fences, rocks
were rooted from the earth1by members
of the mob as they ran. Lynch him,
Kill him. was the cry.
LIKE A PACK OF WOLVES.
In the crowd were many red-shirted
members of the Garibaldi Guard and a
sprinkling of hoodlums belonging to
what is known as the Telegraph Hill
gang. They were all for the moment as
bloodthirsty as; a pack of wolves
wilkins knew this and ran with all his
speed. He darted into the clubhouse
Wnere siebe and Dammer were dining
with some friends. Help he painted
Siebe and Damuer boited the door and
flung themselves against it. Yelling like
maniacs, the crowd outside attacked It
with clubs and rocks and iron bars In
less than minute the heavy door was
down and the mob burst through
Dammer, who had been shooting at the
range. pointed his rife al the mob Be
fore he had time to speak the hrearm
was wrenched from his hands and he was
hurled to the floor and trarnpled upon
While he was down he was struck on the
head with the butt of a pistol.
The crowd swarmed through the club
house in a vain search for wilkins
Chairs were torn to pieces and frenzied
members of the mob seized them for
clubs.
When the crowd was sure that wilkins
had escaped 1t searched the grounds for
Armstrong. When he was found he was
knocked down, beaten. dubbed and
kicked until it seemed certain that he
was dead.
The alarm was given and a posse of
Oakland police hurried to the scene. Be-
fore they arrived, however. most of the
rioters had left. King was taken to the
Oakland Receiving Hospital on train.
The mob completely terrorized the en-
tire grounds, and after the riot the place
looked as though ii had been swept by a
cyclone. Buildings were wrecked and
fences torn down.
wilkins gives the following version of
the shooting:
While King, who was among the
crowd that had attacked Armstrong, had
me clinched and was smashing me with
his right fist, reached for my pistol. in
tending to try to club him with it. The
crowd had damned in on me, and in Tie
rnixup the pistol was discharged. King
was hit and he staggered away. TIE
shot scattered the crowd, and as the men
gave way1I got out, losing my weapon.
SEVERAL SHOTS FIRED.
Just as ] made my way out there
were two other shots fired, but who fired
them do not know. AS soon as possible
left the park and went to the County
Jail. The shooting itself was not inten-
tional. I was trying to use the pistol as
club
King was incoherent when questioned
at the hospital He said: wilkins held
the gun against my stomach and shot
me-"
DR. r. S. Stratton and the hospital
staff of surgeons operated on King last
night. Not much hope was held out to
Kings relatives.
King Is native of Portugal. He resides
at Norton street, near Filbert street
and Montgomery avenue. He Is employed
by the Trans-Continenta Freight Com
pany Wilkins is a deputy under Consta-
BILE Bert Hampstead and is regularly en-
ployed as a peace officer at Shell MOUND
Park.
UNKNOWN MAN DROPS DEAD