Los Angeles herald., 1905-08-16
LONG BEACH TRUSTEES THINK
DAVIES INNOCENT
SEEK RED HAIRED SUSPECT
Friends Of r. s. oakford Indignant
Because Of Treatment Accorded
Him by Hearst's Los An
geIes Examiner

City MARSHAL COnkltnS nome at IOnt
Beach Thursday morning and the at
tempt to burn the mayors house il
deepening and the general sentiment o
Long Beach citizens and the officers
who are making Investigations is thai
the guilty persons have not been ar.
rested.
Slowly the citizens are coming to the
belief that the action by the three
trustees, aided by District Attorney
Frederics. in pursuing other clews
in the face of the evidence against
Davies is a sober and wise action and
confidence is expressed in their theory,
The utter failure to ascribe a plausible
motive to Davies is cited as evidence
that he is not guilty, and the belief is
gaining ground that Davies is being
made tool for others who are guilty,
but hold higher positions. The sensa-
tion promised by the trustees when
ever their suspicious are verified is
expectantly awaited.
Mysterious Mr.. Brown
1t was asserted yesterday that the
third suspect who is being sought by
Detective Gilbert is a man named
Brown, who it is said was an intimate
friend Of Mrs. Olive M. Hurley, who
caused the arrest of Davies. This
Brown is stranger to Long Beach cit
izens, and the only clew the officers
have to work on is that he had red
hair. Consequently, the auburn haired
brigade in Long Beach yesterday were
all under suspicion. This Brown has
not been located and the officers are be-
ginning to doubt that he exists except
in the fancy of Mrs. Hurley.
On the contrary, the three trustees
are quietly pushing their investigation
and have employed another Pinkerton
detective. and it is proposed to make
the investiga ton as thorough as pos
sible, regardless of whom it affects.
One trustee said yesterday that the in
vestigation would be thorough if it cost
his fortune, as he did not propose to
live under the insihuations which have
been made that any of the trustees
were guilty of melting the perpetrators
because of politics.
Davies Case Totters
AS the days pass and fail to bring to
light further developments which were
expected to connect Davies with the
dynamiting of Conklin's home and the
attempted burning of the mayors home,
public confidence in his guilt is becom-
ing shaken and tendency is now noted
to accept the theory of the trustees that
one or more persons in official positions
are the real plotters, if not the perpe-
traitors of the outrage and the motive
therefor is freely expressed as an at
tempt to force sympathy for certain
officials.
1t is also said that District Attorney
Fredericks is inclined to the belief
that Davies cannot be convicted of the
charge and looks to the result of the
trustees investigation with faith that
It will furnish solution of the prob
lem. The failure yesterday to secure
damaging evidence against Davies and
the lack of any plausible reason for
him to commit either the dynamiting
or incendlary outrages and the failure
to connect him in the slightest degree
with the attempt to burn the mayors
home are accepted as fatal defects in
the case against him as it is now
made up.
Citizens Determined
That the Investigations will be
pushed to a definite result is not doubt
ed The general feeling at Long Beach
is that the guilty persons must be
brought to punishment and the lack
of funds to prosecute the investigation
will not be permitted to interfere.
Friends of the contending political
factions in the city government hold
to half a dozen theories, but the DOM
inant party in the board of trustees is
holding to the one theory as hereto
fore published in The Herald, that per-
sons high In position are the real plot
ters, IL not the perpetrators. of the
outrages and because of this belief the
investigation will not be permitted to
lag.
One of the trustees expressed the
hope that his suspicious would prove
unfounded. because of personal reasons,
but determinedly asserted that person.
al reasons would not interfere in the
slightest with the investigation and
public exposure and prosecution OF the
guilty persons when the guilty persons
are known.
"YeIIow journalism"
Great indignation was expressed by
citizens OF Long Beach yesterday when
they heard of the story published by
the Los Angeles Examiner rejecting
upon the character Of r. S. Oakford,
chairman OF the police and sanitary
committees and leader Of the opposi-
tion TO Mayor Emo in the board OF
trustees. Mr.. Oakford is one of the
leading business men OF Long Beach
and reputable citizen. and his friends
were much wrought up because of the
publication of the story after Il was