The San Francisco call., 1905-04-09
FIRES A SHOT
At BARTENDER
Row in Rooming-House Ends
in Special Officer Hall
Wounding w. Springfield
CONFLICTING VERSIONS
Prisoner Declares That He
Acted i'm Self-Defense From
Man Who Was Drunk

Josiah Hall. a special officer shot
William Springfield. a bartender, in the
mouth at a rooming-house at $50 Mis-
sion street yesterday afternoon. Spring
field was taken 10 the Central Emer-
gency Hospital and Hall was arrested
by Policemen John ]. Tillman and
John l. Farrell. The prisoner was
taken TO the City Prison and locked up
pending the result of Springfield S
wound.
Hall and Springfield roomed in the
same house with their families. About
> o'clock yesterday afternoon Hall was
in bed and was awakened by screams
from his wife and daughter. He
learned that Springfield. who was un-
der. the influence Of liquor, had been
abusing Mrs. Hall and daughter and
had chased them into the street, where
Springfield beat Miss Hall She ran
4 into an undertaking establishment for
= protection.
Springfield returned to the house,
and by this time Hall had partly
dressed himself and had reached the
door Of his bedroom. He says he heard
Springfield shout that he would take
Halls gun and club from him and show
him what he could do. On reaching the
door. Hall says, Springfield made a mo-
tion with his hand toward his hip pock-
ct. and thinking he intended to pull out
a revolver the special officer fired the
shot at him. The policemen were also
informed that Springfield had threat
ened the landlady Of the house.
After Halls arrest the discovery was
made that he was an ex-convict. He
and HIS wife were each sentenced to
April p. 1899. on a charge Of felony en-
bezzlement. They embezzled diamond
ring valued at 500 belonging to A. L.
Eaton. They were discharged in 1902
Il appears that In the beginning OF last
year the management of the Empire
Theater asked the Police Commission
ers for a special officer, and recon-
mended Hall. He got the appointment
and a few months later, on September
2. 1904, was assigned to a beat in the
Mission.
While Springfield was lying on the
operating IA bic under the care of As
sistant Surgeon Kucich his wife made
the statement that when she and her
husband returned to their rooms they
found Hall. his wife and married
daughter, Mrs. Laura Anderson, emerg-
ing through the door. Mrs. Springfield
said she tried TO capture Mrs. Ander-
son, while her husband made an at
tempt TO capture Mrs. Hall, believing
that the intruders had burglarized the
rooms. 1t was then that Hall and
Springfield met in the lower hallway
where the shooting occurred.
Springfield's injuries are not neces-
sarily fatal, as the bullet after passing
. through the right cheek took an up
ward course and after fracturing the
left jawbOne lodged in the upper por-
tion Of the jawbone. where Chief Sur
seOn Stephen and his assistant, DR..
Glover found il.
Mrs. Springfield claims she saw Mrs.
Hall abstract the key from her door
some time ago, after which IS was
missing from her purse. The two fami-
lies have not been on friendly terms
since the Springields moved into the
house last June. Mrs. Springfield is
employed in q Sixth street restaurant,
while her husband tends bar at Meyers
saloon. Ninth and Mission streets. Both
are from Philadelphia and have been in
the city two years.