The San Francisco call., 1906-10-03
Orders Dragnet Of Police Out
for Thugs and Crooks.
Mayor Determined
to Rid Oakland of
LaWleSsness.

put an end 10 the reign of crime which
last night in the shooting
of PatrOlman w. L. HOdglxins by a foot
pad, Mayor Frank X. Mott this morn
ing took personal charge of the sftua-
tfon AID issued orders that the entire
city should be dragneted, and every
known thief or other person whose
presence is a menace 10 the preserva-
tion of order in Oakland either ar
rested or forced to leave the city. The
Mayor has ordered that gamblers, petty
saloon hangers-on and habitues
Of disorderly resorts be given limited
time In which to leave the city. and If
they refuse TO land them In the City
Prison.
Mayor Mott, on behalf of the admin
istration, said this morning:
The terrorizing of citizens and the
attempted murder of policemen has
gone just as far as we intend to allow
it to go. We shall put stop to it,
even If every department of the city,
government is crippled to bear the ex-
pense- Our police department is at
present handicapped by lack of men,
but this reign of crime will be stopped
if the Board of Police and Fire Com
missioners is compelled to appoint 500
men to patrol the streets of this city.
GETTING MORE POLICEMEN.
Twenty-Five more police officers will
be appointed this week, and this will
give us more men to work with. but
whether this is or is not large enough
number, we will stop the work of these
criminals and thugs if we have to arm
every responsible man in the city of
Oakland and form a volunteer police
force"
.'. i. nodgAlns, the patrolman who
was shot last night, is today resting
as easily as could be expected. The
bullet from the weapon Of the thug
which was a thirty-two caliber auto
matte pistol. struck Hodgkins in the
left breast, shattering the breast bone
and breaking two ribs, and finally
lodging in the muscles of the back
Early this morning the bullet was re-
moved by DR.. o. d. Hamlin. 1t missed
the lung. and if complications do not
set in Hodgkins wifi recover.
Early this morning patrolmen who
had been sent to search the scene of
the shooting in the hope of finding some
clew which would lead TO the discovery
of the thug found a black silk hand
kerchief folded in such a way as to
have evidently been intended for use as
mask, and a piece of bandage, close
to the fence of the Sacred Heart Con-
vent, where they had evidently been
thrown by the footpad. The finding of
these articles sets at rest all doubt as
to whether or not the man who shot
Hodgkins was footpad prepared for
the commission of crime.
BELIEVE THUG WAS HURT.
Bernard Ransome. president of the
Ransome Construction Company, in
formed the police this morning that
shortly after the shooting of Hodgkins
he saw the thug at the corner OF
Boulevard Terrace and Harrison street
reloading his revolver. He held the
weapon in such a way as to lead Ran
some to think that he had been wound
ed After reloading it he continued
on in the direction Of the Piedmont
power-house and disappeared.
Within two hours after the shooting
of the patrolman, the police had gath
cred in a number of suspects, all OF
whom answered more or less to the de-
scription Of the thug, but all of them
were able to convince the authorities
that they were not the man wanted
While the police were searching for
the man bold attempt was made to
crack a safe in the office of Edward
F. Delger, in the Delger block at Four
teenth and Broadway. The cracksmen
gained entrance through the window
of an adjoining office, and were at work
on the safe when noise made by
them attracted the attention of the ian
itor of the building
The latter at once started on tour
of investigation through the building
and hearing him approaching the safe
crackers took to flight, breaking a win
dow through which they escaped into
the hall, and from there made their way
to the street
1t is believed that one of the thugs
who has been operating in this city
is in jail in the person of John Deasy
who, arrested for drunkenness, ha.
! been charged by Lem Tang, a China.
man, with robbery. Deasy in company
with some man who has so far es
capped the police, held Tang up anc
took a bundle which he was carving
AS Tang attempted to give an alarm
Deasy's companion ran from the
shadow of a nearby building, flashed
star. and, telling the Chinaman thai
/ he was policeman, pretended to plac,
f Deasy under arrest.
Later Tang told the story to Patrol
man McCready, and the latter, locating
Deasy from the description given
placed him under arrest.
i To aid in ridding this city OF tn,
criminals who are giving the police 81
much trouble, the City. Council ha.
passed TO print under suspension of tn,
rules an ordinance authorizing tn,
Board of Police and Fire Commissioner
to appoint two additional detectives anc
i've additional sergeants of police.
CONDUCTOR Is HELD UP.
Frank Smith, conductor in the EN-
ploy of the Oakland Traction Consoli
dated, reported to the police today tha
while on his way to turn in his day.
collections at the Telegraph avenue cal
house he was confronted by a foot
pad, who covered him with a revolve
and ordered him to throw UP his hands
Smith obeyed, but an Alcatraz avenu'
car came in sight apd the footpad low
4 I,se rIr
conductor took advantage Of the op
portunity TO escape, and running bacl
a few steps. picked, up handful o
stones, and began to pelt the footpad