The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-06
Resort on Jackson
Street Involves
Health Board
New Facts to Be
Presented to the
Grand Jury

1t is not only since the establishment
and opening of the house OF evil name
at $40 Jackson street that Mayor
Schmitz, his brother Herbert and his
keeper Abe Ruef, have showed by their
deeds their interest in the welfare of
the plant of vice. 1t was not only the
Police Department and the Board of
Public Works that were ordered to
make the way smooth and the slope
gentle that led to Jackson street. The
first hand to be turned to aid the Of
fetal family was that of the Board of
Health When the scheme of vice was
first conceived, and long before the den
was opened, in 1904, the Board of
Health turned its machinery to work
for the vicious purpose of the admin
istration.
On the site of the house at $40 Jack
son street was three-story Chinese
den" building, known in the satire
of the Barbary Coast as the palace
Hotel" 1t was gathering place for
tourists, who could see the emaciated
Chinese smoke their opium pipes and
the Orientally degraded whites take
t"shots" of morphine. But the loca-
ton was set apart by Ruef and his
men for viler purpose than that. 1t
was deemed an ideal place for a broth
el. To get the property cheap the
Board of Health condemned the Palace
Hotel" Then, to make 1t cheaper for
the administration, the Board of Health
had the house demolished and sent the
bills to the city. These facts were
known to the Adams Grand Jury and
were incorporated in the report of that
body.
Health officer D. F. Raglan, faithful
follower of Schmitz and Ruef, assisted
by the no less faithful Assistant Health
officer, DR.. Hassler. reported on the
Palace HoteP' as unsanitary, and it
was condemned
When the construction of the munich
pal bagnio was undertaken, the Board
of Works proved its loyalty to Ruef
and his Mayor by facilitating the erec-
ton of the structure in conformity
with the wish of the official builders
and owners, which, of course, did not
conform with the law. Herbert Schmitz.
president of the Board of Works, is the
man accused before the Grand Jury
on Tuesday as an owner of the estab-
lishment. The part played by the Board
OF Health in the matter is about to be
investigated by the Grand Jury.
The conspiracy of the Police Depart
ment to help along the Mayors pocket
money venture is illustrated further by
I the raids made by the department on
other resorts of similar character ex-
/ listing prior to last April BILLY" Fin
I negan, one or the partners of the adj
ministration in the dive, would pass
I the word around the tenderloin that
/ II the girls" would leave other places
and come to $40 Jackson they would be
! immune from arrest Not line of CO.
! ercion and persuasion was left I'M
tapped by the administration.
Detective Harry Dyer of Seattle, who
/ brought Paul Heudiara, Herbert
/ Schmitz's accuser, from Washington to
this city to appear before the Grand
/ Jury, is to produce other witnesses of
equal Importance to discomfort the ad
ministration.
Herbert Schmitz the reputed owner
of a fourth interest in the brotheI
loudly denies that he was involved
! in the nefarious traffic in women s
shame. He says that he never was
about the place. He says that he is a
victim or mistaken identity-or, per-
haps, of malicious gossip.