Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-11

double, he walked down there. Just
as he reached the corner he felt some
thing tugging at his coat sleeve and
heard little voice at his side holler
you're Mr.. Raffles. 1 got you; I've
got you; you can't get away from mel
Looking down he saw a little brown
haired newsgirl. She was bare-headed
and she shook her brown curls and her
bright brown eyes flashed with excite
ment as she cried i've got him! I've
got Raffles!"
Carried by Mob
Senior Pla turned and laughed at her,
protesting that he was not Raffles, but
the newsgirl would not let him go.
The crowd gathered around and the
people packed in a solid mass at First
and Main streets, filling the streets
until traffic was impossible, closed
around him and shouted, He's Raf-
Aes!"
In broken English Pla tried to protest
and his protestations were taken as
part of the disguise.
You bet that guys Raffles. Don't
you let him go, kid. That's a stall of
his-that funny talk. He's trying to
fool you," shouted a newsboy in the
throng, and Hold on to him!" "Stay
with It'll" "Take him to The Herald!"
make him pay up!" and hundred
OlHtIS VI lHe SdlHS KIM came from all
sides. The result of it was Senor Pla
was picked up and carried to The
Herald office.
Il did not take a step-they just
pushed me along and my feet were off
the ground most of the time" said he
when relating his adventure at The
Herald later.
Roaring Mob Holds Victim
When the crowd reached The Herald
Office the little girl with her victim
held tight, marched into the editorial
rooms with nearly two thousand men,
women and boys crowding after her.
All that could get into the business
office and the editorial rooms did so.
Broadway was blocked by the overflow
mob. They climbed on the desks and
tables that they might have the pleas
ure Of seeing Raffles "pay up" and
those who could not find better places
straddled the partitions.
1t was a roaring bowling mob that
would make a mob scene in a melo-
drama look like Sunday school picnic.
Newsboys shouted "pay upi" The
little girl kept up her It's Rafhes; l
got him." and the crowd packed tight
er as more came from the outside.
The Spaniard kept protesting in
broken English that he was not Raffles,
and then some one shouted, Tell the
crowd who you are!"
Hes trying to give you a bum steerl
Don't you believe him; he's Raffiesl"
came from the incredulous crowd.
When the crowd was finally quieted
the identity of the victim was an
nounced. Then there We're three cheers
for Senior Pla, three cheers for Mr..
Raffles and three cheers for The Her
aid. At least partially satisfied, the
mob crowded toward the door.
Another Double Caught
The office had only been half cleared
when a second crowd almost as large
as the first came surging through the
doors and Mr.. Van CleVe of "The Yam
kee Tourist" company at the Mason
was pushed to the front and offered I'm
exchange for $1,000 reward offered for
the capture of Mr.. Raffies. Some en-
terprising individual had decided that
Mr.. Van Cleve was the original and
this crowd was quite as hard to satis-
fy as the other.
Senior Pla remained behind and con-
sented to let The Herald PHOTOGRAPHER
snap him. The newsgirl, who was
Sarah eWeneir of $50 East Fourteenth
street, also remained, not yet satisfied
that her captive was not Mr. Raffies.
Hes the second Mr.. Raffies I've
caught. Don't / get something for