Los Angeles herald., 1907-07-10
Police Arrest Head of
a Local Crime
Syndicate
Recover $4,000 Worth
of Loot in Mans
Rooms
Daring Criminal, Said to Have Perpe-
trated Countless BurgIarIes, Finds
Himself Trapped by Talk
atIve Parrot


steel clad room reserved for the most
desperate and important prisoners, is
Charles Young, alias Joe Nelson. alias
Adams, alias Cooper and alias dozen
other names, the leader of one of the
most daring and successful gangs OF
burglars that has ever operated in Los
Angeles.
Young has been prisoner since Sunday
afternoon. He is said to be guilty OF
more than fifty burglaries committed
within the past six weeks, the loot OF
which amounts to more than $4,000 OF
the stolen property the police have re-
covered something like $4,000 worth. The
balance has been disposed of through
various pawnshops and fences in this
and other cities.
Five other members of this gang, all of
whom are ex-convicts, are now being
sought by the police, and 1t is believed
that two or three of them will be In
custody within the next twenty-four
hours.
Young was arrested Sunday afternoon
on Broadway by Detectives Cook, Bot
torff and Ingram, working out of Cap
tain T. H. Broadheads office. He had
been under constant surveillance for
nearly three months, or ever since his
release from San Quentin prison, where
he had Just completed term for like
crime.
Promised to Be Good
When he first came to Los Angeles,
as is customary with professional thieves
he reported at the police station and
made the usual talk that henceforth he
was going to lead a straight and honest
life. The police. however. did not place
much faith in his story, and orders were
issued to keep watch on him.
1t was not long until he was found
consorting with five or six other ex-con-
victs, and then the watch was doubled.
Less than two months ago a series Of
burglaries commenced which the police
believed to be the work of this gang.
Robbery after robbery was reported
chiefly from rooming houses. family ho-
tells and office buildings. Acting under
the police rule that thief never knows
the police are after him for a robbery
unless tho news of it is printed In the
paper the reports of all these robberies
were suppressed.
In the meantime Young, with the ef-
frontery born of success in his chosen
profession of burglary, reported every
day or so at the police station and re-
lated where he had worked at this small
job or that; or explained he had this
or that position in sight. He told pitiful
tales of the struggle he was making
to stay in the straight and narrow path,
and all the while the police were gath
ering evidence of his completely in most
of the robberies which had been reported
Commit Fifteen BurgIaries
Saturday of last week, between 8 and
O'Clock in the afternoon, the gang, led
by Young committed fifteen distinct bur-
glaries, their operations being confined
to the rooms of lodging houses at Ninth
and Main streets and Eighth and Main
streets. Every room which was without
an occupant in these two buildings was
looted and a large amount of valuable
property, jewelry and money was Sc
cured.
1t was the robbery of rooms occupied
by Mrs. G. M. Ritchie in the building
at Ninth and Main streets which gave
the officers the cew for which they had
been looking. Mrs. Ritchie was absent
from her rooms for about half an hour.
While she was gone two men, of whom
Young was one, entered the rooms and
ransacked the place.
They secured pocketbook containing
small amount of money and had just
commenced work on a dresser in the
locked upper drawer of which was a
chamois bag containing $4,000 worth of set
and unset diamonds and other precious
stones when a parrot in the next room
began calling in a raucous voice, What
do you want? What do you want? Get
out Oh mere. NIeI OUT Ol mere
When this voice fell on the robbers
ears they were frightened off, and so
quickly did they leave that Young
dropped heavy, short bladed knife,
with which he was trying to force the
locks on the drawer This knife had
been seen in his possession by the police
at the station, and as soon as they saw
it in the room of Mrs. Ritchie they knew
that he was connected with the robbery.
Find Much Loot
All of Saturday night and Sunday Of
ficers Cook, Bottorff and Ingram looked
for Young, and they finally located him
Sunday afternoon in a rooming house
on South Broadway. In this room and
an adjoining one the officers found loot
to the value of more than $4,000, consist
ing of jewelry, silverware, watches, furs.
silk and various articles of rare and
costly bric-a-brac.
Pawn tickets and shipping receipts for
other property and packages supposed to
contain rich loot were also found. and
all of this will be traced as speedily as
possible.
In some manner the companions of
Young who had been working with him
learned of the arrest of their chief and
they have disappeared Word has been
sent to various police departments
throughout the western country.
Young, or Nelson, as he is best known
in Los Angeles, was last arrested here
three years ago by Patrolmen Jack
Mart and Andrews. These officers were
then walking the South Main street beat,
and at about 8 o'clock one morning they
saw Nelson and companion coming up