Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-02
ACCUSE LAD OF
DARING CRIMES
HOLLYWOOD OFFICERS MAKE
IMPORTANT CAPTURE
NUMEROUS 5URGLARIEs AND
HoLDUPs CHARGED
Youth Said TO Have Made Full Com
fession-camp Located After Pro-
Ionged Search Had Proved
Unsuccessful

IhOmDSOn
Hollywood shortly after o'clock sat
urday night an important capture was
made, and the man who has terrorlzed
Hollywood, Colegrove and other towns
in that section is in the Los Angeles
county Jail.
The capture of Watson was an acci-
dent The officers were trying to trap
a gang of hoodlums who were creating
a disturbance at Vine street and Santa
Monica avenue by placing cartridges
on the car tracks, thus endangering the
lives of persons in that vicinity as well
as the occupants of the cars. The hood
lum clement had created an unusually
violent disturbance, which resulted in
the destruction of a large plate glass
window in Pearson's drug store.
Thompson and Howell sought to con-
ceal their presence from the rowdies so
as to catch them all together. They
stepped behind a large pepper tree in
the rear of Heron's grocery. AS they
did so they trod on man lying pros
trate on the ground The man sprang
up. and when questioned by the Off
GERS stated he was one of the gang
and was waiting for them. lie was
warned not to cause any further dlS-
turbance and allowed to go. Instead
of going in the direction taken by the
rowdies he started in the other direc-
ton This aroused the suspicious or
THOMPSON and Howell and they over
took him, overpowered him and found
two large revolvers on his person. lie
was placed under arrest, brought to
Los Angeles and placed in the county
jail.
About an hour previous to the cap
ture of Watson, w. A. Castanien,
real estate dealer, left his office at
Cover and Santa Monica avenue. He
returned a few minutes later, and as
he was about to enter his office a man
stepped from the doorway and thrust
the muzzle of a revolver in his face,
ordering him to throw up his hands.
Instead of complying with the COM
mand, Castanien turned and ran down
Santa Monica avenue. Finding he was
not pursued, he stopped and started TO
return to his office. AS soon as he
halted the robber fired and a bullet
whistled over Castanien's head. After
firing at his intended victim the high
Wayman seized a suit case that had
been dropped by the real estate man,
ran down the street and disappeared IN
the darkness.
An examination of one of the revolv-
ers taken from Watson shows that the
gun had been discharged recently and
an empty shell was in the cylinder.
At the county jail yesterday Watson
was put through a thorough sweating
process by Deputy Sheriff Tom Quinn
say Watson made a complete confess
sion and that the mystery of the nu-
Inerous robberies in Colegrove and Hol-
lywood has been explained. Although
the authorities of these two towns
have been working on the various
burglary cases for almost a month
they had made but little headway, and
they are greatly relieved now that the
man responsible for the reign of ter
ror has been apprehended.
According to the officers who Sweat
ed" Watson, the youthful burglar con-
fessed to being the man who robbed
the drug store of George c. Pearson
at Vine street and Santa Monica ave-
nue. the night of October II, when a
small hole was cut in pane of glass
in a rear window, enabling the rob-
Der to unlock the catch and obtain en-
trance. On this occasion the thief,
after stealing a quantity of toilet ar
ticles, chewing gum and combs, en-
tered the pool room adjoining the drug
store by unlocking a rear door with a
key taken from the drug store. The
cash drawer in the pool room was torn
from its fastenings and $5 taken from
it. When the robbery was discovered
the following morning the proprietors
of both places found the door keys
missing.
More Hurglaries Worked
After much questioning, Constable
Holden says Watson admitted enter
ing the home of George c. Pearson
during the absence of the family, Oc-
tober 25, and stealing a quantity of
clothing, consisting of a raincoat, sew
eral shirts. a dozen neckties, some
quilts and the ekys from several DOORS
The same night, according to the Of
ficers. Watson entered George Ken
nedy's grocery, across the street from
Pearson's drug store, which had been
gIO hot
goods valued at $15, besides a door
key
Two nights later. according to his all
legged confession, Watson went back to
the drug store. The glass in the win
dow had not been repaired, but the
window was closed by being nailed.
Watson secured hammer pried out
the nails and opened the window in
the same manner as on his first visit
After taking a quantity of various ar
ticles he entered the pool room by
means of a key taken from that place
upon his former visit. He secured 81
in silver and a quantity of pennies.
The same night he entered Roemig' s
grocery at Nordica street and Santa
Monica avenue and secured S. in pen
nies and 81 in postage stamps.
Then, say the officers, Watson made
a visit to the home of man named
Murphy, who lives in a small house at
Cover street and Santa Monica ave-
nue.. A quantity of food was taken.
Reveals His Camp
Although the officers who were
searching for the man responsible for
these robberies had fully decided that
he was camping, as the thefts of food
and bed clothing indicated, they were
unable to locate his hiding place. Yes
terday Watson revealed his hiding
place, which was a canvas shelter in
an unused portion of the Hollywood
cemetery. Here the suit case which
had been taken from Castanien's of.
flee was found together with a guam
tity Of the goods taken from the drus
store and several dozen pocket knives
which had been taken from the Hol
lywood hardware store a week ago
The cutlery was in paper sacks, and
Watson is said to have told the Off
GERS he lost several knives by one o.
the sacks tearing.
In addition to robbing the stores o
Kennedy and Pearson, Watson is ac
cused of passing worthless checks OF
both men, the amounts being SO IL
each case.
According to the authorities Watson
disposed of the pennies taken in hi
robberies to the penny arcade on MaiI
street, selling them at a discount O
20 cents on the dollar. Some of thu
pennies were spent by the accused maj
In viewing the penny-in-the-slot pic