The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-02-13
Police Officer Insults
Woman in Street
Pet of Schmifz Regime Faces
Serious Charge and Loss of
Star for OffenSe


Accused of having insulted Mrs.
Catherine Lane of 1914 Turk. street as
she passed him Sunday evening on the
street. Thomas f. Wren, favored pet of
the police department under the regime
of the schmitz adnlinistration, whose
pull has kept him on the force on at
least two previous occasions when Sc
rious charges were preferred against
him, faces summary dismissal
In charges which he filed with the
police commission yesterday Captain
Duke of the park police station. stated
that Wren had followed. Mrs. Lane to
her home and had grabbed hold of her
rs she slammed the gate in his face and
was only driven away when George
Taylor and his wife, whose home is
next to that of Mrs. Lane, came outside
in response to her screams.
Mrs. Lane is both young .and pretty.
She is employed as cashier in a Meal
lister street restaurant, where her hus-
band works during the night, and was
going home alone when the insult was
Offered. Seen at her home last night,
she was reticent concerning the affair
but finally told of wren's actions.
II would never have told any one of
the occurrence, said she, 'ff my hus-
band and friends had not convinced me
that it was my. duty to report it to the
heads of the police department L dis
like publicity very much, but il can
,..fs+ -, ~, ,o,,ptzhr,av,t of tbe t,r,,ta
who insulted me ! am willing to set
aside my own feelings.
Il was on my way home shortly after
o'clock and passed policeman lean
ing against the wall of q building at
Turk and Broderick streets. Hello, lit
tie one; where are you .going?" he said
to me- I paid no attention and was
about to pass by when he stepped out
and seized me by the shoulder. I'll
put YOU where you can't run around at
night If you don't answer my ques-
tions.' he said. saw he was drunk.
and, breaking away from him, ] ran as
fast as could toward the front steps
of my house, When I entered the yard
he again caught hold of me, and utter
ing words which 7 can not repeat. tried
to drag me out and down the street.
suppose should have been roughly
handled had not my neighbors ran out
to see what was the matter
Taylor was the first to reach the
scene. Letting go his hold of Mrs.
Lane, the officer started down the
street An effort to make him tell his
name was met with curt refusal, and
an oath and Taylor turned his atten-
tion to Mrs. Lane. who was nearly
fainting from fright.
The identity of the offending onicer was
established through the number of his
star 252, which his victim was thought
full enough to note. When confronted
by Wren at the station Mrs. Lane pos
itively identified him as her tormentor
The officer did not deny that he was
the right man, but attempted to explain
away his action by saying that he had
mistaken the woman for another whom
he had warned of the street. He denied
having been drinking.
Under the rule of ex-Chief of Police
Dinan Wren gained much notoriety
through acts he committed while under
the influence of liquor. Charges were
preferred against him once for drunk
enness and unofiicerlike conduct, and
again for Handwriting to the bar railing
in q saloon an inoffensfve customer
who refused to buy him drink.