The San Francisco call., 1908-11-18
Captain Kelly Resents BungIing
of His Chief in Pistol
Demonstration
Head of Police Makes Reckless
Attempt to Prevent Full
Investigation
Effort to Exclude Burns Is
Blocked by the District
Attorney

AttOi uCy
Chief Of Police William J. Biggy
made a foolish and reckless attempt
yesterday to prevent a fair. complete
Investigation into the death Of Norris
Haas. Francis j. Heneys assailant who
died from gunshot wound received at
the county jail Saturday night, while
in the custody Of the head of the po-
lice department
Attended by a very young attorney
J med j. J. Webb. Biggy went to the
demonstration conducted by Coroner
Leland al the morgue The object Of
the demonstration was 10 determine
whether or not the derringer found
with Haas body could have been con
cealed in his shoe. The effect was TO
prove the incompetency Of Biggy, and
in his panic the chief tumbled into the
hole dug for him and all but vanished
from sight
District Attorney Langdon declared
the actions Of the chief and his attor
ney TO be the most amazing, appalling
conduct" he had ever seen.
STILL OBsTRUCTs BURNS
Biggys object seemed to be to pre-
vent Special Agent William J. Burns
Of the graft prosecution from taking
any part in the investigation. His
actions yesterday were in line with the
remarkable Intellectual orders he is
sued TO prevent Burns from interview
ing Haas at the county Jail. and in that
way trying TO shield the men who
prompted Haas TO shoot Heney.
The audacity OF the chief took Dis
trict Attorney Langdon and Coroner
Leland off their feet Langdon directly
charged Biggy with desiring to curtail
the Investigation, and the coroner was
forced to comment: The chief Of police
IS not on trial"
& During the investigation the lack
Of wit Of the chief was so pronounced
that Captain Of Detectives John Kelly
felt obliged 10 call him ID fool
. A thorough demonstration was made
yesterday before the coroner's jury and
held Thursday morning at 20 o'clock.
APPEARS FOR MRS. HAAS
Joseph T. Seymour Jr., a mysteriously
engaged attorney from Los Angeles,
appeared at the investigation as the
personal representative Of Mrs NJ
Haas. widow Of the deceased. Seymour
said that he was engaged to defend
Heney ia Judge Lawlor's court. He
declined 10 say Who had employed him.
but declared that it was not frater-
nal organization. With the death OF
Haas the widow became the mans
client II il is shown at the coroners
inquest that Haas committed suicide
and that his wife smuggled the weapon
60 him. she viii be subject to prosecu-
tion on a felony charge.
The demonstration yesterday did not
prove that Haas carried the weapon IN
his shoe. 1t showed thar the derringer
could possibly have been squeezed into
the gaiter, but If il had been there the
bulge Of the pistol could easily have
been detected on even d superficial eN-
animation made by Biggy's men. Biggy
tried TO bring out that there were
marks on the ankle of the deceased. but
Autopsy Surgeon Clark said that the
slight discolorati0n was due TO post
mortem causes and could not have been
made by the pressure Of the weapon
Il was shown that The elastic of the
gaiter was more than usually strong,
which would have made it well nigh
impossible for Haas TO have carried the
weapon in his shoe from the time he
left home prior 10 his attack on Heney
until the hour Of his death, d period of
IS hours.
sKEPTICAL OF SUICIDE STORY
The jurors seemed skeptical of the
suicide story told by the police, and
from the trend Of the questions they
asked yesterday it was evident that
they would demand the fullest investi-
cation and that the efforts of Chief
Biggy to curtail the examination of
Witnesses, If repeated at the inquest,
would result in the CHIEF getting the
shortest kind Of shrift It is possible
that the jury viii recommend that he
be punished for his dereliction Of duty
in the Haas case
The demonstration yesterday was
held at 1870 o'clock. There We're pres
ent Coroner Leland Chief Deputy Cor
oner John Kennedy, Autopsy Surgeon
Clark, District Attorney Langdon, Spe-
cial Agent William J. Burns, Chief
Biggy. Police Commissioner Cutler
Captain Kelly. Captain Thomas Duke,
Detective Sergeant Thomas L. Burke,
Detective Sergeant Charles Con- OF the
district attorneys Office. Policeman
Charles +. Kelly son OF the captain,
and others.
HAAS BODY VIEWED
Coroner Leland had the body of Haas
carried into the court in the rear OF
the morgue. He explained that the
wound IN the head Of the deceased was
made by a pistol dischtged with the
barrel of the weapon held closely
pressed against the forehead lie went
into the nature Of the wound in detail.
Then he Instructed Detective Burke,
who was guarding" Haas at the time
Of the tragedy. to place the pistol in
the shoe, which had been put on the
half clad corpse. Burke, assisted by
the oficious Biggy, placed the weapon
inside the gaiter. But they neglected
TO pun the trouser leg down over the
bullying pistol. That was the cue for
Captain Kelly.
Leaning over intervening spectators
-r-I-f-~,rr-rtF fha of Rigax-