The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-12-13
Ii BEUF AND HIS
DRIVER CLAIM CARS
Dispute as TO Ownership OF
Autos Causes Arrest of K. S.
Smith as Accomplish
Hale Brothers Auditor Says
EmbezzIement Is Partly Cow
cred by Surety Bond

OAKLAND. Dec while the
books OF Hale Bros department store
ave being examined by experts 10 as
certain the accurate details OF the
$40. 600 ernbezzlement TO which the
cashier. Alfred Alphonse lie Beufs con-
fesSed last night. his chauueur, X ;.
smith. occupies a cell IN the CITY JAN
under suspicion Of completely in the
rhefts.
Two costly automobiles which both
men claim. and ina which festive night
rides were made 10 roadhouses by
cashier and chauffeur, have come I'M
der police attention The dispute as
10 the ownership of these two cars
Il Peerless and a Gtlde-has caused
The disclosure that the machines were
~ tho name Of lie Beuf, that lie Beut
naid The monthly rental for storage 10
ne White company in seventeenth
street and that Smith. the chaHeur
received $500 from lie Beuf, who ao-
Mrs that the money came from the
treasury OF the Hale Bros. store This
circumstance led 10 Smiths arrest
IL REUF KNOWN As "PLUNGER"
Having been put on the trail Of the
confessed defaulter, the police scanned
his environments from morning until
after nightfan yesterday. Ihey hao
been informed that the Hale company
had learned Of lie Beufs losses at the
FmeryviIle racetrack- which were 50
heavy that the cashier earned me
sobriouet Of the piunger among the
racing men. The police also were m
formed that the investigation OF lie
Peurs books showed him TO be IN sus-
pfcious straits and that the company
had suspended the cashier Tor playing
the races.
-
snents yesterday the police found him
riding ia an automobile after leaving
Hsle's. Then the police auto was i'm
pressed. and the machine in which lie
Reuf was piloted by Smith was fol-
lowed until nightfalL Then came word
70 Detective St Clair Hodgl1ins 10 ar
rest lie Beuf. and Smith too. was
raken into custody. The police wished
70 know about the auto.
Further investigation showed that
the Peerless was the machine in which
I,e Beuf made his runs to EmeryViiie
each afternoon. He would have smith
call al the store. step into the auto,
make a quick run TO the track ana
remain only TO place bet on long
shot This was his procedure all TINS
week during which the cashier was
irving 10 win $4,000 on one bet that
he might replace the company coin
and retain what he could
ATTEMPTS TO WIN FORTUNE
These spectacular attempts TO win
fortune in one coup resulted, according
70 lie Beafs confession. in the depart
rnent store being mulcted Of $1,000 this
week Indirectly il led TO the appre-
hension Of the cashier and Of his chauf-
feur. for book makers and gamblers. Il
IS said. took notice of the young man
who suddenly appeared each afternoon
end placed tremendous bets. coming in
an automobile and casting money
against fate without apparent scruple
Tales began % be told and soon many
knew that on one occasion lie Beuf
played $500 on q single horse which
was running at odds Of 500 10 81. Had
fe won that bet his populations would
have been covered.
lie Beuf, however according to the
racetrack men. lost that bet as he was
losing others daily The previous week
he lad bet on long shot and won
s.. O00. bat sent that back into the book
makers Golfers in a vain endeavor to
recoup his whole losses. In time these
reports came 10 the ears OF the Hale
Brothers managers.
Auditor r. j. Carpenter was put To
work on the books, and the full result
today is that four cases of felony en-
bezzlement are ready for action. On
Monday. it is thought. complaints viii
be sworn TO. and the prosecution viii
be conducted by Attorney Lin S. Church.
FOUR CHECKS WERE "RAISED'
The four cases in which evidence is
said TO be complete are all Of checks on
the Central bank being raised by LIE
Beuf. The full amount embezzled in
these four instances is said to be $4,000.
Against these preparations which
threaten the young plunger with the
penitentiary is the attempt by his wife
and his brother. Adrien lie Beuf. TO save
him from the consequences of his con-
fessed defalcations. An attorney named
Kelly Of San Francisco is said to have
been retained. The expenses of this
defense viii be met by Adrien, who is
the proprietor of the Oakland walters
club.
OF the entire amount taken only
Se7445 has been recovered. lie Beuf
was arrested by Detective Hodgkins at
the Metropole bar. and Smith was taken
into custody at the same time. because
the police suspected connivance at es-
cape between the two men. In the
automobile was found a suitcase con
tanning A change Of clothing. a suit and
a trife less than 81 600. This morning
that money was turned over by the po-
lice TO Auditor Carpenter for Hale Bros.
lie Beuf signifying his desire to make
that part OF his peculations good. It is
ali the money he had available of the
total amount stolen. the police say, and
left free with that lie Beuf probably
would have left town.
BOTH CLAIM COSTLY AUTOS
lie Beuf in his confession has made
only one statement which casts sus-
picion on HIS chauffeur, that being the
declaration that he had given Smith
$500 Of the embezzled funds. Smith
admitted 10 Captain of Detectives Pc
tersen that he had received the pay
ment from lie Beuf. bur averred that he
did not know whence the money came
Then came the investigation as to own
ership OF the automobiles.
lie Beuf declared that the autos were
his property. Smith asserted that he
had them placed in lie Beufs name be-
cause he feared losing them for pay
ments due In the face Of this ap-
parent inability to complete the pur-
chase Of these machines. the police
have ascertained that the two men
were making arrangements to buy a
third-a Stearns. They kept the Stearns
in the White companys garage last