The San Francisco call., 1908-05-01
HIGHER UPS FEAR
POLICE ACTIVITY
Organs of Grafters Turn Mud
Guns on Captain Petersen
of Oakland

OAKLAND. April S0-The hired
newspapers of the San Francisco
higher ups" are hammering away at
the Oakland police department. par
gfe's Tribune and Harrison Gray OTIS
Los Angeles Times are in full cry a1ter
.fsaptain of Detectives w. ]. Petersen,
whose activity in trying TO get TO the
bottom of the Gallagher dynamltlhS
has displeased them. Their latest at
tack on Captain Petersen is re-
exn1oitatfon of an absurd statement
concerning him, first published and
then retracted by De Young's Chron-
icle. Tonight Dargie loudly reprints
Otis vicious attack on Captain Peter
sen, whose chief offense In the eyes
of the Calhoun press appears to be
his honest desire to get evidence that
will disclose the plotters who i'm
periled seven lives in an attempt to
blow James L. Gallagher out of ex-
istence.
But, unfortunately for the higher
ups" Captain Petersen is not the kind
of man to be swerved from the path
of his duty by anybody's mud singing.
He has a long and honorable record
for personal and official fearlessness;
he is no respecter of persons when he
has police business to do. No matter
to whose door the trail of the dyna-
miters runs. Petersen will follow it.
Captain Petersen took prompt and Wig
orous charge of the Gallagher case
and, in spite of the industry of the
detective bureau of the San Francisco
higher ups" in confusing the situa-
tion, has made substantial progress
in his Investigations. He has secured
evidence enough, as he and others of
the Oakland force believe, to warrant
the arrest and detention of Fred Will
helms, the suspect who recently bought
10 pounds of dynamite. Captain Peter
sen has been practically following up
his cIews to Wilhelm's connection with
the dynamiting. Almost at the outset
his inquiry led him in the direction
of a prominent employe of the United
Railroads, and as soon as he was seen
to be heading that way the mudguns of
the San Francisco higher ups" were
turned loose on him.
Captain Petersen said today that he
welcomed fair newspaper criticism of
his work, If 1t deserved to be criticised.
He did object to the unfair and ma
licious inventions published about his
utterances and his efforts to solve the
explosion mystery
That these attacks are born in mall
ice and viciousness I can well believe
when I learned today that the sour
rliouS and Ill founded rot published in
the Los Angeles Times was sent anony-
mously to my mother" declared Cap
tain Petersen. "a person who would
thus carry on a dirty fight would not
dare come into the open, for 1 assure
that wretched coward that self-re-
straint would be stretched to the
breaking point with me if I should
learn his identity. So far as the VIII
helms case is concerned, am trying
to do my duty as police officer of
Oakland. And I do say that, no matter
where this case may lead me, shall
not hesitate to enforce the law. At
tacks of the character of which I have
been the target will not deter me.
"At this time there is nothing to be
said as to the departments investiga-
tion. 1t will be continued until a case
IS made out. or we are satisfied that
the evidence required cannot be OBJ
tanned"