The Topeka state journal., 1908-12-01
BIGGY BROWNS.
San Francisco Chief of Police
Falls Overheard
While Crossing the Bay in a
Launch.
ONE MAN WITH HIM.
Engineer of Craft Only Other
Person on Board.
All Efforts TO Find the Body
Have Failed.
e MAN WITH HIM.

| San Francisco, Cal. Dec. 1.-Wll-
| liam J. Biggy for over a year chief of
| police of this city, was drowned in
the bay last night and his body has
not been recovered. Chief Biggy was
returning to the city fom Belvidere in
| the police launch f'Patrol' and when
| the boat arrived it was discovered
| that he was missing though Engineer
| William Murphy the only other occu-
| pant of the boat, did not see him fall
| overheard.
| According to Murphy's story, Biggy
! entered the launch on this side of the
| bay, about O'Clock in the evening
and made the trip to Belvidere, where
| he went to the home of Police Com
| missioner Kiel, a resident of the
suburb and spent some time in con-
ference with the comm hissioner 1t
| was nearly IL o'clock when he re-
! turned to the launch and the return
trip was started. The chief came to
Murphy in the engine room and COM
planned of feeling i'll from the motion
of the boat, which was very notice
able. The engineer advised him to go
to the cabin at the stern, where it was
cooler, and Biggy presumably followed
this advice. A little later Murphy
looked toward the stern of the boat
side vomiting. The engineer did not
again look in that direction until they
were close to the city, as his attention
was occupied with the handling of the
inform Biggy of the reason for a slight
delay occasioned by the passage of a
ferry boat and discovered that the
chief had disappeared.
Murphy hurried to his berth near
the harbor station and reported that
the chief had fallen overheard and
was lost. A party at once set out to
search the bay and this was kept up
all night without result.
Biggy was appointed to his position
in September, 1907, by Mayor Tay-
1or. At that time Biggy, who had
held several political offices including
that of state senator from San Fran
cisco and later president of the police
commission of this city was elisor in
charge of the person of Abraham
Ruef, the ex-political boss of the city,
who was under arrest in connection
with the graft Investigation.
Since the suicide of Morris Haas,
the assailant of Assistant District At
torney FL. Heney and who shot him
day after his attempt to kill Heney in
Judge LAWYERS court room during the
present trial of Ruef, there has been
great hard feeling between the chief
of police. and the graft prosecution.
Out of this have grown many charges
and intimations showing the attitude
of the anti-graft forces toward Biggy,
and charges of Incompetence and
failure to properly guard his prisoner
were pending against the chief be-
cause of the fact that Haas had a
pistol with which he killed himself
in prison. Biggy replied with similar
charges against Captain of Police
Duke. who with Detective Burns
searched Haas in the court room and
Detective Sergeant Thomas Burke
who was in charge of the prisoner at
the Jail; but none of the charges has
yet been investigated. Chief Biggy is
survived by his second wife from
whom he was estranged, and a daugh-
ter. His first wife died many years
ago.
The police commissioners met at 6
O'Clock this morning and appointed
one of their number A Dieutler, chief
of police to fill the vacancy caused by
the death of William Biggy who was
drowned last night in the bay off
Altcaras island. 1t is understood that
the appointment is only temporary,
pending the choice of a permanent
chief.
The waters of the bay and the
shore lines are being thoroughly
searched, but the body of Chief Biggy
has not yet been recovered
Police Commissioner Kiel issued a
signed statement today relating the
circumstances connected with the visit
of Chief Biggy last night to his Bellevi-
dere home, The commissioner had been
notified by telephone to expect a visi-
tor, but no name was given in the
message. When the chief arrived he
complained of feeling cold and was Civ
en- a stimulant. He was very despond-
ent and complained bitterly of being
bounded by newspapers. He refused an
invitation to remain all night instead of
returning to the city in his launch