The San Francisco call., 1909-11-11
TOO MUCH WORK IS
DEFENSE OF OMAN
Witnesses Assert That Gaspipe
Thugs Kept Former Police
Chief Very Busy
Effort to Prove That He Had No
Time to Attend to Other
Criminal Matters

The red deeds of Siemsen and Dabner,
the gaspipe thugs, were spread upon
the record yesterday in defense of Jere-
miah Dinan. The spirits of the muir
derers who died by the moose, the dark
days of crime in the fall following the
big fire, the disheveled condition of
the city-all these were conJured up
that Dinan might stay on the force.
That question viii not be decided until
Friday, however Some testimony re-
mains to be taken, including that of
Father Terence Caraher who was the
chief witness against Dinan before the
grand jury.
Francis J. Heney and Robert Harri-
son represented the district attorney s
Office in the prosecution. They have
set out to prove Dinan guilty of mis-
conduct in his attitude toward the OBJ
jectionable resorts that thrived under
his regime The defense is being con-
Quoted by Lewis +. Byington. Com
missioner Sanborn is not sitting with
the other members of the police board
as he was a member of the grand jury
before whom the evidence was first
adduced. The decision will be rem
dered by Commissioners Leggett, Cut
Ter and Sweigert.
S<AI AzAl4S
The prosecution introduced the testi-
mony given before the grand jury in
November. 1906, by Captain John Mar
tin. in which he stated that he had in
formed Dinan, then chief, of the open
ing of the notorious establishments at
$40 Jackson and 712 Pacific streets.
1.-The questions that We're asked of
this witness arc trifiing,' broke in BY
ington.
were district attorney" replied ,Harri-
son.
Il never asked such questions" re-
torted Byington.
"Yes, you did," said Heney Il re-
member upon one occasion, at least,
when 1 was witness before the grand
jury
Heney referred to the incident fol-
lowing his famous speech in the Me-
chanics pavilion in 1905 when he de-
clared that he knew Ruef to be cor
rupt. He was subpenaed before the
grand jury, questioned by Byington,
then district attorney. but declined to
divulge his information.
The prosecution also introduced in
evidence the reports of Policemen Hurd
and McQuaide, who had notified the
central police Office of the opening of
the disorderly houses.
DEFENSE BEGINS CASE
In the absence of Father Caraher the
last witness of the prosecution. the
defense began the presentation OF it's
case. Captain Colby. Captain Ander-
son, Captain Gleeson, Detective Harry
Reynolds, Detective Ed Wren and Chief
Jesse Cook all gave testimony to the
effect that Dinan had been considered
an efficient officer before he became
chief
The captains and detectives stated
that Dinan had been busily engaged on
the Siemsen and Dabner murders at the
time of the opening of the Jackson and
Pacific street dives. Byington endeav-
ored to make the point that Dinan was
too busily occupied with the gaspipe
cases to give his attention to other
matters.
The case will hinge largely on the
disputed questions whether Dinan per-
sonally saw the report from the dis
trict that the resorts had been opened.
They were stamped by the chiefs Of
fee, but the defense is endeavoring to
show that the stamp may have been
placed on the report by Frank Nor
man, who was Dinan's chief clerk
The hearing will be continued Friday
afternoon at $50 o'clock.