Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-28
BURNS ARRESTS
FIVE CLERKS IN
HIS OWN OFFICE
WHOLESALE THEFT OF EVIL
DENCE ALLEGED
OFFICES OF UNITED RAILROADS
AND CALHOUN RAIDED
San Francisco Graft Prosecution
Charges Records of Langdon's De-
partment Were Stolen-Big
Sensation Results
tBy Associated Press. ]


CiAN FRANCISCO, March 27.-Five
men were arrested this after
~ noon and locked in separate cells
in the city prison accused OF conspir-
ing to secure confidential records ana
transcripts of evidence of value to the
defense in the graft cases from the
private office of the district attorney
They are:
Rex. N. Hamlin, confidential en-
ploye of District Attorney Langdon
and for two years private secretary 10
Detective William ]. Burns; A. l..
Mckinley, William Corbin. E. A. Pratt
and Jerry Van Wormer.
After his arrest Hamlin broke down
and made a confession of his part in
the affair. He was the only man IN
the district attorneys office who pos
sessed a key to Burns desk and also
the combination to the SAFE
1t is alleged that Hamlin, for a con-
sideration of 5000 a month, has been
in the practice of transcribing rec
ords and documents he thought would
be of Importance to the graft defense
and turning them over to Mckinley,
who is declared to have acted as go
between.
Burns Suspicious
About two months ago Burns be-
came suspicious of Hamlin, and since
then he has been allowed to handle
nothing of Importance.
Platt is alleged to have sold reports
of investigations of members OF the
Jury panels in the graft cases, and the
others are said to be implicated as m
termediaries in the matter.
Following the arrest of the five men
accused of conspiring to secure CONN.,
Dental papers relating to the graft
cases from Langdon's office, the Office
of Patrick Calhoun, president of the
United Railroads, as well as the ad-
joining rooms occupied by his legal
staff, and the general offices of the rail-
road company were forcibly entered
and searched tonight by detectives sent
by the district attorneys office.
Luther Brown, head of the railroad
detectives, and James Handlon, claim
agent of the company, were arrested on
warrants charging them with larceny,
and warrant issued for tho arrest of
William M. Abbot, assistant general
counsel for the company, on a charge
of receiving stolen goods.
The raid on the legal offices in the
Balboa building was conducted by Po-
lice Detective Thomas Murphy and AS
sistant District Attorney Harrison.
Earl Rogers at Door
Accompanied by dozen plain clot es
men of the staff employed by WI j.
Burns, special agent connected With
the graft prosecution, they appeared
before the door.
+ 81 - Tn1l fc sol In
the bribery trial. answered their knock.
He refused to admit them, claiming
that the search warrant they present
ed was not entirely sufficient for the
search.
The detectives broke through the
glass panel in the door and entered
the room, where they searched every
desk and box they found.
Meanwhile they had summoned aid
from police headquarters, and thirty
or more bluecoats jostled elbows with
a couple of dozen detectives and spe-
cial agents in the halls while the ran
sacking of the rooms proceeded.
After glass door had been shattered
Rogers and Stanley Moore, also of
Calhoun's counsel, who, with several
other attorneys, were in the offices.
made no further objection.
Big Crowd Present
The policemen, detectives, news
papermen and sightseers who had
made their way into the building.
thronged the rooms, trampling the
broken glass under foot. The searchers
proceeded from room to room with
some members of the railroad legal
staff always on watch beside them,
and not drawer or safe was missed
in the eye of the detectives.
At the Oak street car barn, where
the general offices of the company are
located, the search was equally sys-
tematic.
AS the combination to the safe could
not be obtained the lock of the strong
box was forced and every paper inside
looked over.