Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-20
POLICE HOLD
HARRIS ON
ROBBERY
CHARGE
Son of Late Attorney Ac-
cuSed of Boldly Loot
ing Safe in Store
MONEY IS FOUND
Prisoner Refuses Interview But
Says He Will Prove His
Innocence

N
| n the children of the late VIII A
- Harris, prominent member Of the
local bar who died a few years ago
was spread on the records of crime and
the police station yesterday afternoon
when Leslie Harris, second son of the
dead barrister, was arrested for rob
bng the safe of the MacFarland haber-
dashery at 217 West Fourth street OF
! $71S.
! Harris is in the tanks at the city
jail with the grave charge proved al
most concluslVely against him, accord
! ing to the statements of the police
! The complainant against him Is Don
| MacFarland, who states that he de-
tected Harris In his store and is will
| ing to appear against him In court.
The detection of the alleged crime re-
suited from mere chance. Proprietor
MacFarland and friend, Robert Joce-
lyn, were passing the store on their
way to luncheon, when MacFarland had
occasion TO enter his place of business
Just as he unlocked the door he heard
| the click of the door of the safe and
saw a dark form glide past the desks
which partly shield the safe from view.
Realizing in an instant that burg
larry was being committed, with rare
presence of mind MacFarland stepped
back, locked the door and told Jocelyn
to summon policeman Knowing that
| there is another passageway from the
cellar of the store to the barber shop
next door he hurried to the entrance Of
that place to prevent the escape of the
| intruder.
just as he had reached the exit from
the barber shop he saw Harris emerge
! from the haberdashery store, close the
door and stand for a few moments and
gaze intently into the window in q
manner devoid of suspicion.
| MacFarland a~proached Harris an0
asked the latter what he had been do
ing i'm the store. knowing that he was
not supposed to he I'm possession oi
keys and that he had no business il
the place.
Harris on being addressed stepped
back in a startled manner, but quiciSl.
recovered his composure and replied il
an angry manner: Il have not beei
in your d old store. How dare yoI
accuse me of entering the place"
Harris then shook his fists at Mac
Farland and turned and walked west on
| Fourth street MacFarland followed
and saw Harris turn the corner a
J Broadway and walk about a hundred
feet north. Then Harris turned, re
traced his steps and hurried into th'
o. r. johnson building. MacFarlanf
hurried up in time TO sec the elevator
gate close and the ear with Harris i'll
side start upward.
| In the meantime Jocclyn had told tht
circumstances to Patrolman John Rock
off, who was ringing in from a patro
box at Fourth and Broadway. Rockof
| Immediately related the story briefly t.
| tine central police station and was
hurrying to the store of MacFarland
when he met the latter. MacF'arlanIl
told the officer that Harris was in the
Johnson building,
Rockoff, reinforced by Sergt. Heath
fentered the building through the barber
shop. Patrolman Parker stationed him
self at the main entrance to the build
! ing. The latter, who is well acquainted
with Harris. had just taken his stand
when he saw the man wanted emerge
| from the elevator and start toward the
door.
Officer Makes Capture
Parker grabbed him by the arm and
asked him where he was going.
II did not do itl | did not do it,
exclaimed Harris in an excited manner
when he recognized the officer
Did not do WHAT" replied Parker.
THAT MacFarland job. was not in
his store and did not do it, said Har-
ris. He then made an attempt to break
away from the officer, but ceased strng-
CLING when he saw the latter reach to-
| Ndtu ms mp pocket
Harris was taken to the police sta
tion and questioned. He denied having
entered the MacFarland store and said
that the charges against him We're ah-
surd. He was taken into the Jail
stripped and searched thoroughly, the
officers finding but s35 on his person.
After the accused was locked in a
cell an officer returned to the store OF
! MacFarland and began Investigations
20 nt
Johnson building for the money which
had been hidden.
In the store it was found that the
| safe door had been left partly open AMI
the cash compartment was lying on the
| floor. Strewn about were checks for
amounts aggregating nearly $500.
The officers who searched the john
son building were assisted by T. ].
Quinn, an attorney, who, with another
attorney named Wharton and a WON
an, were in the elevator going down
from the fifth floor when Harris en-
| tered the car at the fourth floor. Quinn,
having keys to the lavatories. entered
the women's toilet on the second floor,
being followed by n. Larson, assist
ant engineer of the building, and a
! young man.
After an examination of the room,
Quinn found $103 on the ledge just be-
low the transom. He is facetiously re-
marked to the others that they would
find all the money they could and then
divided it up. While he was search
| ing the sill unded the transom the
young fellow who had entered the
place with him went into the mems
toilet and returned to where Quinn was
searching.
"I found more than 5000 in the GUS
pidor in that room," he announced, so
| guess l will keep it for my share"
"Why. you are not going to keep
that money!" said Quinn in surprise.
II was only joking about dividing up.
TO take the money would be larceny.
You must not do it.
No sooner had Quinn demonstrated
Continued on Page Two