The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-10-29
HUSBAND HAS WIFE
JAILED FOR CRIMES
Former Actress Accused by Son
of Wealthy Farmer After
Arrest for DesertiOn

OAKLAND, Oct. 2S.-Mrs. Myrtle
Gipson, formerly an actress with the
James Hackett company. who has
charged her husband with desertion,
was arrested this afternoon at her
apartments in the oxford house. 610
Fourteenth street. on suspicion Of hav-
I ing committed numerous thefts. The
husband. Clarence L. GIBSON, member of
a wealthy Pasadena family, is also a
prisoner, but has been able to give bail.
GIBSON is charged with failure to
| provide under the new felony law. His
wife came to the police for the first
time last week, when she reported that
Gipson had taken her to see the Tues
day Portola parade in San Francisco,
| had led her into dense crowd at Third
and Market streets and slipped away
from her side. She waited three hours
for the man to return, she said; re-
| turned to her apartments that after
noon and learned that Gipson had been
/ there and had taken his clothing away.
HUSBAND REVEALS THEFTs
| Mrs. Gipson was without money, she
said, and the police took up her case. A
| warrant was issued for Gipson's arrest
and he was caught at Pasadena Tues
This morning he reached here with
| Constable Austin of Pasadena, a former
| police captain of that town, and
straightway GIBSON opened his family
| skeleton closet to Captain of Detectives
| Petersen.
GIBSON alleged that his wife had COM
mitted theft at the Portola restaurant
in San Francisco. That. he declared.
brought on a quarrel in which his wife
| twitted him with having disagreed
with his father and having been COM
PEELED to take work at Los Angeles as
a teamster. The incident across the
bay made Gipson inquisitive about his
wifes antics before he was married to
| her. He said that he was soon con-
WINGED that she was a thief and feared
that she would be detected. He grew
anxious to leave the wife, whose arrest
at any time might put him under sus-
picion of being a thief, SO he planned
the desertion of which she complained.
WOMAN DENIES CHARGES
| When this recital had been heard the
police commenced an investigation.
Gipson obtained his bail of $500 and
| took lodgings at the St. Paul house,
Twelfth and Clay streets. He kept from
! sight this afternoon, for he told Cap
| tain Petersen that the woman had
| threatened to shoot him during their
do So
Detective Green was detailed to work
with Constable Austin, whose motive in
coming to Oakland was to obtain arti-
Giles which Chief of Police Ward of
Pasadena suspects were stolen in that
| city and in Los Angeles.
STOLEN ARTICLES FOUND
! The constable and the detective found
Mrs. GIBSON, who accompanied them to
| the police station Captain Peterson
| told the woman OF Gipson's charges;
! that she had stolen with the reckless
ness of a kleptomaniac before her we'd
ding; that she had carried silver ware
away from a San Francisco restaurant;
and that in a quarrel she had admitted
that she looted Los Angeles places.
All this Mrs. Gipson Indignantly de-
MED. She accused Gipson of making
| false statements in revenge for his ar
rest She even consented to the officers
| making search of her apartment. This
was done. and suit case filled with
silk. towels and napkins bearing the
marks of hotels, and silver ware and
glassware from various hostelries was
taken to the police station. Then Mrs.
Gipson broke down and confessed that
she had committed numerous thefts at
Los Angeles.
wOMAN's HARD LUCK STORY
Lawrence Barry, an actor who died a
few years ago. She herself was on the
stage, travelling as Myrtle Barry, and
played the role of Nancy in James
Hackett's last production Of The Cri-
sis"
Ill luck came upon her with the
death of her husband. Not able to re-
tain her theatrical work, she was
obliged to become a cashier in a Los
Angeles restaurant While so employed
she met GIBSON. who. being in disfavor
with his family, was working as a
teamster in the same city. Mrs. GIBSON
admits that she took silver ware from
her employers and from hotels, and
that the silks found in her room were
stolen from Hamburger's store at Los
Angeles.
Mrs. Gipson is 80 years of age. Her
husband is the same age. and 1t is said
that he has been twice married, his
first wife divorcing him in Pasadena
He is the son of S. E. GIBSON. a retired
farmer residing at 305 Linden avenue.
Pasadena. His case, failure to provide
will be called tomorrow morning in the
police court. His wife. against whom
no formal charge Is made, Is being held
at the city jail awaiting the filing of
complaints.