Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-21
GIRL VICTIMS
TURN TABLES
JOHN CHAMBERS ADMITS HIS
GUILT IN COURT
GIRLS LURED TO OFFICE BY
PROMISE OF WORK
Claims of Later Insult Lodged with
Police by Four Who Answered
FIattering offer-Guilty
Man Gives Ball

! John Chambers, said to be a travel
| ing salesman for an eastern concern,
and who has lived in Los Angeles with
his wife four months, pleaded guilty to
| a technical charge of vagrancy before
| Police Judge Frederickson, yesterday,
and was released under 5000 bond for
| sentence today.
Chambers was arrested by Patrol
man Bert Parker, Monday night, work.
| ing under instruction from Captain c.
| F. Dixon, in command at the central
police station. His accusers evidently
were four young women, whose names
| have not been made public.
According to the police, Chambers
represented himself as physician and
appeared at the employment agency of
Mrs. Hawley on South Broadway and
asked for young woman to act as an
office assistant.
"The woman must be young Cham
bers is alleged to have said, "and l
want her to answer the telephone, look
after my correspondence and assist in
| light operations. If the woman is past
thirty years old, she would not be as
quick to learn as a young woman.
Hence my request"
Made Improper Proposals
The employment agent arranged with
| five young women to meet Chambers.
The latter was notified and met two of
them, separately, at the Chamber of
Commerce building During the inter-
view, Chambers is alleged to have made
| improper proposals and to have con-
Quoted himself in an unbecoming man
| ner. He later met two other applicants
| and the same tactics are said to have
been employed. He then made an APP
pointment to meet the fifth young wo-
man at building on South Broadway.
| In the meantime, the four women VINO
had kept appointments with Chambers
complained of his alleged improper con-
duct to Mrs. Hawley and the latter
notified Captain Dixon. The latter set
| a trap and, instead of the young wo-
man meeting Chambers, the latter was
met by Patrolman Parker, placed under
arrest and taken to the office of Cap
tain Dixon, where, according to state
ment made by the latter, Chambers
freely confessed and states he was
actuated to do so by a sudden insane
desire for something unusual.
Victims Fear to Testify
The case was laid before Deputy
District Attorney Harry Alexander,
who issued a complaint charging
| Chambers with Vagrancy. slight
! hitch then was occasioned because of
|
factorily arranged by Captain Dixon,
who knowing that the witnesses could
be made to appear by process of court,
promised them they could testify in
| private and that he would withhold
their names from the public.
Chambers was taken into court and
entered plea of guilty Captain Dix
on then stepped forward and related his
talk with Chambers and told of the
alleged confession of the latter. When
he finished this testimony, he made
request that the witnesses for the pros
ecution be allowed to give their testi-
mony in private. This request was
granted by Police Justice Frederickson
and the two young women were taken
into his private chambers,
After finishing the private eXami
nation Justice Frederickson again re-
sumed the bench and Mrs. Chambers.
wife of the accused, was placed on the
stand as a character witness for the
defense. There, in the open court, she
told her story, which was interrupted
by bursts of sobbing.