The San Francisco call., 1910-12-14
kilograms Dispatched to Ap-.
prehend Man Thought to
Know Whereabouts of
Missing Bullion
ASSAYERS CANVASSED
FOR TRACE OF FILINGS
E. L. Smith Still Declares His
Innocence, but Is Nam
After Attorneys Call
to See Him
CHARGES PROBABLY BE
SWORN TO THIS MORNING

1T NCOURAGED by the difficulties
the police are encountering in
producing absolute proof as to
their being members of the gang which
looted the steamer Humboldt of
$57.5OO in bullion last September. E. L. {
Smith and wife and the Woodson
brothers are making desperate efforts
to regain their liberty.
A writ of habeas corpus was OBJ
tanned by the quartet yesterday
through Attorneys Bloch and Michael
and Nathan C. Coghlan, and it is re-
turnable at 1880 o'clock this morning
before Superior Judge Cabaniss 1t
will be contended by the defendants
that they are being held without right
and that they have committed no
crime. No formal charge has yet
been placed against the prisoners, but
complaints no doubt will be lodged
against them this morning to prevent
their escape through habeas corpus
proceedings.
1t was practically determined by the
United States district attorneys Of
fee yesterday that the prosecution
should be handled by the state If
the federal authorities we're to con
duct the case it would be necessary to
establish jurisdiction, and this would
be rather difficult because Of the un-
oarfa ~ n o. e. ;-,.t --bo,.o -, n -~rl I,,f
lion was stolen and the pig lead sub
stituted Under the federal laws the
maximum penalty is one year in prison
or a fine of $1,000, or both. There is
a state law, however, which makes il
felony to bring stolen goods into the
state, and the maximum penalty for
this is 10 years in prison.
On Trail of Meditth
Harry Mof1tt, chief operative OF the
United States secret service here. said
I yesterday that he had turned over to
case 1t was as a result of Months
vigilance that the gang was located
and 1t was only when the time had ar
rived TO make the arrests that the po-
lice were called into the case Mof-
fit yesterday received from his SUI
I periors at Washington a telegram con-
graduating him on his successful
handling Of the case.
All day yesterday the police were
keeping the telegraph wires hot in an
effort to run down Richard Meditth.
the Seattle mining man. and others
who have been under suspicion in con-
nection with the bullion theft That
Meditth knows more OF the case than
has yet developed is indicated by the
contents of the code letters which were
found in Smiths room.
Use Code in Jail
That the Smiths and the woodsons
are well versed in criminal matters was
demonstrated by the facility with which
they communicated with each other in
the city prison. BY means OF tele-
graphic code IN which the characters
are made by tapping on the metal of
the cells, Smith and his wife have
talked back and forth ever since they
were taken to the city prison Sunday
night.
Smith has also been communica ting
with the woodsons and consented to
have them make confession that they
acted as Smiths agent IN selling the
gold filings
Nearly all of the higher class crimi-
mails are able not only to communicate
by means of a telegraphic code but by
the deaf and dumb language as we'll
Smith has made admissions since his
arrest and removal to the city prison
TO the effect that he had $4,000 on his
person when he was first taken into
custody, but declares he used $500 OF it
in bribing his guards in order to get
word to an attorney and to obtain
drugs.
Woman Wanted to Confess
While the prisoners were being held
incommunicado in Months Offices Mrs.
Smith intimated that she would make a
full confession II Smith would At her
suggestion one az the guards wrote a