The San Francisco call., 1910-10-13
TOO Many SLEUTHS
SPOIL The SEARCH
Unwieldy Force of Detectives
in Los Angeles Causes
General Confusion
By PAUL SINSHEIMER

For a week I have been in Los An
geles seeking for The Call such infor-
nation as might cast light on the
wrecking of the Times building. When
l left Is bodies had been taken from
the ruins section of charred wall
remains to be dismantled. A dwindling
heap of ashes and debris is still TO be
explored. It may give forth new vic
Tins. 1t may offer some shreds of evil
dence.
The story of the disaster has been
succeeded in interest by the hunt for
the guilty The search has been con-
Quoted through the regular police
channels, through a special agency or
ganized by the municipality of Los
Angeles, through a bureau created for
the purpose by the southern CONNER
cial community and through the pri-
vate detective systems and individuals
without end-attracted by the ample
proportions of the reward. The news
papers of Los Angeles have. chosen
rather to commit the search to these
agencies than to undertake separate
Investigations.
MUTU ALLY CONFUSING
The result has been what it could
not escape being The multitudinous
efforts toward the common end have
been mutually confusing. The tramp
of detectives has been as the approach
OF battalion.
The tangle of clews has been dill
gently unwound, but ever have the
threads snapped on the reel or led the
pursuers to new mazes. The sale of
the powder at Giant is the one tangible
fact to which all cling tenaeiously as
the foundation on which to build.
Though there has been no apprehen-
sion Of the guilty. there has been no
lack of arrests Upon arrival in Los
Angeles three days after the crime 1t.
was bew.ldering to learn that 20 per-
sons had at that time been locked up,
suspected of completely in the plot.
The number now has mounted to so.
This unusual collection of citizens is
listed under the generic term of "sus-
poets" which has now come to mean
those fincarcerated for previous misbe-
havior, but not known to have had any
connection with the Times tragedy.
CHIEF LACKS EXPERIENCE
is under the direct supervision OF Chief
Galloway. a retired railroadman. ven
erable, respected. but confessedly un-
familiar with police duties and meth
ods. II is told of him that when one
of the bombs was found about the city
he proposed to cart it to the station in
his automobile A patrolman inter-
cedcd. ripped open the explosive and
threw it, already smoking, into the
street, where it tore great gap in
the curb.
Paul Flammer, captain OF detectives
in the southern city. brings to the Of
flee an unusual degree of inteiligence
He has an average corps of assistants.
but the placid life in the orange belt
has initiated against the speed that
the chase demands.
The Times explosion came at a most
dramatic moment. Labor and capital
in Los Angeles were at each others
throats. The week had been set apart
for two conventions-one the state fed
Grafton of labor, the other the Ameri-a
can bankers association. On the eve
of their assemblage the building at
First street and Broadway was de-
stroyed
ACCUSATIONS
Differences of long standing found
their outlet in most bitter accusation
en- both sides To fhe Times, or,v