Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-05
NJ DONALD FACES
ANOTHER CHARGE
Alleged Daylight Burglar Must Go
on Trial Again in $1,000
Theft Case
ADDITIONAL WARRANT SERVED
Police Hold More Accusations in
Event of Former Telephone
Mans ACquittal
ADDITIONAL WARRANT SERVED

H. r. Mcdonald, charged with be-
ing the daylight burglar" who operat-
ed recently in Los Angeles, is to be
tried again following the disagreement
of the jury which tried him this week
and which was discharged because OF
its inability to agree after being out
thirty hours. Mcdonald also has
been served with warrant charging
him with receiving stolen goods.
During his trial on the burglary
charge Mcdonald testified that he did
not steal the silverware found in his
possession but that it was given to
him by a man named Thompson whom
he met in McCoy's saloon. Thompson
is unknown to the authorities who are
inclined to believe that he is a myth
cal person.
Mcdonald, who is about 26 years old,
has lived in Los Angeles six years. He
formerly was trouble" man in the
employ OF the Home Telephone COM
pany. He quit his work there, how
ever.
The authorities say that last summer
there was a period of three weeks that
daylight burglaries ceased In this city,
following a time when they had been
numerous They say that in those
three weeks Mcdonald was in Sacra-
mento and that similar crimes occurred
in that period in that city. Upon his
return to Los Angeles, 1t is averred,
daylight burglaries were repeated.
The specific charge on which Nc
Donald was tried was that he entred
the house of Mrs. Burton w. Smith, in
Magnolia avenue, and stole valuable
slVerware. If he should be acquitted
upon his retrial, he still must face the
carge of receiving stolen goods and In
addition, tie officers say they have
other hurglarles with which they will
charge him If he is not convicted on
the present cases.
Altogether Mcdonald is accused of
stealing about $4,000 worth of silver
ware. OF that, $1,000 worth has had
an odd history. officers do not give
the names in the case, but they say
that the silverware was made about
$50 years ago for a royal parsonage in
Europe. 1t came into the possession
of a rich Angeleno, Mcdonald, VINO
as "trouble" man, is said to have seen
1t and longed to acquire it, is alleged
to have used q set of skeleton keys
found in his possession to steal 1t. He
took the silverware, of japanese de-
sign, to an assayer, 1t is alleged, cleV-
erly avoiding pawnbrokers who are
forced to make reports of such trans
actions to the police, and asked him
to melt it and convert it into loving
cup. He is alleged to have told the
aSSaYeT IfldI WIGn nG anu Ills VIZ
were married they promised his moth
er-in-law loving cup as birthday
present but that he had been sick and
was out of money and could not buy
1t. The slverware, he is alleged to
have declared, was a wedding present
to him an dhis wife and as they had
no use for it, they conclued to convert
it into the promised gift.
The assayer, recognizing the value
of the silverware, persuaded Mcdonald,
1t is said to take a silver brick and $40
In money for 1t. Then the assayer'
whose daughter was about to be mar
ried and go to Manila with her hus-
band, gave the silverware to her as
O. wedding gift. Later the police told
the assayer that the silverware was
stolen and he had to cable to his
daughter in Manila for its return. 1t
is now supposed to be on the way
back to Los Angeles.