Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-14
PLOT TO D|SHONOR
WELLBORN FOILED
PeephoIe Is Found Bored Over
Desk of Police Com
missioner
HAND OF ENEMIES DIVULGED
Spies Known to Have ShadoWed
Official Since Charges
Against Dixon

person had cut hole through the cell
ing of his office room for the purpose of
spying upon him. An investigation
showed that the hole was not due to
any telephone or electric light wiring.
That the work was done Tuesday night
was shown by the fact that in spite OF
the care exercised and the cleverness
shown, little of the plastering dropped
on the chair before his desk, and 1t Is
the custom of the janitors at the build
ing to clean the offices shortly after the
closing hour. The chance discovery of
1t led to the discovery of the hole In
the ceiling.
Mr.. Wellborn's friends are convinced
this is merely the most recent move on
the part of certain persons intent upon
discrediting him. He has been shad-
owed and harassed for several weeks,
and his friends believe that the chance
discovery yesterday reveals plan to
spy upon him, as some attempt was be-
ing made to compromise him.
Wellborn arrived at his office, b26
Stimson building, shortly before .
o'clock Yesterday morning, and noted
that the chair he usually occupies When
at his office had a collection of dust on
the seat. In brushing off the supposed
dust he found particles OF plaster A
glance upward disclosed the hole which
had been cut through the ceiling from
the garret.
The hole at first glance might have
been taken for a break in the paper
covering the ceiling, which might have
come through natural causes. Tne
presence of the plaster on the chair
seat was what led to further investiga-
tion, which disclosed the fact that the
spy had already put in one shift over
the peep-hole.
SPY IN GARRETT
In the garret it was found that an
unused door had been drawn up close
to where the hole was, and from the
dust which had been rubbed from it, 1t
was evident that someone had been ly-
ing across it. A spy lying across this
door in the position in which 1t was
placed would be in range OF the mole,
and able to hear everything that went
on in the office below and see those be-
meath him.
The spy gained access to the garret
through q small door leading to the
attic from the middle landing of the
stairway running to the roof from the
fifth floor of the Stimson building. The
fifth floor is the last one which Is ten
anted. He had to crawl through maze
of wires, steam pipes and cast off lum-
ber across the rafters to lght-well
fifty feet away. With this as guide,
the spy worked his way along over
barricade of braces and lumber to
point directly over Wellborn's desk,
which he located, probably, with the
memory of the fact that gas chan
delier hangs in front of the desk. The
pipe leading to the chandelier plainly
showed above the rafters.
Carefully he cut a hole, presumably
with a pocket knife, through the laths
and plaster at point close to the gas
pipe. His ingenuity was taxed to pre-
vent any of the plaster falling to the
room below. The plaster he removed
was placed beside the hole. But one
.,.wI. fIn NfRn md
that gave away his plan for unlimited
espionage of Wellborn.
During the time he worked and
watched he smoked, for beside the door
on which he lay was an unused brown
cigarette paper. Partly burned matches
were scattered about.
WATCH OFFICE
In these quarters the spy hoped to
watch the happenings in Wellborn's
office the steam pipes running across
the rafters made the place almost un-
tenantable.
investigation showed that Wellborn's
desk and a chair beside 1t were in
view of anyone peering through the
hole Every word of a conversation
held in the office came clearly to the
one making the test of the range of
usefulness of the peephole.
There was no possibility of this door
having been carelessly left at this
point at some remote date by work.
men engaged In labor in the garret,
for the dust which covered the greater
part of the door was effaced where the
hands of the spy grasped it. Where he
lay is clean as compared with the
balance of the door.
Wellborn has been under espionage
since about March 21 of this year.
when he went to the San Fernando
building in company with Chief of Po-
lice Galloway, and Stacey Lamb, man
ager of the building, recounted to the
commissioner and the chief the facts
of the tipping off of an intended raid
on gambling rooms In the building on
March 12 Lamb testified In the Dix
on trial that telephone message just
prior to the arrival Of the raiding squad
of police, had directed him to inform
the gamblers that the officers were
coming.
From the time that charges were
filed against Captain Dixon spies have
increased their vigilance over the
movements of the police commissioners.
Time after time he has been followed
about the city, the spies not being
sufficiently apt in their work to es-
cape detection.
ACCUSED WELLBORN
During the course of the Dixon trial
an operative of a private detective
3 agency submitted to Mayor George
which alleged that Commissioner Well
born had conspired to introduce per-
jured testimony into the investiga-
tion of the charges against Dixon. The
mayor refused to accept the affidavit,
deeming it of no weight and made with
an Interior object.
On one occasion since this espionage
began, Wellborn, accompanied by Chief
of Police Galloway and an officer were
making a tour of Chinatown on official
business. One of the spies trailed on
the heels of the party. The officers, |
noting the interloper, said to Wellborn, |
"There is the man who Is on your
trail tonight"
While the Dixon trial was in progress
Wellborn, who had a desire to see the |
saloon of Frank Goings at Seventh |
street and Central avenue, deeming |
that in his duties as a police commits |
sioner he should make a casual inspec- |
don Of the place, went there to lunch |