The San Francisco call., 1910-12-13
MOVEMENTS OF
GOLD Thieves
ARE TRACED
Northern Detectives Learn of
Smith Being in Alaska at
Time of Robbery
t'WOOdsOn" May Be Assumed
Name Which VIII Lead TO
Ring Leaders

From the Office of the attorney gen
eral they went TO the Office of Chief Of
Police Seymour and TO the city prison.
They talked briefly with the local po-
lice authorities and then had a lengthy
but fruitless talk with the prisoners
Neither Smith nor his wife would give
them any information which would aid
,them in their search for the missing
bullion.
Smith persists in asserting that the
bullion was given him by a man named
johnny Gibson. whom he knew in Den
yer last summer. Smith was to bring
trhe gold to San Francisco and melt it
into nugget chains. Smith admitted
that he was no jeweler, but insisted
that it was a simple matter TO make
the chains.
WOMAN Is ENIGMA
when we failed to get results with
the chains. said Smith, I'VE reduced
the gold TO filings and proceeded to
dispose Of it TO local dealers. We
went about il so openly I think no one
can honestly accuse us of having at
tempted any crime.
1T is all a lie that either my wife
or myself was on the Humboldt. Neith-
er Of us was in Alaska this year and
we have no knowledge of the gold
having been stolen"
The woman is one Of the greatest
enigmas who has confronted the local
police in years. She has been examined
time after time by the detectives since
she was taken into custody last Fri
day
She has been kept awake and piled
with questions until almost exhausted
by the third degree" But through it
all she has maintained her innocence
and absolute lack Of knowledge Of the
theft Of the gold bullion. Above all
6 n nn hn ic In
in the case as her husband. He is a
physical wreck, ravaged by loathsome
disease and further emaciated by the
use Of opium. But this matters not to
her. She protests that he is as inno-
cent as she is and she modestly as
serts that she is not the sort TO be-
tray man.
TRACE MEN
The police authorities Of Seattle
have been cooperating with the local
authorities and doing what they can
10 locate such members of the ring as
are located in the northwest Follow
ing is an Associated Press dispatch |
which was received from Seattle last
night:
T. l. Smith. under arrest in San
Francisco suspected Of stealing gold 1
bullion from an express last Septem-
0er is believed by local detectives to
be William Matlock. who was traced
the robbery. MatlOck when at White
Horse posed as a newspaperman. He
IS said 10 have been a prize fighter in
Oregon. Jack Woodson. formerly ed
itor Of the Nome Gold Digger, and
Wade WOOdson. his brother, a miner.
are in San Francisco, but Of course,
nave no connection with the case. The
use Of the name Of Woodson by two
Of the prisoners may furnish a clew.
Detectives working on the case have
decided that the bullion robbery took
place on the White Pass and Yukon
railway between White Horse and
SkagWay, either in Yukon territory or
Alaska. In case the prisoners are held
Tor the robbery there viii be an inter
esting question OF Jurisdiction"
Detective Sergeant Thomas Ryan last
night insisted that he had seen Smith
in Seattle a. the time of the exposition
there IN 1909. Smith was with Duff
and kid" Marshall two bunkomen
i am satisfied that they were work
ing the boats around Bellingham and
The sound said Ryan. The sheriff ar
rested Marshall for running faro. rou-
lette and other games on Sunday excur-
sion boats, and he jumped his bail"
PINKERTONs ON CASE
It also developed yesterday that the
Pinkerton agency has been working on
the bullion theft case for several
weeks ". II. Field, the local super
3ntendent Of the agency. admitted that
the agency had been called upon by
private interests TO work on the case
shortly after the substitution of pie
lead for gold bullion was discovered
Further than that he would not talk. I
With the federal and local suthoris
ties cooperating in the task of bring 1
Ing TO justice the remaining members
Of the gang the question as to where
the bullion thieves are to be prose-
cuted has remained unanswered The
United States, district attorney has
gone over the facts Of the case with
Mofhtt and the police have also taken I
an active hand in the Investigation
The fact that the stolen gold was 1
being disposed Of in this city may be 4
sufnclent 10 give the local authorities
jurisdiction. but there is also a nrob- I
ability that the federal authorities viii +
take hold OF the case in the event of /
its being shown that the crime was
committed al sea or in the territories /
of The north