The San Francisco call. [volume], November 27, 1910, Page 9, Image 9

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
The San Francisco Sunday Call.
Magazine Section Part I
Former Chief of- San Ff&^co|B^^l
\u25a0ISAIAH-.W.' : i^^^B
Born in England, Dec&jaber {|M
25 (Christmas), 1830 iiSS
J^ied in San Francisco^ D&W
cember 21, at 7:05 a. m.. J
Sunday,vl9o2. U! :
i&e'd 71 yea^s 11 ;
: V J and :i 2a : dayß^'^ : .- J " \u25a0• j- '
§? Buried from Masonic Temple
by FideDty^ Lodge, Fi and -
. A. M^ Tuesdayj Deceml>er-_
\u25a0\u008423,;; i 9O2 n " : ;.;;v ; :>vv.V; ; : \
Interred Laurels Hill Geme- ;' |
tery, San Francisco, iCat
O. H. Heyneman
I WAS a pretty young kid when the
late Qiief of Police Isaiah W» Lees,
then captain of detectives, made me
his private secretary- The chief
was at that time past; three, score
years, but acted and looked like a
man in the very prime of life. Being
young and observant, and thrown con
stantly with him r day and night; for a
period of 10 years, I learned both to
know and love him.
To describe his characteristics would
be will nigh impossible. There were
as many different phases to his char
acter as there are colors In the rain
cow. *His methods of deduction and
ferreting crime were so startling and
original ' as to create (opens mouthed
wonder. Rough; uncouth,, perhaps even
brutal at times, when absorbed; in
some " strenuous criminal problem,
there were moments when he became
as pliable and lovable as a child at
play. A man" of practically no school
ing, self-made, well read, a book lover,"
a marvelous reader of human nature,
be possessed One of the keenest and
mjpn wctoderfiil brains (with; which I
hate ever come in contact.
When I had the cood - fortune to
become the inside man, as it were, to
1. . W. Lees, I> was under 20 ; years : of
age. "Blood, crime, criminals, jails;
hospitals were as foreign to me as are
the inhabitants of; Mars. (However, I
concealed my ignorance. arid my. feel
ings of repulsion, and in time became
accustomed [to seeing. and ; hearing dis
agreeable things until I becariie almost
as callous as the police themselves.
.The complaint office' in the police
department is the most interesting
branch of all. People; of all ..classes,
races and denominations, rich and
poor, sick, blind, good land' bad,; pour
in all day: long to tell • their \u25a0 troubles
to the policeman. '• Every ( hour, pro*
duces. pathos, ( sentiment arid! /even
humor. Reports varying; in serious
nfess from the, gravest offense' down
to the theft of a'-pe't canary, constitute
the daily routine of work."-'
One Saturday morning matters were
rather slack in the 1 office. I was
lolling; around ; listening to the blood
curdling, experiences : of; some of (the
older? men, when a ,; violent ringing- of
the • telephone, bell interrupted \u25a0 our
short' period of c inactivity. What is
there, in\ certain peals of t a bell that
instinctively portend momentous things
to come? S Ev'ft'n -. tlie tp.lehhhti« lw»ll
WHEN LESS WAS
CHIEF OF DETECTIVES
1-BUTLER MATLOK
HERO
has its changes in meaning. (I jumped
to the receiver, and- there flashed over
the wires, from one of tlie stibstations:
"Burglary and : murder/at r—r-' Sutter
street."- ' '• ': * , ' - »•_' i . \*
The chief was just gettmg ready^to
bauntorie of his old se'eond, hand book
stores, a particular hobby of his, -but
he was alert for duty in "an! instant.
He had on his overcoat, arid (a huge
black -cigar was . stuck diagonally(-in
his mouth. ( ; .. « * \ \u25a0/•".• =
"Murder and (burglary }. in Suiter
street, chief," I yelled at ,him/ . \
, Everybody, yelled at " police quarters
when excited. \ There was no; repose
or quiet,' Softispeech.'" The chief
self always shouted his orders. (• /\u25a0 *,(
. ,"Huh ! '.' he grunted at'- my iriforrria
tion, "who is out (there in the (office ?"\u25a0
I mentioned the men r - who were ". on
"duty. | .. ' : :- ...v - •"'-*
"Order ,the , patrol wagon 'and -tell
Dah, Gus, Ed and Charley '< to i come
along," mentioning the ; men (in (whom
he had, the deepest ' confidence! a•'-'a •'-'' You
bring>;your' book aud? come too,'^ he
commanded me, who 'was l all ; excite
ment while my chief seemed 'hardly
moved. ";.-;.,;\u25a0 :''2 ';"•' /.',-. ,r, r \u25a0*.'.."'»
v We -hustled \ into (the patrol' •wagon';'
ami ••' t.ti« r.lancrine • of \u25a0 the-( bell" as 'wa
drove v madly , to .our ; destination,;- with 1
. hundreds of -'excited citizens Vainly "at
temptingCto^follow, gaye \u25a0 eviQenceVot
the; fact that there was a big sensation
on • hand. -^ Every \u25a0 time - the chief ap-_
peared v ' in : one 'of '\u25a0* those sensational '\u25a0_
rides the ? public realized ' the ' possibil
ities of . 'some (heinous crime* /as
motive. - """",,
;' We . arrived ; at ; a . handsome , resi
dence; one of those large f rameVdwell
irigs* with a spacious, garden =iii- front,
such as" formerly was , a feature" of the
city's .-before • pressed
brick { arid stone came" into popularity;
[ It' was inrSutter street in ; the i Western
addition', !a .locality , at that time ex
clusive jy". the \ residence, quarter r ot the
; well';' to.' do! : ; : The. neighborhood- shel
tered \u25a0the.. higher class of residents, :"and ;
was^kriown . as ; an; exclusive (section
. of- San -Francisco. - Patrol f wagon and
policemen were asiuncommori there; as
I snow^in^a* Calif ofnia winter. ; ' v V ;
r curious/pers6ns^fl6jcked
I the v street' land the (entrance i.io Hhe
ihqiise^^ich l( was/Uhe^hdme' of . Ber^
', jainin Falkner, averyjpromirient^nier-
wagra '.dispersed the
f crowd, .(and/ the .chief. , - followed \by
='; his < men,- fjought hisfVay. to*:theif roiit
'donrJ* -He f two (uniformed
patrolmen -to keep out ; every tpossiDie ; '
intruder until -the' investigations were
: completed . '\u25a0''- As "we " entered .the siim pt~
mqus and elegant, home,' the first glan«e
% revealed bustle and confusion.} ' The
members of \u25a0 the/ Falkner ; family were,
alf talking in siriothered (tones, /Ben
jamin; Falkner(^
• ousfof; them - all. \u25a0 : He : was :\u25a0. absolutely
ashen-faced, v '-"'•; J \u25a0 \u25a0* -* ' ~- '
(\u25a0 "Hello, Falkner," (said Chief -Lees,"' as
;he shook -hands with the merchant;
- (whoni • he \u25a0'* had \u25a0 known \u25a0 a -long time,
: yourseif.aHd
; The story .was .this: ..< \u25a0 \u25a0 • '
v Evidences '.of ; burglary were conspic
uous. .The ; house >vas s f right£ullsr-dis
arrangea.;^lt"reciuired;no examination
: to riote'.that; the. telephonq. and* electric
/light 'wires . had' Jbe'eri ; tampered i with
v and .'cut: All the burglar, alarms, were
-'out \u25a0of order. "'; .Tables and chairs were
"thrown down",- showing .that, there; had
> been^ a. desperate; struggle. (; Down? in
( the 1 lay? the) dead- body of an
" alle ged • bu rgl ar ; % He was' sh ot th rou gh
5; A ; -wiiite; 'sheet i; had been
over/trie Ibody^ ; The; dirty- face
'\u25a0fwas^'badly (battered 1 and bruised;. blood
/flowed ,from ; lips, eyes., nostrils . and
loncrvjinkeront^rnatted^aJr
was saturated -vlfh his life -blood. v-Tis
eyes -were 'wide open^ and staring.' If
was -a ghastly \ sight. '"'] * ('(/('(
. Instinctively; yi -shuddered as 'the
chief brderdd s me*toe *to take • down in \ my;
book minutely .and carefully the de l
tails of .every wound;', every -abrasion,
the color oi, the ; eyes, hair, complexion
and positibn;of. the bullet woundJ. This
."done: he .; cave . ; immed late i< orders - to
tzve the body removedTto the morgue.
i Falkner's • butler, -'Charles Matlock,
had been in hi? employ for many years.
A"* handsome yoirag 'fellow with regu
lar" features, h4 Was molded on strong
lines, and his fine brown eyes and
wavy black hair added to his good
looks. .Some years previous to the
occurrence that,,made.me acquainted
. ,
Continued on Third Posa