The San Francisco call. [volume], December 04, 1910, Page 10, Image 10

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

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' (Continued from Preceding; Pac*->
,<nly murmured, '"Thanks, 'chief; I
promise you Til be on the squire."
No \ioubt he meant it, thent ',
We left the offices of Sterling's pri
vate detective agency, and ?as we
\u25a0walked sltmg the chief mumblefl to me,
"We'll have trouble with that fellow.
Trie's so crooked he can't tVen He
straight In bed. I am afraid the Cana
dian authorities wouldn't send tor him
even If I did pfneh him. I'll give him
c charrc, though."
.' I thought- the chief was quite right
to glv-e the man his chance. He had
seemed so contrite, so sincere in what
he ha»J raid wh-en brought to bay. But
I did not understand as- fild the chief
how little value there was In such
"contxltron" and "sincerity."
I was learning every day.
David M. -Duncan' was one of San
Francisco's most eminent attorneys, a
man shrewd, clever, learned la litera
ture arid law, wealthy and «• speaker of
rational fame. He was a member of
the best clubs, married, and with a
fami]y wh» were prominent In society.
The* handsome, talented lawyer was
popnlar 'In all circles. Esthetic in
tastes, brilliant In repartee, catered to
by the cultured set. admired for his
class! c&lly perfect feature* and the ex
qtilsite poise of his manner, .be was
triily a man among men.
Duucan led a dual life. Perhapa be
ing- an iflol* palled upon him sometimes.
Perhaps hss lower nature craved re
laxation. Perhaps society and kls
.smart club friends bored him. What
ever the reason, he had formed a liaison
with an Amazonian brunette, a former
chorus- girl, a woman almost blx feet
tall, Junoesque and as perfect a phyisi
cal specimen in her large way as was
\u25a0 the attorney in his refined proportions.
Duncan had furnished a splendid home
for her In the Western addition. She
loved him. and a proof of her affection
lived in a little boy. said to be their
son. She was a woman with warm, red
lips, a bold figure which she under
etood how to dress strikingly, for sh*«
did not dlflike being stared, at when
ehe walked abroad. With her large,
lustrous bro-wn eyes and voluptuous
grace of carriage she naturally attract
ed 'attention wherever she went.
And, as is usual in such cases, after
three years, of intimacy, the attorney
suddenly had his eyes opened to the
f*ct that his relation with the Juno
esque brunette was becoming public
property. Being discreet, even in his
amours, he decided thatihe liason must
end at once. But how? Just what ac
tion could he take? The woman cer
tainly had a bona fide claim. He was
the father of her child. ' What did It
matter — in California, where more than
one court had decided that a child,
legitimate or otherwise, had its rights
— that he was already married with a
family that legally bore his name? It
"wz.B a predicament from which even
his acute mind could not at the moment
discover an easy means of escape. What
on earth could he do?
Pondering deeply, his mind in a tur
moil, David M. Duncan walked down
Market street. Presently a flaring sign
greeted his vision.
"Private Detective Agency — Divorces
a Specialty — All Matters Strictly Con
fidential."
Ah, an intuition 1
"Consult a private detective, that's It.
Guess I will. Perhtps he — "
Which was how David M. Duncan
walked Into the parlor of the "Red
Spider."
"Will you kindly take my card in to
Mr. Sterling? I'd like to see him on a
very important matter."
Thus, air. Duncan, in his courteous
tones, to the stenographer — still the
came hard faced, bleached blonde who
had failed to recognize Chief Lees ear
lier In this story.
"Mr. Sterling will see you directly.
Will you take a seat for a moment?"
Very cordially the hard faced blonde
pressed attentions upon this unmistak
ably "swell" caller.
The "Red Spider" was equally genial
In his greeting. Possibly he had seen,
David M. Duncan before. No doubt
he was familiar with the attorney's
love affairs. Men who lead Jekyll-Hyde
lives are very much like ostriches, only
they do not know that until the fact is
placed before their eyes in a disagree
able climax.
"Sir. Sterling?" inquired Duncan.
"Glad to meet you. I want to consult
you about a matter of considerable
importance. Perhaps you can aid me."
Suavely answered the "Red S*plder:
"No one can beat me in my particular
line. There's no case too difficult
Mercy for Those Who Make No Angry Retort
THE quality of mercy, like heaps of
other fine things, needs cultivation
to attain the perfection of devel
opment. There are, alas, too many hu
mans In whose hearts even the com
mon garden variety is apt to -become
dwarfed or extinct unless coaxed or
threatened into growth; and still -''a
third class who. absolutely destitute of
even a trace of the kin making pity
that includes dumb brutes In our fam
ily circle, needs must be watched and
restrained from unkindness by such or
ganizations as the San Francisco So
ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals.
Yet how many of us know anything
about this great work? A few, perhaps,
are compelled to deny themselves the
privilege and honor of enrolling them
selves on the side of our dumb brothers,
but too few, Indeed, are the yearly dues
of five dollars — less than 50 cents a
month — prohibitory. It isn't that ' we
are too poor. Goodness no; nor too
busy. We Californians have lots of
time and money, but we have been too
careless of our individual responsibil
ities. We treat our own pets and will-
Ing servants with all tenderness — we
even feel a thrill of righteous indig
nation, and a wave, of pity, . when we
behold some helpless creature tortured
with whip or spur or heel. We go
home and \u25a0\u25a0 give Towser ; an extra; pat,
and Billy a Hiird lump of sugar, and
thank God we. are kind hearted.. But
we might have stopped the'second blow
on that poor, brute's head an hour ago
back -there In the street, .the second
yelp of pain from the patient, cur, If
we hadn't been too lazy to investigate;
or desperate for me to handle."
Cautiously, with the brevity of a
businessman, Duncan explained the sit
uation. He gave such details ts were
necessary, describing each and every
characteristic of the woman he was
trying now to abandon. Being a law
yer himself, of course he was careful
as to his every word and gesture. When
he had finished, the "Red Spider," look
ing his role, leaned far back In his re
volving chair, chewing the end of a
long black cigar, hl3 eyes glued to a
spot In the ceiling as if that particular
spot would produce the inspiration for
which he was striving. For fully five
minutes not a word was spoken. .
"Mr. Duncan, come back here tomor
row at 10," finally said the spider to
the fly. "By that time I shall -have a
decided answer for you. I can handle
this case both -Intelligently and suc
cessfully, but it will cost a pile of
money.
Duncan smiled. He was rich. What
he wanted was relief from an incubus.
He nodded his acceptance of the Spi
der's appointment.
At 10 o'clock the next morning Dun
can was back at the office. He listened
attentively while the Spider unfolded
his plan — a devilish conspiracy that one
would scarcely expect/ to find outside
of a cheap melodrama..- "'
The "Red Spider" suggested that he
himself should leave directly for Eu
rope, where. In Berlin, he knew a man,
a tall, c -TOllitary fellow, who was , now
working In one of the famous rath
skellers. He knew this man well and
could handle him— for an amount of
money. He would purchase the waiter
a handsome uniform. He would look
up some German title for the gentle
for I don't believe we of the west are
moral cowards when we take the trou
ble to open our «yes.
Come with me and hear and see
what 1,500 people of San* Francisco's
population have done* and are doing
for the animals of; this city. Out on
Sixteenth and Alabama streets are the
buildings of ; the society,, organized
nearly 40 years ago by 25 of the lead-
Ing citizens of this city, who had time
to be kind. The n . there were but three
anti-cruelty societies In the United
States. Indeed, it was but two - years
previous to that 'time -that Henry
Borgh organized j in- New York the first
society of the kind,, so' that then,, aY
now, .California was in the van of the
movements for public; good, but there
are still a lot of us that- need "to I put
our shoulders to the wheel lest it lag.
However, with such - ; men as form tho
present board, no movement ; would
have a chance to ; lag comfortably; jto
say nothing; of Mr. .McCurrle, the sec
retary, to whose executive ability, (un
' tiring effort, warm j heart' and cool head,
the society owes such a large measure
of its" growing success.
For there , are no ; laws ;so hard '\u25a0< to
enforce and none the r enforcement of
whichis so bitterly,: resented by ;Va cer
' t.aln class, as the law which says. thc»y
shall not abuse the dumb -creatures; in
their, care." The: deputies are not: per
mitted to . carry ', weapons* /of - any sort
and- are .instructed, noV matter .what
abuse they, receive,- always to be cour
teous In their treatmenfof personsand
gentle in the handling; of -animals, for
their aim. Is' not to^antagonize, : but* to
make friends" and 1 secure sympathy and
co-operation in their >'work.->*'. *\u25a0 : \u25a0. \u25a0-.-
Our hearts , are^not \u25a0wrungivery',fre
quently nowadays'by^ the f sight. 'of. In
jured animals \u25a0. about ;,th e 'city,' ;»f or day
and night two large i> ambulances! and
one : small ' one T are at^ the ; disposal *6t
the public." _ The 'smalli; vehicle", goes-bn
Its errands" of mercy without cost.
\u25a0 - .
man and Import him instanter to the
United States and to San Francisco.
He would transform the Dutch waiter
into a nobleman with class A written
all over him and exhibit him dressed
in his ' gorgeous new uniform. ,.' He
would instruct him fully as to what
\u25a0was expected of him. As the "Baron
yon Lowenstein" the Berlin waiter
should be Introduced to the Juno who
had proved a thorn in the side of th«i
dapper Duncan. :An impressionable,
weak minded woman, of little; knowl
edge of the'big.outßide world, vain and
presumably , silly, would -naturally be
flattered by the attentions of a titled
foreigner. Just imagine— a baroness!
"Bah, even'oneof your swell society
women "would" snap up ,such : an. ad
mirer," sardonically observed: the Spi
der with one of his cynical grins. The
rest, after, the Introduction, would be
too easy,
I All this the. Spider knew he, could
accomplish. - His man would unques
tionably \ play his part as instructed.
But— it would 'take all of $20,000 to do.
this. : ; • .' \u25a0 . \u25a0 \u25a0'\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0*
Duncan agreed to everything. A.let
M. E. B. Borland
wherever called. Are you, sir or
madam, moving' to the country or go-
Ing abroad and loath to leave the stray
kitten or dog that claimed your tran
sient hospitality to starve? Or do you
see a hurt animal dying In the street?
Just telephone Market 1702, or 1703
and the compassionate hands of the
society will reach: out, gather ; in \ and
speedily put beyond all pain : and neg- ,
lect the little 'dumb' brother. ;..
If you are a member and your, horse
or cow is 111 or hurt the larger ambu
lances,, equipped* with every { . ingenious
device for easy., and painless handling,
are at .your service. to convey the ani
mal to <\u25a0 whatever hospital you '\u25a0 desire
free of charge.' Nonmembers have .to
pay a $s, fee.- But go and see for your
selves I the sunny yards wherein the . un
redeemed dogs are put," after 48 r hours,
for sale at $3 each— silken hairedthor
oughbreds and 'tangled coated- gamins
alike. . ;. :;•;-: .\u25a0 \u25a0. .-;..- .;;/.:. .;\u25a0..-. ;-;:•'. ;
The next time my lady- "wants a pet,
why not visit the home? ; You may ; find,
at a fifth/of the downtown price, some
four footed arfstocrat : 'whose Jintelll-:
gence and beauty will . : be;.a'- reward,;
outside of the sense of : complacency
• that enwraps like a ; warra' garment the
doer of •_ kind deeds, ;to say nothing, of
the mite : added to ' the city's profits, . for
during the month ; of March $438.80 .inj
fees was. collected; and .deposited .with'
the city; treasurer, "'while i in 'April I ; there
were \u0084.'71 7 cases Investigated;- involving
1,854. animals.
It is not alone financially, that a city
is benefited by. an organization \u25a0of this
character, its moral :is\ be
yond reckoning, rfoiv the v stepping; stone
to all crime, is brutality, ;andfa • strong,'
vigorous suppression* of ithls^forai; "of
s^vlce,. with systematic* teaching; of; kind -j
ness and patience, can-not but result mi
ter of credit in favor of Charles Ster
ling for -520,000 was issued. . It Is all
In- the records of the San Francisco
police department; this pretty little
tale.v ,-..\u25a0 ; '\u25a0 .y :
Sterling traveled directly' to Berlin. j
He returned in, due course of time to
San Francisco. -With him came a
handsome, distinguished, * uniformed,
German six feet t^all. •It was the
"Baron :- von Lowenstein." . ,
-The baron'was not only fine looking,
a typical .German aristocrat, a cultured
and delightful gentleman, but he was
genial and gracious. Maintaining the
dignity of tho officer . and \u25a0 gentleman.
the prevention of greater crimes." Be
yond the mere moral, force exerted' the
society accomplishes -a great deal of
concrete, . practical work -in maintain
ing a system of water troughs for the
convenience of teamsters and the driv
ing;, public I generally; operates the
only ambulance in the city, for moving
disabled animals and maintains a force
of uniformed : officers to patrol 1 the
streets and" prevent, abuse to.anlmals.
Through, its -pound department: It cares'
for the slck.homeless and .stray ani
mals, of ; the town,: lends; its I- BUppcj-t,"
moral and financial; to. all movements
tending, to; betterment: of animal life
and to many other things; that are a
direct benefit to the citizens of San
Francisco.
Of course most ;of the episodes
brought to light are of the variety that
makes one's' heart ache, as the case of
tortures implements taken from .those
arrested^ for 'their; use eloquently, testi
fies, but: here and^.there is a tale of a
different > sort ; that - makes one "smiley
'round the" lips tho'. 1 teary 'round the
lashes."
. :.Most of us have seen ;th e little one
legged lad who sells 1 papers; at Lotta's
;-.. fountain.^ /At t home [ his .c^npanion was
\u25a0: a small; black "mongrel VvSich escaped
\u25a0 from its, yard;- oneV day "and J was im
'.pounded.: ;When.\ the , circumstances
.were explained: at the': office, the fees,
i ; which '*. In all • cases the pound L keeper
vis; compelled i'toi collect and deposit
withy the ; city - treasurer, were paid by
• the * society,, and ?th o := greeting; between
the dog and his little" master, amply re
,.; paid -the kind; hearts -had* com
: passed It.:.V Another crippled.boy . whose
: playmate had' -been -impounded, waited
,; several ,-weeks,: while \heVearned? money
: sufflcient;to". pay the 'fee,^before ; going'
\:\ out Ud'the > yards; only; to. findthls >pet
.y had Bold;; to :. ay gentleman \u25a0 who
had taken ;it" to" the" country. But' a
\u25a0 lad*c owning, a. Fes - terrier :. whlcV sha
he was yet a "good fellow." as we call
them on this side of the Atlantic. He
put up at the best hotel In town, where
he spent money liberally and was lav
ish with his gratuities. The hotel peo
ple, from the bellhops to the manager,
/were enraptured with the titled guest.
Every one who met him exclaimed at
his charm of manner.
.It was an easy matter to introduce
him to the Junoesque brunette, who
T/ent by the name of "ilrs. James." It
was easy for the baron to make fast
and furious love to the lady, lie could
have . made love to a stick. It was
again easy for the illustrious baron to
propose matrimony to the beautiful
Juno — was he not imported to this
country for that very purpose? Mrs.
James, faithless to the father of her
child — for he, alas, could give" her
neither name nor title — accepted the
impetuous wooer from Berlin.
The wedding journey was planned *
with the baronial castle on the Rhine
as destination. The society reporters
were kept busy. Photographs of the
baron and baroness" filled the society
pages. The baron played his role nobly
and to the letter. The betrothed pair
were entertained and feted. They were
seen at the opera and the theaters and
out driving in the park.
Here was a strange condition. A
coulfl not keep, but ; it-sired to place
in a good home, offered it to the lonely
chlld, who promptly transferred his
affection to this bright bit of dog
flesh, much to the satisfaction of every
one concerned. A third case was that
of a blind man whose little canine
comrade had first been cut loose from
its cord by cruelly mischievous boys.
Being impounded, with the owner too
poor; to. redeem it, the society paid the
fee and restored the "dog to the over-
Joyed master.
The children constitute a most effi
cient aid to the society. Before the
fire fully 50,000 children were members
of the" Band of Mercy, and woe betide
any brutal driver if the youngsters
spie.d him! There was -no .escaping
,the sharp* little eyes and active legs
that kept him in view till an officer
could be found to make the arrest.
And here, as . In most movements for
the betterment .of the race, the hope
and promise lie with the children.*
Train the child In ways of gentleness,
and when>he : is grown, -behold the gen
tleman* In the very best and broadest
sense of the word. .
The society especially desires to con
tinue and widen Us work In t'a!s line,
and bequests or gifts, however small;
will bring a twofold reward. But.
don't take my word for this, go out*
and seek. Then tell your friends about
it.-'^lt's our; work, not alone the so
ciety's, , nor yet ; Mr. McCurries, who
labors mainly without other reward
than that of "acquiring merit" for hl3
"own 'soul.
The home is open day.' and night,
wlth^ome, one;always there to show
visitors all there is to be seen, and one
would, needs be harder hearted than
the'-average decent human If : he can
come 'away without a longing and de
termination to" help. *•
.;... "Blessed, are; the; merciful, for -they
shall receive mercy/ 1 and "ia faith swe
shall need It!"— most of; us./
/
The San Francisco Sunday Call
Gertnan nobleman engaglas himself to •
an unknown woman of comparatively
little or no mean.s. Here was a titled
foreigner figuring in an out and- out
lov© match wherein monetary consid-.
erations were conspicuously absent.
Strangre — but true.
And' no on© scented the rodent —
stranger still. ;.V- . ~ • , .
They were married.
The happy pair left immediately after v
the ceremony for Europe. They arrived
in Berlin after a delightful trip. , The
bride was gloriously happy and eager
to drive to. that castle on the Uhlne.
The noble bridegroom insisted that
they shpuld first go to a hotel, 53 it
was necessary for him to 'Instruct thrV
house keeper to prepare >he old castle.
which for months had been unoccupied !
by any- but servants, for the royal/en
tree-T—his "dark eyed queen, his llebchen
bride."
He Impressed upon the ba/oness the
grandeur of the castle's surroundings.
described ths immense driveway ex-*
tending through thick forests, the huge
hunting preserves", the, galleries oh
whose walls hung the womierful paint- "'
ings and portraits of his Illustrious
ancestors. « •• • *
They should* live. Indeed, he assev
erated, emphasizing his words* with a \u25a0
kiss, as befitted their stations, and
there would come a day, soon, too*,
when they would be received by .tha
great kaiser. . .
Al Ithis the bridegroom poured <nto
the ears of the baroness as they drov«
to their temporary location. one*of the
leading hoatelries of Berlin, and were
ushered to the bridal suite.*
"Now, dearest." said the baron In his
broken English, "I go to the eountrjr
and my castle and <nake arrangements 5
for our reception."
He kissed her fondly. 3s he opened? '
the door, blew one more kiss from hi»
shapely fingers asd departed. • >
The baroness was radiantly, bliss-*
fully happy. Her right name at that
moment was Contentment, spelled with
the capital. Her 'baron, her husband^—-;
ah, indeed, he" was a man of men. How
fortunate she was! 3ha thought of
Duncan and her boy. a pang shot
through her heart, but shew recovered *•
quickly. Her mlpd reverted, to the
castle — her castle' on the Rhine. She
mused on the honors to comp — the Cer
man emperor, the social favors from
her husband's aristocratic relatives and
friends. Oh, Row good It was to be* a
real, live baroness — yes. indeed. It wa3
good! • •
The moment the illustrious baj-on
closed the door to the tfaroness' apart
ment he vanished. "Xo genii in .the
"Arabian Nights'' disappeared more *
mysteriously. The bride from Califo'r-.
nla was most shamelessly deserted., by
her German bridegroom. •
Though, not an educated woman "hor
especially clever, the barones3 was not
a fool. She had lived and learned in a
hard school. of sitting down.
wringing her* hanaj- *ad weeping, or
me'dltating suicide, she put her* men-*
tallty to work on the puzzle of her
marriage and desertion. Her vanity ha 4
received a, shock that had opened, her *.
eyes .to many things she had hitherto
passed by unheeded. \
She had an inspiration, and \pst no
time In acting upon it. her
Jewels, of which she had many of value. *
jrifts mostly from Duncan in the first
months CZ their connection, she took
the proceeds, bought her ticket and
returned to San Francisco, for her tho
baron no longer existed. .
She went to no private detective
agency, but straight to Chief, of Police
Isaiah W. Lees. She told her story, and.
though hurriedly, she told It well. .The
immediate result of her dramatic tale
was the warrants Issued for the arrest
of Duncan and Sterling for conspiracy.
But the "Red Spider" was true to his
name. He Cropped out of sight and has
never been seen here since.
. Duncan was not so fortunate, and
though there was Insufficient evidence
to connect him with the conspiracy or
to convict, all the details of the story
became public. Practice, friends fam
ily — he lost them all.
• • • •
'•Well. Billy," said the chtsf to m«
one Cay long after the baron and his
bride had been forgotten by tho read
ing world, "I've just received a lettar
from the superintendent of pollca **/
i Melbourne. Australia. He la seeking i a W
formation regarding a man with red
hair, and flowing red mustache who had
been caught in a crooked transaction ia
southern Australia, . wnat -to you think.
-Bill? Guess thi: 'lUd Spider's' »*£&
; weaving new -»«ha. ai^r»