The San Francisco call. [volume], December 04, 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 1
O. H. Heyneman
(For 10 Tears Secretary! to Chief Leea)
(Copyrifflit, 1810. fer tie Author.)
IHAJ3 been in the department about
two • years, acting as secretary to
Chief Lees, when Charles Sterling,
alias "The Red Spider,"- drifted into
San Francisco. He was known . from
coast to coast as a dangerous criminal.
Practically every police department in
\cry large city had been honored by
his presence, and; his photograph
graced most of the '-rogues' galleries.
Sterling. was i a man of pleasing per
sonality,- a fluent talker, ' ma'stcr 'of
, -reral .languages.' -He was tall/ heavy
set, "with 'fiery, red Hair and a. hugp,
red, drooping, mustache." He dressed
with ; "class,"- and r ;was r a ; tremendous
favorite 'with - women. 1 -, ;His!' fiery;- re'd
hair and. "mustache", were ..responsible
for his alias; "Red^Spider.":; In the va
rious cities' where" he ha<i operated he^
posed 1 as ; a private Vdctective .and : * lent
himself to Vevery" questionable,, under
handed 'proposition : that Twas present-^
cd. to him. ; After 'being drivenLcon
sistently .by.^the/police /from' one: city
to' another' Ke • finaJly.Vjlandcd; • iii'/San
Francisco.' ' \u25a0 '.; "• * '. - ' " ';' '.
: f Stcriiii gf'o'pchcd, luxurious: offices' Jon;
WHEN
LEES WAS
CHIEF OF DETECTIVES
II
Market, street. He was well- supplied".;
with money. Flaring painted signs: :
! "Private Detective; ; Agencyj" c'^We' .
Never Sleep," ''Operators Supplied,":'
"Divorce Cases a\ Specialty," \'Cbrre- ;
sppndents *All> Over theJ-Country ; and \u25a0
; Europe," -ij adorned [his '.windows":- tltV
' wa_s:,thesc;flaring^signs; arid; Sterling's^
advcrtis"emcntsVthati;caused>Ghief^Jbfv
Police Isaiah' W-VLees ;- to . sit c .up : ; and '^
: takc notice. . ' .',;'\u25a0.. '.'.\u25a0."\u25a0•.*:, ".''.•:' ;"f /!" : .;-/ .
. ;;One;afternoon a complaint came-;tb^
the : .'police rdepartnient^ against/, Ste r .^
ling. : jA"' woman 'jliad^employ^^himim'^
a /prominent ;divOrceVscandai, : 'Jan^^liei"
."hjad. ' bled", Her,; r sojshe^ said;^^ Cof /.cvcryH
-. .: :. . -'' \: -. ; -. : >.-';^v : -.^..'"'- : v.'>''Vi V:<iL:<l:
Rva.iiable \u25a0 dollar; 'fshe .; possessed. < and ; "
had iihsli: solci ;out; her* interest to ,'thcV:
husband \u25a0for 1 a* consideration: n ' • - "•
>' Chief 'L'e'e's' listened' to the
vßtpVy.]and(calledyme'; into ; the - private ,
\u25a0••office.' •/• i ; V'';r,'; 't* : -'jJ % :'t-Z' : ':'y'. \u25a0 ; ;\u25a0'\u25a0 T : ?\u25a0'.
"andfeome^on^downi withme. ; I' want
»toVinteryicw^'this ;;rnanY Sterling; ;;J.lr
\u25a0.-want:^to|;getra;'Hnc;;on him.': .' From the.
's description^-I'ye^rjust.' been*; given*- of;;
Uiimjl;'believejhinutO;be i a ! marijknown?:
! : aynhe^Re4^Spider,Viwith;'a^recbrd?asA'
rlpjngja3^yburyarm/'^ ;/ : ; ; ;;.^;;.;^^
• * ,^We- : bparded ,a? car; and .( 'presently.'arr'
o rivVd '; atV.tHe"; office* > : ; ;of ., Sterling's I
.-'tective^agcncyl} £The'y 'i were; certainly,";;
tain c d [^ t tie t
, lounginV'fcKairs:', -rrhere^wasja'-plush'f
vc'afpet'onvthe^floor/and'an^air^
;;^ssjlnd7pr^sperity^p^
T/f . v*^;'^l; : '. P'^py'-, : ii'fif r
; '': ' : -/A\^l young, blc^
rblbnide^stc^ograpncrr greeted fusr'irEh'c^
\u25a0 ;. : .--.\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0;:* -i.'"..; t -.;-.. : -, ,- r _ i- \u25a0; r;; v ,.-. f
1 was; the;. type one ;.as,socrrates^\vith .pri-.
yatc-'detectiveagencics and she lookedv
her jp'aft.'; '' ;:?..;'^ ':;/; : V.- V; '-''\u25a0\u25a0'• •'.\u25a0•:•"
( /VW hati can^ l; do" f or iyou?" ; she; asked ; ;
'in^.n^ hi gh'f pitched, HinpleasantWoicer.v. .
- : "Want;/to ', see. ; St^ef ling, I '/ ;said \u25a0 the;:'
cl)ief; -laconically.- ;- { " ; .'•''' " V •'.-." ./!%- i
;^Th'b^busjneßs^
; ladyj withpthe ; locks. J r • \u25a0 \-' : ,
;: " 'ThatVdoQsn'tVcpn'cer n"y ou ,"' gruffly^
\u25a0returned ;;the^cnlef/^;"l^want^tosee; ;
:'"'- : -:y^ '^:\^-'-.\-. \''"X : " '\u25a0.\u25a0. \u25a0 -'\-'- : '- --
;AV^lWin^ypu{leHme*;haye^.y6ur. name; ;
: y'|f' J^^l-
Tthe;chief; was-; unknown; to* few^hr San' \
s'n\il^d|'Kweet_ly r l >'a^he;
iansw.efedfi'.yust'.telliliirti^^
!;tols E ec; f himl";'. : /; : :;;.:; ';^'' : '-;"' "'*;\u25a0• ;^>v •'.--•';' v<r : -- : '
S/TKe;lmagJc*pfithat;w
rworked;woti 4 dersV \u25a0\u25a0cThe'^MßpJne^s^of/r
ft«K^She;;paj§l^^
'vmakeup^as^fih'eipolitelvJreph'ed^
rL*. be s i-y o v v,f par d on yj c h. i el ; V l '. : j did V not \u25a0;\u25a0
iknSw,Syoo.:j-- Won't you/please : step
•rightviri?"' '^ \u25a0/\u25a0"-'*•" .-./''\u25a0'V* ';.''• '}'
l^She ushered: us> into a; still- more' jujg-;
r«rious office "than" the ' reception ,room. f
(Sterling 1 .sat at^a. .handsbme'j desk,
which.; was. .-covered \vwlth v papers.
.Works of. really, high ; class »art, ; %plc->
tures, bronaes;and-antique.,vases added
to the beaiityvof v the private'dete'etive's
surroundings. * The chairs' were Tallin"
keeping with Uhe "rich redcafpet.^. The"!
room' showed ' dis'cfimiriatfoh,*V'Every-"
thing Ws J in'' good \u25a0 taste.' - ;TFjV man'
had evidently, furriished.^the, office -to;
•match his' own appearance! Nothing^
jarred .or \seemed , out ,of ; :place.- ;vThe .
coloring was.inperfectsharmonyr'The,
man , had-, displayed- artistic
worthyiof a- better occupation/; \u25a0 •
:4 His" well "j groomed i appearance- at- 1
tracted. adrnFratibni '^Even";'the /bright'
red j'of ' his hair y and K long; drooping'
mv st a cli'e • 'did " not : jar.j ar. i 11:1 1 : .was in . a
quiet,'; dignified;; pleasantly -low'j' voice"
that he^ said, '-'What canl^dp -fpr-you?j
iGlad.to; see lyouV" Going fo" : engage
i me' in 'some ; important; case ? . * Glad .to,
;be^'of iservice/to^'ou-r-" .: ->. i-^y •\u0084 .-\
':'\u25a0 '.'Cut- 'that ? out,*Sterling,V-. interrupted
the \ chief, : ;t'L- just ; warited^to ">beT- sure
it -was * you.'-^That *' isVwhyt'FmV Here.-
If: wa n t V t o ; gi ye ; rr yy o v ' f ai r \w a r nfn g',l and'
[ yippiy? give a\u25a0- man J a" ; » wa rning? once.
,TKe<>e'cdnd^timV 4I4 I .Ta'ct'Jr.\y« ? ,\^e'\h{id'
'several'/! complaints.* !''itio'tit j;yon!>,T.he
; very on^we'f ge t Will^mean--xvir-:
tains ior "i he Red Spider.' Plain
and concise, .ain't it? You fully un
derstand, don't you?"
, F t or Just a. moment Sterling paused,
taken aback. Then, with an air of
braggadocio more feigned, I thought,
than, real,- he : Baid :
-'"Oh, you can't bluff me, Lees. I'm
nbt as "easy as that? You've got noth
ing on me here and Til do and act as
I d-^- — "" please."
"Listen, . Sterling," said the chief,
so . evenly and pleasantly that I could
scarcely believe it.was his voice, "you
don't know me, I never bluff, nor do
r want to keep a man down when he
is "trying: to "earn a decent living and
Outlive the' past, '.' I know you and
your r record — backwards,' Perhaps
that indictment against you
is still unsatisfied and perhaps the Ca
nadian authorities .are still searching
for >a. man ; who strongly resembles
Sterling, alias The Red Spider.' And
perhaps; too, ; I' may be mistaken in
nVvrnan. \u25a0 If 1 am, I'll apologize pro
fusely." You heard what I said, didn't
you? One more complaint and The
Re'dSpider' will seek some other plat*
to weave his web."
'The' florid face • of ths man
\yent * white. : All .the bravado he
attempted \u25a0 dismally failed him. 3 He
held: out :. his - shaking hand, which
the v chief failed Ho see,- and brok
f ">i Continued ea Xext Pas* ; i