CRIME IN SAN FRANCISCO

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13355, 8 December 1906, Page 8

CRIME IN SAN FRANCISCO

ARREST OF TWO MURDERERS.

[from orROVX (onnrsposw.yr,}

San* Francisco, November 15,* lx.Vß«noATidx of .' ■'■ municipal "graft - * i» San Francisco is proceeding, or promising to proceed. Tin?; grand jury is nearly complete,: and Francis J. { Heney, who, as As- : sistant District Attorney,, will prosecute the eases. maintain« a detetunned front. The State elections have changed the status of affairs very, little, beyond demon. -strating th.it the people are prepared to stand behind .the investigators.

A notable recent event is the capture of two thugs who have committed ;severalmurders, and terrified the whole city. The men'-are' John ; Siemseit, a Hawaiian of partly German parentage, and Louis Dabner. a young 'man of resectable American parentage. These two have confessed to the murder of the manager of the .Japanese Bank, and of two merchants who were killedfor money, in their own shops, and thereis evidence corroborating the testimony of' the criminals. The men are known as

'" gas-pipe thugs," because of their method'.of murdering their victims. Their capture was. the result of continuing their crimes too long. They went into the. shop of m jeweller named Behrend, made a purchase, and tendered payment which required the opening of the safe for change. ,Rut when they attacked. Behrend, the victim, though r terribly injured, managed to make a.des--perate tight. The wife of Behrend, living -' in rooms over the shop, heard the noise, and. rushed to the assistance of her husband. Other help soon arrived, and though, the thugs escaped for the time, they weresoon in the custody of the police. Stem- f sen, though showing Malay blood, is well-*'. educated and attractive. "He expresses no remorse for Ins crimes, and talks of them - in a matter-of-fact fashion. Dabner, or the contrary, is at times contrite. The-*, latter' family, who are honesty farming ": people, are heart-broken over the downfall'' of their son and brother. ..