SAN FRANCISCO.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81894, 26 November 1906, Page 2

SAN FRANCISCO.

LABOUR UNIO.VS PARAMOUNT. ■CITV FULL Of DESPERADOES. 1 ROBBERY AND MURDER RIFE, ARMED GUARDS FOR HOTEL' BOARDERS, Received 25th, 4 . 55 p-m . Th„ \t November 24. tZ V correspondent of The Times reports that the Labour C Uiuonin San Francisco is paramount £ aXS ° ne " ,alf SmCe The city, he adds, is full a f desperadoes engaged in robbing- and and dU < mg th ® ""S^t-time, °fi. ! 10te,s P r «vide customers with armed guards.

CORRUPT OFFICIALDOM. MAYOR INDICTED ON CHARGES OF EXTORTION. ' ASSOCIATED WITH THE ' 'FRISCO "BOSS." DENS OF INFAMY. OWNED ' AUTHORITIES. Received 25th, 4.55 p m New York, November 24. |f grand jury of the State cfi California indicted Eugene Schmitz, Labourite Mayor of San FraSo Boss, on charges of extortion. , Schmitz was charged with obtaino D f g \IT f £ ?°° and & 00 by mean, of threats to withdraw saloon* keepers' licenses. Schmitz, w ho in IQO4 was chestra player, is now 4 WO rth ? alf " million sterling. u«u*~.> The municipal authorities are accused of owning an unspeakable den yielding profit s .in o ne year amount ng to one hundred thousand pounds, he propne or s of other dens having been.oustedrn order to destroy con? A despatch by the last 'Frisco mail stated that San. Francisco £,«s£ to improve, periods of alternate 3* presston and undue elation havina given place to a steady, patient determination to rebuild and improve the city. Curiously enough, it ar> pears after all that the scourge which visited the city was to herald a Bwral awakening— at least, to some extent. Crime has been rampant during the past two months. Citizens are unsafe m their own shops, as well aa on the streets in daylight. It ap. pears that Thugs have flocked to tha city on accounfof the laxity of police 1 supervision. *

The moral tone of the whole com* munity has been lowered by the; popular belief in official corruption in the municipality. A number ol citizens of the best c.'ass have organ-" ised for purification and protection, Mr Francis J. Heney, attorney, w hq distinguished himself i n the service of th e Federal Government in thq Oregon land frauds and other im« portant cases, has been engaged t<* assist the district attorney, Mr Lang, don, in the prosecution of official criminals. Mr Heney has engaged the services of Mr William J. Burns, who has resigned from the United States secret service, to take up worfc here.

The public is confident that con. victions will at last take th e p ; aw C J newspaper attacks. Messrs'Heney, and Bums have been gathering evi< deuce for a year. It is suspected] that this may have had some influ-> ence in inducing the Mayor, Ms Schmitz, to go abroad. The publio was greatly astonished when a few! weeks ago the Mayor announced -Q would travel in search of much. needed rest, and to learn how muni' cipai affairs in the European com< munities were managed. Now the; presence of the Mayor is urgently, demanded here, and may be caPco! for in a way which cannot be de« nied.