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Show ceived '.a his mail a letter from Patterson, in which he stated that he was on his way to Portland, Ore., where ho proposed to dispose dis-pose of soma property he has there; acknowledged acknowl-edged that he had absconded with the money, and faithfully promised to make restitution as soon as ht could. He also coolly informed in-formed his hanker that he proposed to apply the money obta?ncd from him In redeeming a lien in the shape of a mortgage which was about to fall due on his property in Oregon, but neglected to say one word anent the fellow-woramen he had victimized in such a cold-blooded and methodical manner. This morning, when the stereotyped Question Ques-tion was propounded at the city halL the same stereotyped answer was returned. -The ioregoing cases, which are Touched for by citizens of acknowledged probity, are in themselves , sufficient to cause the people to believe that the oft - repeated boast that the police department has purged the city of the criminal crim-inal element is an empty one, and that facts which every citizen should know in order that he may safely guard atrainst an incursion in-cursion from a member of the light-fingered gentry should not be suppressed in order to give the department a fictitious reputation which it does not deserve. CRIMINALS . . RUNTBETOWN A Burglarious Gang Now Raiding" at Will. BUT THEIR WORK IS BEING SUPPRESSED SUP-PRESSED By Those in Command at Police Headquarters. THE CITY ON THE VERGE OF A REIGN OF TERROR. .The Boast of the Police Department hat Zion Has Been Purged of Its Criminal Element an Empty One A Couple Chloroformed While in Bed and the Faet Suppressed The Albany Saloon Kobbed and Sam Jtlasterson Victimized The Police Apparently Unable to Cope With the iane Food for Reflection on the Part of Citizens. It is 6&fe to assert that there have been at least one dozen robberies, or attempts at robbery, in this city during the past week or ten days, and it Is equally safe to assert that not one-third of the cases have received re-ceived publicity. Why this is so can only be conjectured, but whether the fault lies with the people robbed or the police department, de-partment, is a conundrum which cannot at present be solved. Hardly a night passes but it is recorded that some belated pedestrian pedes-trian has been held up or a residence visited by burglars, and still those in authority when questioned, will declare that the reports re-ports are either without foundation or too trivial for consideration. They may be sincere sin-cere In the position thoy assume, but it is nevertheless a fact that criminals run the town, and that unless prompt and good work is done by those whose business it is to attend to such matters, a reign of terror will soon be - inaugurated. There are at least seven men connected con-nected with the police department who are specially detailed to ferret out the authors of crime, but for some reason their apparently herculean efforts have, with but one solitary exception, been barren of fruit for ft month, past. As a -rulA. .tha.. reporters-of reporters-of the newspapers have sought by silence to aid the police in effecting a capture of criminals and have quietly laughed when in answer to their interrogatory: "Anything new today V those in command com-mand have answered: "No; the city was never quieter!" They knew better; but, as they believed the poor fellows were doing the best they could with the limited taient nature has endowed en-dowed them with, the scribes have not been too inquisitive. This has been going on for weeks, each succeeding week finding find-ing the thieves getting bolder and bolder and the police more impotent. But now it is time for a newspaper newspa-per worthy of the name to call a halt and warn the people of the dangers that menace them. Charity forbids that the numerous burglaries of the past be unveiled, so The Times will only briefly detail the transgressions transgres-sions of the law its reporters have heard of during the past three days. Brief as is the period, the record is a formidable one, all things considered, and to thinking people will mean one of two things either the police force is incompetent to protect the people, or the gang now working the city is the shrewdest and most skillful men who have ever weilded a jimmy, or flashed a light from a dark lantern on a sleeping victim. w. p. noble's residence visited. Last Saturday night an attempt was made to force an entrance into the residence of W. P. Noble at the corner of H. and Brigi ham streets. Mrs- Noble, fortunately, was apprised of her danger in time, and after hallowing lustily for help telephoned to the police station for assistance, but before it could arrive the would-be burglar took to flight. This case was not reported to the press. another friendlt visit. . On the following night the residence of a Mr. Palmer, at the corner of I and Brigham streets, was entered, but whether or not any articles were appropriated could not be learned. This ease was not reported to the press. CHLOROFORMED AND ROBBED. Last Monday night the residence of Orson Allen, at the corner of I and First streets, was invaded, and the burglar was rewarded for his darintr by securing $J0 in money and a diamond ring. The bare fact that the house was robbed was given to the press, but the most important import-ant part of the item, if what a Times reporter re-porter heard today is true, was suppressed. According to the reporter's informant Mr. not conscious of their condition until neighbors, neigh-bors, who had been alarmed by the ear-piercing ear-piercing cries of a child, had gained an entrance en-trance to the house and restored them to their senses hours after the burglar or bur-glors bur-glors had left. A TGUNO LADY ASSAULTED, On Monday night Miss Mamie Burrows, who is employed in her aunt's millinery store and who resides on I street, between Third and Fourth, while passing the Thatcher residence on Brigham street was accosted by two men. One asked her if he might accompany her home and upon her giving an emphatic em-phatic negative, attempted to despoil her of her watch. Fear lent speed to her feet, aud, without knowing or caring whither she was going, she rushed through the Thatcher grounds to her home, arriving there in an almost exhausted condition. When asked concerning the case today, Captain Donovan said it had not been reported re-ported at headquarters. A SALOON ROBBED. At an early bcur this morning burglars effected an entrance into Hirschler's saloon in the Albany hotel, near the Rio Grande depot, and robbed tho till of $40. . When asked this morning if there was "anything new," the gentleman in charge of police headquarters politely answered "No." 8AM MASTERSON VICTIMIZED. Last night Sam Masterson reported a ease at police "headquarters which is of more than passing interest, as quite a large sum of money is involved. It appears that a young printer named C. F. Patterson, who has been in the employ of the Tribune Job Printing company for some months past, skipped out for the Northwest yesterday yester-day afternoon, leaving Sam Masterson to mourn the loss of $316, which he advanced to him, as chairman of the Tribune job office of-fice chapel, on the checks of his fellow employes, em-ployes, who could not wait until pay day for their wages. This Morning Masterson rs- f |