San Francisco Call, Volume 113, Number 138, 17 April 1913 — FIERCE BATTLE ON LAUNCH OFF SAN QUENTIN TWO MEN DEAD [ARTICLE]

FIERCE BATTLE ON LAUNCH OFF SAN QUENTIN TWO MEN DEAD

Ernest Raynaud, Deputy Game Warden and Marine Reporter of Merchants' Exchange, Killed, and M. S. Clark, Another Deputy, Wounded in Struggle With Members of Balestieri Gang—Hand to Hand Conflict Ends With the Capture of Desperado

ILLEGAL NETS USED BY FISH OUTLAWS

Wounded Man Relates Details of Effort of Officers to Do Duty and Resistance Offered—Grewsome Sight When Boat Arrives With Bodies of Slain and Hurt — Rescue Attempt Starts Sanguinary Strife With Its Fatal Culmination

BALESTERI SANG: : . TRIES TIT RESCUE: I :- TWO PRISONERS.

"Power Laurfch Used to Head Off 'Officers and* Battle • • .'• . Opens Shortly After V • ■*•".■"".• Meeting ■. - ■••"-•• -* . & ° .° ■ *.. -.'-,-. *- -■ strong men Fight °.\°.|N GASOLINE BOAT PpKcemen Capture Crowd at \ \ Meiggs Wharf # When % W\ „;. They Land .. •'■

; Tales of old sea fights are recalled by the desperate battle fought aboard a small power launch off £an '• Quentln yesterday afternoon between two deputy fish and game wardens and five* fishermen known as the Balestieri» gang. - , - . -//"i

Ernest Raynaud, deputy warden and marine reporter for the Merchants' Exchange , is. dead. ; - .

Before passing, however, he exacted -the life 'of Salvatore' Balestieri. the leader of the gang, in payment.' Salvatore lived at 2218 Mason -streetand was the father of a family. M.S. Clark, 273; Castro street, the \ other deputy, was knocked out-of the boat after; he had shot one man in the> neck ; and effectively used his * teeth, - feet and hands on others. SWIMS ALMOST MILS ; For almost a mile Clark swam" in the semidarkness and ■ then he was ' picked "up by a ,Greek fisherman, Joe 1 . Alvaro, when he. was about to sink from exhaustion." He climbed up 'on the bow of the ; boat: and took a final glimpse at the launch on which his companion was fighting. He saw foui men beating some object in the bottom of the boat and could distinguish ' the rise and fall of their arms. One ill them had as weapon the handle of a heavy oar, about : two and a half feet long. In a few minutes the launch r was out of sight of the anxious deputy. MEMBERS OF THE GAXG CAUGHT Surviving members of the gang were 1 arrested about 9:30 last night soon after they tied up their launch ati Meigg's wharf. Caloggero Balestieri, \ nephew of Salvatore, went ashore to, secure" medical attention for a pistol wound! in his right hand. He met Policeman Twomy and while being questioned by that officer Detectives Torn Conlon, F. C. Kracke, Harry Cooke and Jack Manion arrived on the scene, •having been sent from headquarters which, had received information of the fight from/Marin county." They made Caloggero/lead them .to the launch and - they 'then- discovered its grewsome cargo. ; In the bottom of the boat were two bodies, Salvatore Balescieri and Ernest Raynaud. The latter was an' awful ; sight. " His head had been literally beaten to a pulp and he had - been shot as well.

Deputy, Clark, almost unconscious from loss of blood and the effects of his uneven battle with the cold waters of the bay, -told his story; last night to Constable George Agnew who investigated' the affair for the Marin county authorities.

He told how he and Raynaud found three fishermen, not supposed , to/be members of : the Balestlericrowd, handling/the shore end of nets of a kind prohibited by the fish and game laws. They arrested' the men and ordered them to get into their , boat, which was tied to the shore off Remilard's brick-

'/' c *■■ ' * -" : ' « ' ■ yard, about *?ne rails from San/Quentin' penitentiary.

Clark-took the helm and one of the two men, whose names have not been learned, was told to run, the engine. Raynaud stood guard over the two. The Balestieri a \fcere at San Clemente point, and the deputies saw them rush to their power launehland head for the boat in which were the officers and Their three prisoners. Scenting their evil designs. Raynaud ordered the. man at the engine to get -some speed out of the craft, but the prisoner pretended the*engine was broken, and soon*-the other boat caught up.* **• ■ ; .- -

The three, men were then -made .'by. the deputies to get into the trailing dory and three members- of the Balestieri outfit ordered to take their place. The other two Balestieris were instructed to follow in the other' launch. Raynaud was seated in the stern with the three and Clark kept # the helm. Suddenly Clark hsCyd a 'scuffle and looked about in time to see, one of the Balestieris. strike Raynaud. „v* Clark then jumped into the fight and for some time tife well muscled, passion inflamed men fought as'only men who go down-to the sea can Tight. Finally Clark, still clvfchrn* his" revolver, was O knocked into the bay. 'One of the fishermen Jtfmped tp the "wheel-and. in a trice the launch .had.'disappeared. It •to getting dark-and it seems, sheer * luck that- a passing fisherman rescued the injured, deputy about 'ah hour later. Clark was "taken, to Pipe's ark? and V *<*n first aid treatment. ■'•'-••-. °° • The* six fishermen "held in detinue •"by the police pending* "the filing *'of charges of "murder against them are. Salvatore * Onoratq, Orlando Giulio, Cristi GTovanni," Cajini "Salvatore,/Caloggero, Balestieri and -Orlando Federaha. Balestieri, -.nephew; of • the dead fisherman, was shot through . the. right hand, treated. at the emergency hospital and later removed to* the .prison. The police are looftin'g/ for -a; seventh fisherman implicated. " : .s./»'v»*••:■.,. -./

° Ernest . Raynaud} although. In. his twentieth year,.was one «>f the famous characters of "the \tat«r front*. During the -six or seven- years s he had been • stationed a.r Meiggs wharf as lookout for the. Merchants exchange and later tile Chamber of Commerce he "gamed a record o"£ saving more lives than «any f 'other man" on rhe Pacific coast. " *'• ': " . "•He was widely known in marine and acquat'it? circles*. As.a # member of the Dolphin .he gained" cpastwise fame as «l. crack"; aarsman.* "lie was stroke oar of tire four oared barge of the Dolphin;" • club," which for two years has Hel^d"the junior and intermediate championships, in "the state. 0 For six years *he v had watched*-'the Italian fishermen in the cove 'near "Meiggs wharf and came upon-a vast fund of knowledge as to their manner of c£ r ading.the' , fish and game laws. ■■ About four months ago he secured appointment as deputv'fish and game warden and since then has been threatened* with death many times. He was .regarded by the fisherman as -their greatest enemy, -In, the state gfflcialdoro> * '