A

"QUEER

HU

TANG"

Among

Teenagers

Late Friday night, April 28, William P. Hall, 27, a Marin county, Califórnia school teacher was waiting for a streetcar on the platform near his home in San Francisco. As he waited, an automobile stopped and a number of young men piled out and approached him. One of them asked bluntly, "Are you a queer?"

The teacher, the youths reported later, replied, "What if I asked you that question?"

"And that's when it started," one of the youths told police officers later. But it had ended for Hall.

Here is that story as reported in the San Francisco News-Call-Bulletin: (As the accused have yet to stand trial at this writing, and as their identities are not pertinent to the subject matter, they have been deleted from the substance of the following excerpts.)

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mattachine REVIEW

TIP TO CHIEF NELDER JAILS 4 IN TROLLEY SLAYING

A friendship formed on a homicide case years ago by Dep. Police Chief Al Nelder was credited today with cracking the "streetcar slaying" of a well-liked Ross school teacher, William P. Hall, 27, last week.

As a result of a tip phoned him by this friend, whom Nelder declined to name, four young toughs are in custody and facing murder charges today.

POLICE said they admitted they beat up Hall while out "looking for somebody to roll."

They told homicide inspectors they accosted Hall as he waited for a "J" streetcar at 19th and Church sts. shortly after midnight last Saturday.

R— H— is a junior at Polytechnic High School, while M and K

are students at St. Ignatius High School. C-

is a

gas station attendant. All have police juvenile bureau records.

said he didn't

K participate in the actual attack, but police declared him implicated as the one who inspired the idea, drove the getaway car, and helped dispose of Hall's belongings.

His companions, investigators said, confessed the fatal beating.

AFTER accosting Hall, they jumped him, knocking him unconscious and taking his wallet containing $2.85.

They said they left Hall, at the spot where he later was run over by the streetcar, and continued prowling the city looking for drunks or sex deviates as possible victims. They found no more victims, they said.

"They said they considered

Hall's death justifiable homicide," said Inspector Robert McLellan, who with Inspector William Guthrie helped crack the baffling case.

"They seem to regard the beating up of whomever they consider sex deviates as a civic duty."

THE OFFICERS made clear Hall certainly was not in that unfortunate category.

"This is the first time we ever took anything," one youth said, admitting the beating they gave Hall was not the first they had administered.

"Most of the time, one of these guys comes up and says something suggestive. "Then we jump him."

This boy said he knew of as many as 50 youths in his neighborhood who have taken part in similar attacks. This time it ended in the victim's death.

Hall was found lying near the car tracks early Saturday morning by Roy Gibbon, a streetcar.motorman of 736 Head st.

At first he said he saw Hall feebly waving his arms as the streetcar approached, but later said he wasn't sure .the man moved.

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