At an early hour on January 21, 1902, San Francisco Patrolman Eugene C. Robinson of the southern station was mortally wounded by three burglars, whom he surprised in the act of breaking into a hardware store on Valencia Street, near Sixteenth.

He died soon after being taken to the hospital.

One of the trio of safecrackers, supposed to be F. Daly, was badly wounded by shot from the policeman’s pistol and captured.

Robinson discovered the burglars just as they were entering the store and immediately crossed the street to arrest them, calling upon them to surrender.

Instead of obeying they opened fire upon him simultaneously, and three bullets struck the policeman in the abdomen.

As he fell he opened fire with his revolver and struck one of the burglars, who ran for a short distance into the arms of another policeman, attracted by the shooting. The other two men escaped meanwhile, and although a posse of policemen soon took up the scent, they managed to elude their pursuers. Daly refused to tell the identity of his companions.