In 1895 , Older became managing editor of the '' San Francisco Bulletin '' ( later merged with the '' San Francisco Call '' in 1929 ) . He gained notoriety when he took on the Boss Abe Ruef machine in San Francisco , during the mayoralty of Eugene Schmitz . This led to the corruption trials during the rebuilding of San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake and fire . On September 27 , 1907 , Older was kidnapped and threatened with murder by private detective Luther Brown , said to be working for the grafters . In his later years at the '' Bulletin '' , Older was offended by the owner 's rewriting of his editorials and refusal to commit to a lifelong appointment . hence , after 23 years of service , he resigned in 1918 and went to William Randolph Hearst 's paper , the '' San Francisco Call '' . Along with talented staff , he brought the Mooney case and numerous other stories that the '' Bulletin '' owner had refused to carry , including the James Graham Fair will case involving former state Supreme court justice Frederick W. Henshaw and a bribe amounting to $ 400,000
1906 earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
Fremont Older