The San Francisco call., 1897-07-29
A PARDON
FOR SMITH,
BUT WHY?
Queer Surroundings Of the
Release Of Rainey's
Nephew.
KEPT 4 SECRET FOR TWO WEEKS.
Made Public Only When the
Governor Had Gone Away
to a Resort.
THE FAT BOSS is BADLY RATIFIED.
Budd's Friends Say He Is Being the
Victim of a Gold-Brick
Political Game.
THE FAT BOSS is BADLY RATIFIED.

~ $1,000
ing Dave Smith, the notorious burglar, at
the request OF his uncle, Sam Rainey,
seems 10 have been very curious affair.
1t was railroaded through unknown to
any of the prison officials. The pardon
itself was granted on July Is, although no
notice of it was given TO the public until
Tuesday morning last. There is no record
of any formal application for the convict's
release TO either the directors of San
Quentin prison or to the Governor him
self, and no definite reasons can be OBJ
tanned from the files OF his office for
Budd's action.
Governor Bud is now at Klamath Hot
Springs and of course is not available to
the curiosity of his friends, who are at a
loss to explain his conduct. The order
restoring Ralney's kinsman to liberty was
made just previous to Bud6's departure
for the Oregon health resort, and it is
ather singular that no notice OF 1t leaked
out until the Executive was safely out of
the way. 1t was made at Ii time when
Warden Hale was away on vacation and
the Board OF Prison Directors bad ad-
iourned for month. AS far as can be
learned the Governor expressed TO none
giving Smith an exit from the prison. Ii
was done in the privacy of his own Office
In Sacramento, and when he had made
his escape on vacation a clerk WAS in
structed to forward the order OF pardon to
the prison authorities. This in brief is a
plain recital of the circumstances sur
rounding the matter
1t was not the intention OF either the
Governor or Ralney that any publicity
should be given to the affair. No one re-
grets this phase OF it more than the boss
himself. He was very much chagrineG
when he discovered yesterday morning
that The CALL had uncovered the job. 1t
was rumored also that the Governor bad
heard the noise even as far away as the
Oregon line and had wired his patron to
smooth things over Is quietly as possible
Rainey at first Indignantly denied his re-
lationship with the pardoned convict and
nephew had been released through
no efforts of his. However, he
was pleased that Smith was about to be
released, for be it known that the boss
has a big heart for his relatives, and the
way matters are going with him at pres
ent in town he could very readily find a
more pleasant occupation for his nephew
than spinning inte for Warden Hale. But
the boss was ruffied. He showed ii all day.
The more the action of the Governor is
probed the worse it shows up. A faithful
friend came to his rescue yesterday with
the statement that Smith had been a
model prisoner during his confinement.
Nothing could be further from the truth,
and if Governor Budd swallowed such a
sxory as this he ought to read up the pris-
oner's record. AS matter of fact, Smith
was one OF the worst prisoners that has
been in San Quentin for many day. In
the three years of his incarceration
Smith has been in the dungeons five
mes for smuggling opium. He was
one of the leaders in the recent prison
revolt and assisted in the demolition OF
the dungeons, which cost him thirty-day
diet of bread and water. He had only
been res ored 10 his place at a jute loom
when the Governor restored him to ciIi-
zeD ship. His record previous to his con-
viction in this City is bad. AS keepe of
dive on Howard street he was refused
license by the police. His associates were
thugs and ex-convicts. His family are
not in destitute circumstances, as another
friend OF the Governor states. In fact
there never was time when Sam Ralney
was as prosperous as now.
Those who are best informed say that
Budd in his lust for office is willing to go
TO any length to serve the boss of the local
Democracy. The man from Stockton
wants either a second term of the govern
orship or Senator Whites place at the
next election, and the angel OF his hopes
is the Eat Bush-street stable-keeper.
Among the sweetmeats Rainey has Sc
cured is the appointment of School Direc-
| tor Waller to place on the State Board
OF Pharmacy, School Director Drucker to
seat on the State Board of Denial Ex-
aminers, George T. Bohen as president of
the Board Of Pilot Com missioners, and
Charles A. Reynolds, one of the Police
Court prosecuting attorneys, as trustee
OF the Chico Normal School. And there
are more to come, so it is said on the
street, even though it would seem that the
Governor had about overtaXed his strength
when he pardoned nephew" Dave Smith.
| There was a story on the street last
night that the crime OF ransacking M. M.
Estee's house, for which Smith was con-
vlcted on charge of burglary, had been
com mltted at the instance of some OF
Budd's political allies. who in this way
hoped to discover in the Republican can
ddate's residence some document that
would show that he was railway attor-
ney, and that Budd's action in pardoning
him is simple payment Of an old debt,
so TO sp ak.