The herald., 1897-07-10
A VICTIM OF CIRCUMSTANCES
WHICH MUDDLE THE COLONEL
TUPPER CASE UP
Frank Millet Wanted for Forgery
= .. Slime Being Sued on His
Bond-Rev. Urey Insane

attempt to give aid to kid" Thompson
in making his escape from the county
Jail.
w. E. Kramer, convicted last Decem-
ber Of forgery and sentenced to five
years at San Quentin, but detained here
pending the result of the appeal taken
of his case to the supreme court, has also
cut a prominent figure in the Tupper
case and will, most probably, be the
most interesting witness at the trial.
His connection with the Kid Thomp-
son escapde has already been exploited
at length in the daily papers, and while
the entire affair seems enveloped in
haze of uncertainty and doubt, one thing
seems reasonably clear and that is that
Trusty Kramer played 'possum in the
attempted passing of a pistol to kid
Thompson and was back waiting on
Jailer Kennedy's table a day or two
later.
But all that is merely a preamble to
what occurred in the district attorneys
office yesterday. Next Saturday-just
q week hence-Colonel Tupper will be
brought to trial in department one, and
the hoodoo is again beginning to work.
From certain information received by
Jailer Kennedy from Kramer he inferred
that pressure was being brought to bear
upon the latter to prevent him testify
ing at the Tupper trial. AS result of
what Kennedy learned, Kramer yester-
day was taken into the district attor-
ney's Office and made a statement to
Deputy District Attorney James which
L - ItNI
davit and kept for future use.
The statement made was to the effect
that on Wednesday last B. L. Oliver,
Kramer's attorney, visited him in the
Jail and told him that the Jail was hot
bed of corruption and that the officials
were either directly or indirectly violat-
ing the law. This indictment of the
jail officials was linked with the fact of
Kramer's being called as witness in
the Tupper trial, although Attorney Oh
liver said nothing definite at that time.
When the attorney left, Kramer re-
peated to Kennedy what Oliver had said
and during the day te jailer met Oliver
and taxed him with having uttered
words detrimental to the officers and
doubly detrimental as having been ut
tered to prisoner. But Oliver denied
ever having said anything of the kind to
Kramer or any one else. Kramer in his
statement alleges that on the next day,
Thursday, Oliver again visited him and
wanted to know why he had repeated
what he had told him; that their rela-
tions were confidential, being those of
counsel and client. He was angry and
told Kramer that he was going to have
his appeal to the supreme court with
drawn, and with that threat upon his
lips left.
Later in the day, however, he returned
and withdrew his threat, saying that he
had decided not to withdraw the appeal.
but he remarked: II don't intend to be
done up by anybody. I've had talk
with the judge and he wouldn't do any
thing in the case until after the Tupper
matter is disposed of. He said that be-
cause he doesn't want to put the county
to the expense of bringing you down
here from San Quentin, and if you don't
raise me $50 by the time the Tupper case
is decided I'll let you go over the road :"
That is what Kramer claims his at
torney said to him by way of bringing
pressure to bear upon him to testify
other than it is anticipated he will tes-
II
thermore, Kramer alleges in his state
ment regarding his attorney somewhat
as follows: Some time ago he told me
and also friend of mine, that he had a
pull with Judge Smith. That he be-
longed to the same club as the Judge
and consequently had opportunities of
talking with him and that he helped to
elect the judge to office"
These are the assertions contained in
the statement made by Kramer yester-
day, and while not claiming in so many
words that Attorney Oliver asked him
to change his testimony, to be given in
the Tupper case. that is the inference it
Is desired should be drawn from the pc
culiar relations that at present exist be-
tween Attorney Oliver and his client
Not be it understood, that Oliver has
been retained by Tupper as his counsel,
for Attorney Bernard Mills fills that Of
nee, but it is covertly asserted that Oil
yer, for some undiscovered purpose, has
a personal interest in having Tupper ac~
quilted.
In his own behalf Mr.. oliver states
that while some of the statements made
by Kramer are true in a measure, others
are of whole cloth and the whole garbled
in an endeavor to place him in a false
light. Since the arrest of Kramer and a
companion named Harris for forgery
Oliver has been their attorney, taking
the case on promise of payment of his
fee from friends in the east, who, Kra-
mer said, would supply him with funds
Harris was discharged on preliminary
examination, but Kramer was held, tried
and convicted, from which an appea
was taken to the supreme court.
Oliver claims to have used his good of.
fees with Jailer Kennedy and finally
succeeded in getting Kramer appointed
- a trusty. 1t was shortly after Kra
mer entered on his new duties that the
alleged attempt to smuggle a gun in tc
kid" Thompson came off. The par
Kramer took in it, acting the stoo
pigeon for the Jail officers, was not t.
divers liking, and when he learned
that Kramer would be called as wit
ness in the Tupper case he one day, ovel
week ago, told his client that he wa,
convinced the whole thing was pu
up job, and that he had better be very
careful of what he said on the witness
stand, because he and the officers of tn;
Jail had been melting persons to commi
crime.
This conversation was by Kramer car.