The herald., 1898-01-19
BOODLERS AT BAY

BOoDLERS AT BAY
without doubt Walter l.. Webb is one
of the most dangerous political manipu-
lators that Los Angeles has ever had
experience of. He is adroit and crafty,
a man of extraordinary executive abil-
ity, and one who possesses that indefina-
BILE quality of dominating men with a
rod of steel once they fall beneath his
spell. Moreover, he Is self contained to
a degree-with 4 faculty for worming
other peoples guilty secrets out of them
and keeping all of his own-of forcing
others 10 do for his benefit that which it
would be dangerous for him to do HIM
self. To such an extent was his petty
tyranny exercised that some of his dupes
were induced to commit perjury to cover
up transactions in which the arch plot
ter had himself been the chief benefic-
iary. And, strange to say, this very
perjury, committed at his behest, be-
came his saving grace in time of trial;
for what jury would accept the testi-
mony of self-confessed liar, no matter
to what extent it might implicate the
chief boodler?
Some light was let in upon Webb's
methods during the recent investigation
1t seems he had become cognizant of
petty irregularities on the part of Axtell.
the janitor. They were not very heroic
steals at best-allowing the purchase on
private account of plumbing materials
at the reduced price given the board, and
the employment of one of the depart
ment plumbers on private work, for
which the plumber was paid by the
party receiving the service. This was
enough for Webb. Instead of summarily
stopping the irregularity, as was his
plain duty, he made capital out of it.
First he scared Axtel half out of his
wits by threats of exposure; then he
bulldozed Axtell into placing his un-
dated resignation in Webb's hands, and
thenceforward the chief manipulation
had a frightened and suppliant tool.
Webb is bold. determined, audacious.
In the face of public exposures of crook
edness-in the face of general condem-
nation that would have crushed any man
of ordinary nerve-that would have
routed any possessor of a remnant Of
conscence-he stands before the COM
munity unruffied, defiant. Others with
less endurance and more conscience
might confess their misdeeds and step
down and out to their final infamy; not
so with Webb. He faced it out. Forced
by an indictment to go into court, he
obtained the services of crafty lawyers
and began a juggle with technicalities
and reasonable doubts His late ac-
completes and dupes, the self-confessed
boodlers and perjurers, broken in spirit,
Inundated to the last degree, bulldozed
and discounted, We're insufficient mate
rial with which to form a chain of evi-
dence. They might encircle, but they
could not hold this willy and bold manip-
ulator who had forced them to the front
and profited by their misdoing. Webb
had been adrot enough to leave little
collateral evidence along his pathway.
He had operated entirely through agents
-and such agents.! Why, you could not
convict dog of stealing a bone on such
implied this in its conduct of The case
and it was the trump card of the de-
fense. Some people say that the prose
cution did not exhibit any great energy
or skill in introducing collateral evil
dence, and rested too implicitly on testi.
mony which it knew would have nc
weight. Be that as it may, the result OF
the trial was a great victory for the Rea-
sonable Doubt.
And so it was a Scotch verdict-"not
proven The poor singed cats retired tt
a dark corner to nurse their paws ant
the monkey, his paunch distended will
succulent chestnuts, sat by the fireplac,
and looked happy.
l1oW MANY lhousanuS OF lneSe lega
farces have been enacted! How oftel
does it happen that the laws, designet
to protect the innocent and punish tn
guilty, are perverted into just the oppo
site function! How the technicalities q
the law in the hands of unscrupulou
and skilled attorneys are utilized as
shield and buckler for eyil-doers and
weapon of offense against the commun
ity! oh, Justice, how many crimes ar
committed in thy name!
So, Walter Webb walked out of cour
legally 'vindicated." And yet we ven
ture that there is not man of judicia
mind In this community who is convers