The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-10-08
THE BOODLERS
Of St. Louis Being Brought to Justice
in the Courts.
THE STORY AS BEING TOLD.
One Man Was Offered One Hundred
Thousand Dollars to Vote
and Work for Ger
tain Bills.

and Work for Ger
tain Bills.
St. Louis, Mo-. has a most senSa-
tional scandal on her hands, and it is
now being aired in the courts. 1t
seems that there has been wholesale
bribery Of her members of city council
to vote for certain street car. lighting
and other franchises The trial of
Robert NJ. Snyder, banker and promo
ter, on the charge of bribery in con-
nection with the passage Of the Cen
tral Traction bill, was commenced on
ThurSday,'and some sensational things
have been unearthed. Frederick G..
Uthoff. who was a member of the city
council in April, 1898, was put Oh the
stand by the State.
In answer to questions put by Cir
cult Attorney Folk, Uthoff testified
that while a member Of the city coun-
Gil in 1898, when the North and South
Traction bills were pending Robert
NJ. Snyder, called on him at his resi-
dence, having been taken there by
Louis Dieckmann, by appointment.
Uthoff continued:
After talking socially about half
an hour Snyder spoke of the Central
Traction bill 1 told him l did not
want to talk about the matter. He
said we were both Masons and we
could discuss 1t the same as lodge
matters. He said ought to favor
him with his bill.
Il told him I had been approached
and offered $4,000 for my vote. L
will get that amount and send it by
Dieckmann,' said Snyder to me-"
Witness said Dieckman brought the
package next day.
Cthoff said he next saw Snyder at
the Planters hotel. At this meeting
Snyder talked Of the Central Traction
bill and also Of gas bill. Uthoff said
Snyder told witness that if be would
introduce this gas bill as rider to
tile Central Traction bill, and work
fer its passage as well as vote for the
Central Traction bill, he would give
wivuesS 100000.
He said he would give me 100000
next day." Uthoff explained, $4,000
when the gas bill was introduced and
s25. ZOO when the gas bill was passed.
Then Snyder took up two handfuls
of bills" witness stated, "and said
Uthoff, here is s25, 900. Dieckmann is
on the floor Of the council with Sl0.-
900 more. would have had $50, 900
for you, but Charlie Carroll got Sl5,-
900 from me today.
''Uthotf said he refused to take any
of the money then offered him by the
promoter"
Witness next saw Snyder at the
Waldorf-AStoria in New York, where
defendant saiu he had $4,000 belong
ing to promoters which he was ready
to give Uthcf. He got $1,000 on that
visit and $500 more three or four
months later. Witness told Of Sny-
der's attempts to get the $4,000 from
Meier. Snyder said he would turn it
over to Uthoff.
Circuit Attorney Folk then proceed
ed to question the witness as to the
opposition to the Central Traction bill
which had developed, and sprung the
moot interesting bit of information
which the Snyder trial has yet dis
closed. involving the name Of John
Scullin, ex-street railroad magnate.
and Edward Butler. local millionaire
politician, in what the witness char
acterized as an attempt to defeat the
Central Traction measure by the use
of a big sum of money distributed in
relays of $4,000 each to the certain
councilmen every month.
I'm March, 1898. Mr.. Scullin gave
me bill to introduce called the Uni
ted Traction BILL Uthoff stated. 1T
was designed to head off the Central
Traction bill.
Il met Mr.. Scullen and he paid me
$4,000 to push his bill and defeat the
other one."
What did you do with the mon
ey?"
Il returned it to Mr.. Scullen
through Ed Butler"
After some further testimony in the
course Of which witness said Snyder
had told him he paid Councilman
Chas. E. Carroll SIS, 900. Judge Priest,
for the defense took the witness in
hand and began the cross eXamina-
tion.
Uthoff testified under cross exami-
nation that last week he and Scullin
were before the grand jury together
and that he told the grand jury that
Scullin gave him S25, 5000 to vote
against the Central Traction bill.
Louis Dieckmann, speaker Of the
house of delegates, while the Central
Traction bill was pending testified
that Snyder asked bim to assist in
getting the Central Traction bill pass
ed and Snyder said he would see that
any promise made by George J. no
busch (president Of the St. Louis Car
company would be kept. George ].
kobusch testified that Snyder had told
him he paid $4,000 to Uthotf to pass
the Central Traction bill.
Result OF Coal Strike.
In financial difficulty as Il result of
the coal strike Henry c. Scheel, coal
merchant Of New York, tried to kill
himself Wednesday by shooting. The