Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1902-09-11
Nineteen Legislators Indicted
on Charges of Bribery.
ONE OF THE ACCUSED CONFESSED
He Was the Man Who Handled
the Cash for Votes.


bers of the House of Delegates on the
confession OF Delegate J. Is. Murrell, /
who fed to Mexico last spring. after
being indicted for bribery by the De-
cember grand Jury.
Murrell was wanted in connection
with the alleged boodling operations |
of the Municipal Assembly in relation
to the granting Of street railroad fran
chises. He UNEXPECTEDLY returned to |
the city through the efforts of a st. |
Louis newspaper and surrendered. |
Murrell is now in the custody of Cir
cult Attorney Folk and will, it is
stated, he granted immunity from
punishment for turning States evil
denee.
Following are the names of alleged
combine members for whom bench
warrants were issued, charging bribery
and perjury in connection with
suburban street railway and other
legislation: Ed. E. Murrell, ]. II.
Schnettler, Charles F. Kelly, 7. L.
Albright, G. F. Robertson, louis
Decker, John Helms, Charles 4. Gutke
AdoIph MADEIRA, Fl. A. Faulkner, Julius
Lehman, Edmund Bersch, Otto Schu-
macher, John A. Sheridan, Charles j.
Denny, William Tamblyn, j. j. Han
nigan, Emile Hartman.
Warrants were served on Messrs
E. f. Murrell, Schnettler, Albright,
Robertson, Helms, GutEe Faulkner,
Schumacher and Hannigan. Albright
and Faulkner wore released in bonds
of $50, COO each. The others arrested
were allowed to go to their homes in
the custody of deputy sheritfs, who
will remain with the accused until
they shall have furnished surety for
their appearance in court when the
cases are called for trial.
With the exception OF William Tam
! blyn, who was a member of the last
| House of Delegates and is now said to
be in Cleveland, all the indicted Dele
| gates are believed to he in st. Louis.
Delegate Kelly telephnned to the Dis
| tirct Attorney tonight that he would
| surrender tomorrow morning and give
bond. The police are watching the
! bridge and other possible avenues OF
escape from the city, and it will be
difficult for any of the indicted men to
remain long out Of the hands of the
law.
j. X. Murrell made the following
statement for publication today:
II have surrendered Internationally
to the circuit attorney and have made
a full and free confession. | could no
longer stand the agony endured as a
fugitive from justice and the wrong
done me by the parties, Just as gdilty
as |, who made me their catspaw.
81 am not permitted to give the de-
tails of the evidence that have put
the circuit attorney in posse ssion of.
This will all come out on the trials,
and l am willing to go on the stand
and tell all I know.
81 held the key to the box in the
Lincoln Trust Co. containing the
S75, 600 bride money to 60 to the House
of Delegates upon the passage of the
Suburban bill. This money was put
up as the purchase price for the votes
Of the combine, that price having beer
agreed upon.
: 1.-THE combine of the House of Dele
} gates was composed of 10 men. Thi:
combine held frequent meetings in the
room adjoining the House of Delegate!
!, chamber. There most of the scheme:
to get money for VOTES were connected
$ When the Suburban matter came VI
. before the combine l was selected tC
i negotiate with Philip Stock, the repre-
sentative of the Suburban Railway, a
!, to the hest price we could get for GU
votes upon the passage of the bill.
Q to the combine meetings and was in
q structed by the combine from time Ii
a time what to do. When the price wa
I agreed OH they designated me as th
person to hold the key to the box con
Q tanning the S7j,0 coo, which we were t
!, get when the bill was passed and signe
n by the mayor. The deposit of th
"a money, the amount and the condition
were duly reported by me to the com
bine meetings
IS 81 am not permitted to make tn
/, operations OF the combine on this al
d ticular matter public at this time. 'Th
:. purpose OF the combine was to contrC
:, legislation and sell legislation for th
benefit of the members of the combine
e Shortly before the Suburban bi
ID came up the combine sold their vote
O. on the lighting bills for s47, 500. Til
money was handled by Kelly and va
- paid to the members of the combir
= at meeting arranged for that purTc;
"a at Julius Lehmann's house. Fac
t. member Of the combine received 81, lOi
y, II was present and saw that none
q paid to the various PARTIES. These Al
II only two instances, but there are other
" evidence of which is in the possess L
ne of the circuit attorney.
III These two instances show, howere
a what has been going on in the Munic
IL pal Assembly.
", 1--WE did not look upon what we d
as serious crime, as it had gone
so long without interruption that
was not regarded by those who partiC
ey pated in it as morally wrong. Uni
lid the present circuit attorney took oil
. no sincere effort, apparently. was eg
;: made to punish what was being do
III as crime.
ng Il have lived in St. Louis ali my Ii
ST. and have many friends here. | ha
lst been honest in all matters and ha
lid done no man q wrong, and though
- would not take dollar from any Leri
W unlawfully, but the practice of the co
ve' bine in the Assembly of taking brit
he was SO frequent that l went along wi
nd the tide and did not realize the on,
nifty of the offence, and my conscier
was scared in that regard.
These Doodle Investigations b,
Oh made me see the crime in all its hi
ess business. No matter what happens
la me, | will do all can to aid the Giro
or attorney in breaking up the boo
,ks gang that has so long controlled alta
- in this city and to atone, as far a
JUS can, for my awful mistake.
AFTER my indictment and the &C
mencement of the Doodle prosecute
the gang got together and raised mo
I'M for the purpose of fighting the ca
wer and to retain the supremacy Of
% gang. This money used to employ
% torneys and for other purposes.
I'm Julius Lehman, Edmund Der
ven and John Helms acted as coachers
ike drill masters for the witnesses
". were to appear before the grand it