Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-04-28
TERROR TO BoooLERs.
James M. Calvin, ST. Louis Reporter
Brings About Tremendous Reform.

ST, LOUIS. April .25--The vigorous
crusade for honesty in municipal leg
lislation in this city. which has re-
suited thus far in the indictment of
dozen prominent men and the flight
of some them to foreign countries to
escape pententiary terms, Is direct
" attributable to one man, James NJ
Calvin. n newspaper reporter.
The almost incredible degree of
rotteuness In the municipal assembly
outlined in the report of the last st.
Louis grand jury has existed for
wears. In a general way the people
knew 1t. The reform element had
made spasmodic attempts to secure
convicting evidence, but had each
time thrown up its hands. appalled,
mt the strength of the grip in which
the assembly gangsters and the men
who paid them from without held
the city With each failure the
boodlers grew bolder till condition
resulted that was worse. If possible
than that in Chicago when the gray
wolves" ruled the legislative branch
of the city government.
Hope of relief was DINNER than IT
eyer had been when, few weeks ago.
the city was startled by the arrest of
several men prominent in its bust
ness and social life for bribery. con
spiracy and perjury. Since that time
other arrests have been made of men
equally prominent. large bonds have
been Jumped" by men of former
high standing, and every prospect has
suddenly appeared that boodling in
the st. Louis municipal assembly is at
an end. When the excitement Incl.
dent to the first arrests subsided 1t
was found that the city had Red"
Calvin TO thank for Kidding it of the
corruptionists.
For several years Calvin had await
ed a combination of circumstances
from which could be secured legal
evidence on which to convict the
boodlers. Chicago's gray wolves"
showed the public the skin with which
they could keep legal evidences of
their guilt from the proper authorities.
The st. Louis gang was equally skill
ed. With confidence that his ability
to uncover their tracks was equal to
theirs to hide them. Calvin kept on
the wolf hunt. He said nothing, work
ed assiduously and at length found
his chance when influential traction
men and their tools In the assembly
began to quarrel about the disposition
of Sl35,000 that had been placed In
safe deposit vault TO promote vicious
Legislation.
With an array of provable facts he
went TO States Attorney Joseph Folk.
and the first gun In the fight for civic
purity in this city was fired Mean
while when the gangsters finally be-
gan to realize that they had been out
witted and that the situation was real
/ ly growing serious. they sought to
check the attack by calling OFF the
man who prompted II.
| Tremendous pressure was brought
to bear on the reporter. who had posi-
tive knowledge OF the facts, but II did
not drive him from his purpose. He
had LANDED q big story" and his
sense OF reportorial duty prevailed
over the lavish inducements that
came from men of wealth and high
position who saw impending their ar
rest and probable conviction OF the
crime corrupting the citys servants.
The man who. single-handed. has
worked the greatest reform In the his
tory of this city was born In New
York. child of adversely. At the
time Eugene Field, Stanley Waterloo
and other newspaper men who later
achieved celebrity as litterateurs were
trying to keep alive the old JournaI,
Calvin coached St. Louis and began
work at the only available vocation,
blacking boots and selling papers.
Field and his coterie patronized the
keen -witted bootblack, and through
them Calvin became the circulation
manager OF the Chronicle. But ths
desire to write for newspapers wal