The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-05-22
HOUSE COMBINE ASKED
100000 AS BRIBE.
V<< %<<< . 30 . <<<<><1
q SUBSTANCE OF MR.. FOLKS 4
STATEMENT TO THE JURY.
Continued From Page One.

. 81 DISTANCE OF NH. fOLh'S
o STATEMENT TO THE JURY. 4
q When the lighting bill was intro 4
3 duced in the House of Delegates 4
q nineteen members had a combine.
Z This defendant. Emile Hartmann.
. was a member of that combine. 4
. The State will show that this COM 4
e bine was formed for the purpose of 4
. making money out of any bill intro 4
q duced in the House where it was pos 4
& sible. 4
. This lighting bill had not come to 4
= the House of Delegates from the 4
o Council before these combine MEM 4
. bers got together and prepared to
. make money out of it. 4
. They held several meetings and ar 4
{, ranged to carry out a scheme by
{. which they could get a big price for 4
. their votes on the bill. 4
Z. II was at first agreed that they 4
4 would stand together and vote down 4
. the bill. or ''kilr' it, as they termed 4
. 1t. BY this means they hoped to force 4
& those interested in the bill to come 4
{. to the rescue. 4
Witnesses will be put on the stand 4
. to testify that some of these combine 4
. members wanted 100000; others $4,000 4
. and still others $4,000 to pass this bill. 4
& The State will show that Charles 4
e A. Gutke. member of the combine. 4
& entered the combine meeting and 4
q made the announcement that he had 4
= 10000 and could get s275oO more for 4
& the passage of the bill. 4
I've got the money in my pocket" 4
q Gutke said to his fellow combine 4
. members. clasping his hands on what 4
& appeared to be a roll of bills. 4
George +. Robertson considered this 4
. too small an amount and made mo- 4
. ton that Gutke take the money back 4
. to the person from whom he got 1t. 4
. His motion was carried. John Helms 4
. watched Gutke, and will tell you gen. 4
o tlemen that Gutke went behind the 4
= City Hall and he saw him hand a 4
. package to Edward Butler Later 4
. John K. Murrell saw Edward Butler. 4
. Murrell demanded $4,000 for the pas 4
. sage of the bill. Butler refused to 4
= give more than S47,50O 4
. We are prepared to show that But 4
. Ter had his way. The bill was passed 4
. and Butler paid to Charles F. Kelly (
. s47,50o. This money was taken to the 4
. home of Julius Lehman and there 4
. Emile Hartmann was there and got 4
. his share of the Doodle. or $500.
Z 80 = <<<< eel
told him that 1 was representing the com
bine. He wanted to know what we woul6
do about the bill.
Il told him that the combine wanted STE.
600 for the passage of the bill. He told m,
we'd get A7,500. and no more
Il returned to the meeting of the com.
bine that evening and reported what Butls,
had said. The boys still clung to the de
mand for $4,000 Kelly wanted 800, 900. AL
were present but Albright
"Gutke came into the meeting and sait
he had $4,000 in his pocket, and that VIZ
could get sN.5o0 more. Robertson moved
that he take the money back and tell the
person who gave It to him that we would
not pass the bill for less than s75.0Oo Thi.
meeting was held in the House committeS
room just before the regular meeting of tn,
House.
ACCEPTED THE BRIBE.
Butler then came in and told US tha
We had better lose no more time; that W
would get only A7.5oo to vote for the bil
and advised us to kill the temporary light
ing bill. We finally agreed to accept tn
offer. He told us that we might send an.
one Of the boys we cared to select afte
the money. We then passed the bill, afte
motion to reconsider 1t was adopted.
Then where did you gor' asked Circui
Attorney Folk.