The Savannah morning news., 1903-03-02
By ALLEN V. GILLESPIE.

1t has been ten years since Joseph
W. Folk, seeing no future for himself
beyond a comfortable living in the
practice of law in his native town OF
Brownsville, Tenn, decided to go TO
St. Louis. the metropolis of all that
region, and hang out his shingle. He
landed there an unheralded and I'M
known country lawyer. and for seven
years the average resident of st. Louis
knew that no such man existed. Then,
by queer turn of the political machin-
cry, the Democratic leaders picked
out this young man as their candidate
for circuit attorney and elected him.
To-day Joseph w. Folk is known
not only in St. Louis, but in all Amer
lea, as the man who pulled down
about the heads of the bosses" who
elevated him the corrupt political
structure they had spent years in rear
ing: who has sent fourteen men, in
Guiding the Democratic leader, mil
lionaire or two, and city law makers,
TO the penitentiary for the crimes of
bribery and perjury; who hopes TO
convict ten more men on similar
charges. and who has caused four
others. one a multi-millionaire, to be-
come exiles from American soil.
In less than three years this coun
try lawyer has cleansed st. Louis of
the municipal debauchery that hac in
fected it for twenty. Alone and
unaided, he has performed this monu-
mental task by bluff, hard work, and
his knowledge of criminal law gained
while defending petty offenders be-
fore the courts in his home town of
some 5000 population.
MIR. Folk Goes to st. Louis.
When, in his twenty-third year, Mr.
Folk set himself up in st. Louis it was
with the determination to begin all
over again. He decided to drop crimi-
nal law, which he had been practicing
ever since his graduation from Van
deTbit University three years before,
and to take up the civil end of the
profession Gradually he succeeded in
getting business men to trust their
legal interests to him, and so firm had
his purpose become never to NEEDLE
in things criminal again and so re-
numeratiye was his civil list, that,
when, Unexpectedly, Boss" Edward
Butler, Democrat, appeared before
him and asked him to become the par
tvs nominee for Circuit Attorney, Mr..
Folk instantly refused to consider
such a proposition. Nor could days
of argument bulge him, and then the
boss" threatened:
Wen nominate you anyway and
make you refuse the honor on the
floor of the convention"
Very WELL" was the reply, I'll re-
fuse"
by other business men, stepped in and
interceded with him to take the Office
for the welfare of the city. They
finally induced him to surrender. but
which he said to Colonel" Buffers
committee. Very well, | will accept"
he added:
AS I intend to do my duty if I'm
elected. some of you fellows had bet
ter look out, for some day l may find
it my duty to prosecute you"
In so many words did Mr.. Folk give
fair and timely warning to the men
he has sent to prison.
Where Mr.. Folk Got the First Clue.
The year 1901 found a civil lawyer
occupying the position of circuit at
torney of st. Louis. and his name was
Joseph w Folk. Naturally. Mr.. Folk
fell Immediately back on his knowl-
edge of criminal law gained in his
home town, and he worked at night. to
improve this.
He was thus occupied, when, one
day, he saw a "squib" in a newspaper
stating that it was rumored that GER
tain members of the House of Dele
gates (St. Louis lower legislative
branch) were having some trouble in
getting at $4,000 bride money in a
safe deposit vault, which they felt they
were entitled to have.
Mr.. Folks idea of politics is ideal
that politics should be clean. He
who violates the law is not a Demo-
crat, is not a Republican-he is a
criminal" he has said. Here was a
hint at the worst kind of municipal
crime. and. althouh he knew that if
it were true. men of his own party
and some of his friends would be i'm
piicated, he quietly began Investigate
ing.
A few days inquiry satisfied Mr..
Folk that the clipping referred to an
attempt on the part of the Suburban
Railway to secure the passage of an
ordinance enhancing the value of it's
property several millions. Then, all
though he had absolutely nothing ex-
cept his suspicious that this was
so to back him, he sent for the
railways millionaire president, Charles
H. Turner. and it's legislative agent,
Philip Stoke, to appear before him
When they came he informed them
that he wanted them to tell him about
the attempt which they had made to