Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1904-07-04

ot. Louis, June SJ.-DurluS inc Oay
it was announced that Charles A.
Gutke, former member of the house of
delegates, convicted on charge of
bribery and soon to be tried on another
similar charge, had made complete
confession to Circuit Attorney Folk,
in which he declared that former Del
egate Kelly had told him he had re-
ceived $4,000 for going to Europe
when his presence in st. Louis leopard
lied men of prominence.
Kelly is also resting under convic-
ton and is soon to be tried under an
other case. Circuit Attorney Folk says
the revelations which have been made
by Gutke open up many new avenues
of information and bring to the light
things which have not been heard of
before, involving men higher up.
Tells of BOOdling.
When he came out of the Office of
Circuit Attorney Folk, Gutke handed
out for publication written extracts
from his confession, of which the fol-
lowing is part:
THE best reparation that | can
make for the wrongs have done is to
confess fully to everything, in order
that the public may realize fully what
has been going on. Yielding to the
pleadings of my wife have determin-
ed to do all that can to atone for my
sins against the public The people of
st. Louis do not realize, even now how
they have bsen persistently plundered
for years and years. by the men they
elected to make laws for their city.
81 became a member of the house of
delegates in 1897, and at once became
member of the combine OF that body,
which was an organization composed
of nineteen delegates for the purpose
of selling legislation.
1.-THE first bill that came up after
had become member of the combine
was the suburban bill The combine
got $50, 900 for their votes on this bill !;
in the Union avenue bill we got *lS,-
600; on the Central Traction bill we
got SO, 900; on the Third street line
bill we got Sal, 800; on the suburban
bill we were to get $40, 900, which is
now in deposit box in the Lincoln
Trust Company, being placed there
with the agreement that it would be
turned over to us when the bill had
been passed.
Big Bribcs Secured.
'While these are some of the largest
brides secured during my term of ocffie,
there were innumerable others. rang
ing from $40, 900 to few hundred dol
lars, for some minor privileges. The
bride prices were fixed in meetings of
the combine, the procedure being for
some memsber to move a certain price
on certain bill. Other members
would give their opinions, vote would
be taken and the price receiving the
highest number of votes would be
adopted.
"Then we would select an agent for
the combine by ballot to negotiate for
and receive the money. This agent
would distribute the money among us.
From my intimate knowledge of the
dealings of this combine and what had
been going on here for the last quarter
of a century, make the positive state.
ment that there is hardly a corpora
ton of the city of St. Louis Of 500,
900 or over that has not been held for
bride money in the house of dele
gates
Other details were given by Gutke,
who mentioned the name of a promi-
nent local politician, who he said had
b cen at the head of nearly all the
combines in the house of delegates dur
ing the past twenty five years. He said
the Doodle gang in st. Louis, which is
more powerful thar. the people of ST..
Louis dream of, has already planned
to capture the circuit attorneys Office
at the next election.