The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-29
|GUTKE TELLS
| OF BOODLING
Graft Galore In ST. Louis
| Legislation.
--s-
coNFEssEs TO MR.. FOLK
Combination Voted on Prices
to Be Demanded.
Plans Already Made by the Ring 10
Capture the Circuit Attorney's
Once at the Next
Electfon.
coNFEssEs TO MR.. FOLK

st. Louis. June 2s.--It was announces
ed to-day that Charles A. Gutke. for
mer maIAer of the House Of Dele
gates. convicted on a charge Of brfb-
cry and soon to be tried on another
similar charge. to-day made COM
plete confession to Circuit Attorney
Joseph w. Folk, In which he declared
| that former Delegate Charles +. Kelly
had told him that he had received $780,
900 for going to Europe when his pres
ence in st. Louis jeopardized men OF
prominence.
Kelly is also resting under one con-
viction and soon Is to be tried in an
other case. Circuit Attorney Folk at
taches great Importance to the reve-
lations which have been made by
Gutke. He said that it opened up
many avenues of investigation and
that 1t brought things to light which
have not been heard OF before. involv-
ing the men higher up"
When he came out of the ONCE of
the attorney. Gutke said: The best
reparation that I can make for the
wrongs that have done Is to confesG
fully to everything in order that the
public may realize what has been go
ing on. Yielding to the pieadfngs Of
my wife. have determined to do all
can to atone for my sins against the
public.
Persistent PIundering.
The people of st. Louis even now do
not realize how they have been per-
sistently pluhdered for years and
years by the men they elected to make
laws for their city
He then published the following
written extract of his confession:
Il became a member OF the House
of Delegates in 1897 and at once be-
came a member of the combination OF
that body which was an organization
composed of 10 delegates fol the plir-
pose OF selling legislation.
1.-THE first bill that came up after !
had become a member of the combina-
tion was the suburban Loop bill.
THE combination got $4,000 Tor
their votes on this BILL on the Union
avenue bill we got $4,000: on the
Central Traction bill we got $4,000;
on the Third street line bill, we got
s15,0 900: on the Lighting bill we got
$47,5Oo; on the Suburban bill. we were
to get $4,000, which is now in the safe
deposit box in the Lincoln Trust Com
pany, being placed there with the
agreement that 1t should be turned
over to us when the bill had BEEN pass
ed
yoH.d ON the Price.
while t<ese are some of the largest
bribes secured during my term OF Of
Ace, there were innumerable others,
ranging from $4,000 for switching
bills to a few hundred dollars for some
minor privileges. The biggest prices
were fixed in meetings OF the combina-
ton. the procedure being for some
member to get up and move that a cex-
tain price be fixed on a certain bill.
Other members would give their opin-
ions and a vote would be taken and
the price receiving the highest num-
Der of votes would be adopted.
Then we would select an agent OF
the combination by ballot to negotiate
for and receive the money This agent
would distribute the money amongst
us From my intimate knowledge OF
dealings with this combination and
from information secured on what had
been going on for the last quarter OF
a century, I make the positive state
ment that there is hardly a corpora
ton In the city of st. Louis of $685.
and over that has not either been held
up for bride or bought official legisla-
ton"
Acted as Agent.
Il acted as agent in a number or
these deals. In the suburban deal I
went with Kratz to Stocks house and
was present when the agreement was
made regarding the bribe of $4,000 for
Kratz which Is now in lock box in
the Mississippi Valley Trust Company.
/ went with Kratz and Carroll to the
Office of a prominent broker in the
deal and the $4,000 was paid
me by this broker to give the combi-
nation and the promises was made then
that $4,000 more would be paid"
Other details were given by Gutke
and he mentioned the name of a promi-
nent local politician who he said had
been at the head of nearly all the
combines in the House of Delegates
during the past twenty-five years.
He said the Doodle in St. Louis which
Is more powerful than the people dream
Of has already planned to capture the