Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1906-11-16
RUFF, S(HN|ll AND
Tnf INDICTMENTS
French Restaurants Are
Source of Great
Revenue
FEE OF y1S,OOV
RECEIVED BY BOSS
REAL TEST OF VOTERS CAME IN
RECENT ELECTION OF THE
JUDGES OF SUPERIOR
COURT

piobooii'y Vi
Abe Ruef and Mayor Schmitz. which
were reported yesterday by cable,
were In connection with the French
restaurant scandal. which has been
closely followed by Deputy County At
torney Heney Of land fraud case fame.
who If now cleaning up some of the
political sewers Of San Francisco.
II Is known that one Of the first
matters to be submitted to the jury
concerned Ruefs connection with the
French restaurants. This Is regarded
as one Of the cases In which Ruef has
laid himself open to direct attack. Ruef
has admitted that he accepted fee
from the restaurants. In addition to
his testimony II will be necessary only
to prove that conspiracy existed.
The testimony Of Thomas Reagan will
be important In this particular.
1t will be shown that the Mayors
crusade against the French restaur.
ants was not In good faith. In fact an
effort will be made to prove that the
crusade originated in the brain Of the
boss. The Mayor suddenly came to
the conclusion that the restaurants
were immoral. The places. which had
Inspired poets from afar, after an I'M.
molested existence of several years,
found themselves unexpectedly under
the ban Of the Mayor. The Jackson
street resort was all right in the eyes
Of Schmitz, but the French restaurants
Nth their rooms overhead became In.
tolerable In the righteous sight OF his
Honor.
The avenue Of attack was naturally
the Police Commission. The Commits.
sioners were told that the places were
evil and should be suppressed. The
commission, therefore. decided that
the liquor licenses under which these
resorts operated should be revoked, A
so.called raid" was a necessary pre-.
liminary. The raid" therefore. was
made.
II was at this point that Ruef sud.
denly entered the case. He appeared
Bs counsel for the restaurants. The
Police Commissioners had been In.
structed by the Mayor to heed the
words of Eminent Counsel" and to
act with discretion. Ruef suggested
that registers such as are used In ho.
tells be placed In the restaurants. This,
II was urged, would make them right.
eous In every respect. II was accord.
ingly so ordered. Ruef pocketed his
fee Of $2S,000 and the incident was do.
Clared closed.
The charge against Ruef In this case
Will be conspiracy to extort. II will
be alleged that the threat to revoke
the license was mere subterfuge by
which Ruef could collect a handsome
fee.
In the course Of the civic house.
cleaning now In progress In San Fran.
cisco certain matters may be given at.
tention which on the face Of things
promise good field for inquiry. The
slot machines and the chimney inspec.
tion come under this head. In the
case of the slot machines there has
been no dearth Of rumors. II has been
stated that the administration played
fast and loose In cases where the ma.
chimes were concerned. This subject
came before the Andrews Grand Jury,
but since that time facts have devel
oped which make new inquiry more
fruitful Of results.
The chimney inspection involves a
sum Of about $4,000. Just what part
OF this went for salaries and what por.
ton went into the public treasury will
be fully determined. II has been
charged that the salaries paid were
excessive for the work performed and
that the entire sum derived from the
inspection was eaten up In Expenses
In an effort to locate all Of the hold
ings of Schmitz ana Ruef. the records
'f Los Angeles are being looked into.
The trips OF Ruef and the Mayor to
the southern city, It Ii alleged, were