The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-16
SCHMITZ AND RUFF INDICTED.
EiU At LAST REACHES FOR san
FPANCISCO'S GRAFTERS.
Ma,or and His Creator Charged with IN
tortinE Money From Immoral Resorts
Inder Threats That Licenses wOuld Ne
taken Away VIII Arrest schmitz Here

SAN FRANCISCO. Nov. 15.-Mayor Eugene
=. Schmitz and his boss. Abe Ruef. who
made him Mayor and with whose assistance
and c~onnivance he has built up the most
far reaching and successful scheme OF
graft ever operated in any American city,
we're this afternoon indicted on charges of
extortion.
The indictments were found at the end
Of two days Of inquiry under the direction
Of Francis j.. Heney.
The indictments are jointly returned
uron FIVE counts. All OF them concern
the cases Of the so-called French restsu-
rants. the charge being practically that
the restaurant keepers paid large sums
10 Rnef to induce him to force the admins
,ration to grant them licenses, which would
otherwise he denied them on the ground
that the places we're immoral.
one count involves the restaurant form
erlv At Geary and Stockton streets. and
known az Marchaand's. F.. j. Marchaand,
Pierre Priet and Merchel Debret testified
in this case that they had contributed to a
defence fund" for the purpose Of hiring
Ruef to look after" their interests.
Two counts deal with the new Poodle
Fog. a famous institution Of merrymak-
ing which fourishes at Eddy and Mason
streets. in the heart Of San Francisoo's
Tenderloin. The genial and famous Toney
Rlanco testified in this case.
The remaining two counts had to do
with the contributions Of the proprietors
If Delmonico's to the Ruef defence fund.
Joseph Malfanti, Charles Kelb and William
Iafrenz told the Grand Jury how they
gave mp for Delmonico's.
Specific accusation is made that two
payments were made 10 Ruef by the con-
rributors Of the defence fund" The
first was Of 81 LIS md was made in jan
uary, 1905. The second was OF 81 900 a nd
changed hands in February, 1900, two
months before the earthquake
While these are the only definite ALE
cations of payments, it is declared Ruer
got first and last from the proprietors OF
similar resorts no less than s2s, 900. All
this, of course, Ruef will contend was paid
to him merely in his legitimate capacity Of
legal adviser.
There was in Office some time ago a 20
lice commissioner named Hutton, who
seemed to believe that he had some re-
sponsibility to the city. He got evidence
against a resort known as Torrents, closed
il up and showed signs OF getting after the
other offenders. Then Schmitz and RueR
reasoned with him in their own inimitahle
,tvle. Strange to say. Hutton remained
deaf to their entreaties, wherefore they
cooked up a scandal against him that had
no bearing whatever upon his position as
a rtvkIf1 nNGOar and r,vnnxrAl hspn fwOro
office as unfit" After that the other French
restaurant proprietors, represented az they
we're by such persuasive counsel, had no
difficulty in getting and retaining their
licenses.
IL is supposed that the evidence that
connected the Mayor with the ~extortion
practised upon the French restaurant keep
ers was furnished to the Grand jury by ex-
Police Commissioner Thomas Reagan and
that Reagan was corroborated by ex-Com-
missioner Hutton and Drinkhouse.
IL was Reagan who some time & in an
open letter accused the Mayor Of trying to
induce him to blackmail saloon keepers
into buying their whiskey Of a certain firm.
There would be, Reagan says the Mayor
told him, a rakeof of $50 in every barrel
he succeeded in selling. This they two
would divide.
Mayor Schmitz is now on the Atlantic
on his way back from Europe on board the
steamship Patricia, which is due in New
York next week. When he steps ashore
lc will be met by New York policemen who
viii place him under arrest. Should he
decline to waive extradition proceedings
the proper steps to bring him here will he
instituted. A bench warrant was this after
noon issued for his arrest by Judge Murasky,
a. soon as the Grand Jury reported.
BY these indictments public confidence Is
revived in the ability Of Heney TO carry
OFT liz promises that he would nail the most
inpndcat gag Of blackmailers and bride
t,Hrrs that ever fdttened on a city.
II is not for a moment supposed, how
ever, that he will stop here. The field IL
TOO wide for that. and the Grand jury is
expected to proceed at once to the investi-
cation of all the other numerous fields Of
graft that Ruef and Schmitz nave so indus
tr.oisly cultivated.
The saloon licenses, illegal bu ilding per-
mits and fraudulent franchises are all
expected to yield still more indictments.
and, in fact. Heney and Secret Service Agent
Burns are known to have investigated
carefully almost every department of the
city government.
That the present indictments are likely
10 result in convictions may be doubted
Al all events, the Mayor and the boss will
surely exhaust every possible esource
to delay their trials to the latest possible
moment. Heney has at least made good his
statement that he wasn't going after the
little grafters."
The first count Of the indictments is a
specimen OF the others. It relates that
Eugene +. Schmitz and Abe Ruef On jan
uary Is, 1905, did unlawfuly, wilfully, felo-
niously. &c, extort and obtain from An
tonic Blanco sl,I75 by threats that Blanco
was then conducting restaurant and selling
at retail liquors and wines and that he was
compelled TO have icense to carry on his
business; that all these facts were known
10 Schmitz and Ruef. and that they did
ieloniously and unlawfully threaten Blanco
That unless he paid them 81 IFS and promise
10 pay 81 600 in addition one year from
That date that he could not and would not
obtain said license for the sale OF liquors
and wines, and that Schmitz and Ruef
aL-Nl