Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1906-12-27

dered by one of a band of robbers of
which he was member On the very
night that the elder Snyder died the
widow of his son confessed that her
dead husband was member of an
organized band' of robbers, who had
been cracking safes throughout the
western country. Cary Snyder kept
his father in constant trouble for near
ly three years before he was killed.
r. M. Snyder went to st. Louis in
the spring of 1898 and consummated
daring and colossal bribery, in street
railway franchise bill, says the New
York Herald.
Snyder Convicted.
After one of the most notable legal
battles in the west, in which Folk
fought against an array of the finest
legal talent that money could hire,
Snyder was convicted and sentenced
to five years in the penitentiary. The
case went to the supreme court and
was reversed on a technically. Be-
fore itScould be tried again Folk went
out Of Office, having been elected gov
ernor. The Snyder case was one of
the few that he passed down to Ar
thur N. Sager, his successor. Last
May Sager nolle pressed the case and
issued a new information against
Snyder. The case was called for trial
in September, but owing to the alb
sence of material witnesses for the
state, it was again nolle pressed and
new information sworn out.
This case was standing against
Snyder when death entered the final
nolle prosequi. The cases against Ut
hoff and Ritter, growing indirectly
out OF bribery committed some years
ago, are the only entries on the court
dockets to remind st. Louis of her
famous municipal scandals.
Ed. Butler, the boss politician, who
was three times indicted and twice
tried for bribery, has had his troubles,
too. Butler was first indicted for at
tempting to bride members of the
board Of health to award him a con-
tract for handling the city garbage.
He was tried in Columbia, Mo-, convict
ed and sentenced to three years in the
penitentiary, but escaped when the
supreme court decided that as the
members of the board of health were
not officials they could not be bribed
He was next indicted for handling a
Doodle fund of $47,500 to have passed
a bill providing for the lighting of the
streets with gas instead of electricity.
He was acquitted of this charge at Full
ton, Mo-, and in that respect consid-
cred himself lucky. Soon after his
first indictment his son-ln-law, John
Parle, died. Before he was tried on
the second indictment his favorite
son, John r. Butler, who had been
faithful to the old mans interests, fell
sick and died. This blow broke But
ler's heart and hurt him worse than
all of Folks prosecutions.
kelly's Evidence Needed.
There was one man only among the
former members of the house of dele
gates who knew where the SAT, 500
came from that was paid for the votes
of the combine members in the city
lighting deal. That was former Speak
er Charles F. Kelly. 1t had been de.
veloped that Kelly received the money
from Edward Butler, and Butler was
promptly indicted. But in this trans
action Butler was simply acting as
friend" Kelly's evidence was neces-
sary to establish the identity of the
man who stood In Buffers shadow.
Folk knew who he was-so did the
public, but Kelly had the only evidence
that would indict the man-who was
ten times a millionaire.
Folk had Kelly before the grand jury
on the afternoon of September 8, 1902,
and was gradually forcing a confes.
sion out of him. Emissaries of the
boodlers were ct once dispatched to
the four courts where the inuuisition
was in progress to get into communl.
cation with Kelly. While Folk was in