Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-09-24
PROSECUTOR SAYS HE WILL
PROVE HIM GUILTY
DECLARES UNITED RAILROADS
PAID BIG SUM
Assistant District Attorney Outlines
Case and Asserts He Can Prove
That Money Went to SUI
pervisors
Nv Associated Press.

Heney today in a forty-five-m minute state
ment outlined to the jury which is to
pass upon the guilt or innocence OF Chlel
Counsel TREY l.. Ford of the United
Railroads the evidence the prosecution
proposes to submit in proof of the charges
that he bribed Supervisor Thomas F.
Lonergan in the sum of $4,000 to vote
for the trolley franchise.
1t Is the assertion of the prosecution
that Ford with the active help OF MS
assistant, William M. Abbott, and by the
orders of President Patrick Calhoun OF
the defendant corporation, paid Abe Ruef,
the former political boss, 100000; that
Ruef kept s65 900 as his share, and through
the mediums of Supervisors Jim" Gal
lagher, Andrew M. Wilson (now railroad
commissioner, bribed seventeen of the
eighteen members of the board of super
yisors, Gallagher receiving $4,000, Wilson
$4,000 and the other fifteen getting $4,000
each; also that the share of the $20O,0OO
delivered by Ruef to Mayor Eugene E.
Schmitz was $50,000.
The only supervisor who got nothing,
according to the prosecution, was Rea.
Mr. Heney's outline statement did not
contain any of the sensational surprises
which rumor has been long busy in hint
ing at.
MuIIaIIy Left Out "
Perhaps to his auditors the feature
of it was the omission instead Of the
inclusion of Calhoun's nephew Thornwell
Mutually, acting general manager of the
United Railroads. Heney's synopsis
seemed to studiously avoid any reference
to him as participant in the carrying
out of the alleged bribery.
The defense subsequently commenting
upon Heney's statement, while not deny
ing that sit might look very strorg cir
ON CT r1ti tia11u fha UievVnOint thn
other side, only that side having as yet
been heard from" reaffirmed Calhoun's
original declaration that no officer or
person acting in behalf of the United
Railroads ever paid bribe to anyone,
that it never was denied that the COM
pany "did pay fee to Ruef."
They denounced "the proposal of the
prosecution as declared in Mr.. Heney's
statement to convict us of crimes we
never committed by the testimony of
boodlers who confess that they arranged
among themselves the division of a fee
legally paid to lawyer, who they say
controlled them
Only one witness was examined today,
the assistant clerk of the board of super
savisors who established by his testimony
the passage of the trolley franchise. II
has been announced that the first witness
tomorrow morning will be former Super
visor Lonergan.
Big Crowd Present
The great interest felt in the trial OF
Ford was manifested today by the gath
ering of great crowds at Temple Sheriff.
Israel On account of scheduled religious
services it had been announced at last
Fridays adjournment that when the trial
should be resumed at o'clock Monday
it would be held for the day, in Judge
Dunne's department. Long before the
opening hundreds of men ard a score of
women blocked the corridors thereto, so
closely wedged that even court officials
were unable to get through. In the
meantime Judge Lawlor found that he
could occupy his own department, the
large auditorium OF the synagogue up
stairs.
The crowd downstairs did not find this
out until a few minutes before the OPEN
ing of the session. Then they made a
rush UP the wide marble stairway, only
to find that the choice pews were already
filled.
When the jury was called at 2:15 o'clock
and Assistant District Attorney francis
J. Heney rose to make the opening state
ment for the prosecution every seat With
in hearing distance was filled and more
eaper peopIe were constantly arriving.
with the Indictment in his hand Heney
began the presentation of the case for
the prosecution. He declared the prose-
cution expected to prove that TREY L..
Ford paid to Supervisor Thomas Loner-
gan the sum of $4,000 to influence his ac-
tion upon the application for an over
head trolley franchise for the United
Railroads. He said:
1--WE do not expect to prove that this
offer was made in so many words but we
do propose to prove that the offer was
made to Lonergan by Supervisor Wilson,
who in turn was authorized by Gala
cher. who was authorized by Ruef, who
was authorized by Ford
Begun in May, 1906
Henev then stated that he expected to
,rove that negotiations looking toward
the bribery of these supervisors had been
commenced in February or March, 1906,
and that the after proceeding to some
extent had been dropped because OF fall
ire RI agree upon the amount of the
hribes to be paid to the supervisors.
After the earthquake, however, accord
ing to Heney's statement. Ruef advised
Gallagher that the people seemed 10 be
An such a frame of mind that the fran
cbise would probably be easily secured.
Tbereunc,. according to the outline by
TIenev an agreement was entered into
1yberebv Ruef and Gallagher fixed lne
total amount to be paid at $S5,O00 as the
share for the supervisors, with the ex-
cention of Gallagher and Wilson, who,
like Ruef and Scbmitz, were to receive
more than the specified $40O apiece.
Coming down to details, he affirmed
that he would prove that Ruef had held
conferences with Calhoun Ford and Null
lalIv in Calhoun's house; that Ruef was
with Treasurer Starr when the latter
visited the United States subtreasury and
dew $4,000 in currency, with the remark
that he was going 10 lend Ruef couple
Of thousand of it.
Heney declared his ability to prove that
Of the first S125,OO0 deposited in the sub
treasury to the credit of the United Rail-
roads by eastern associates ne had neen
able to trace every dollar into egiti-
mate use. He charged, however, that a
second deposit of 100000 had been made
at the subtreasury after the supervisors
had finally passed the ordinance granting
the overhead trolley franchise.
This amount he said was deposited on
May %, 1906. the day after the ordinance
was finally passed. He charged that Cali
houn, subsequent to this date went toI