The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1907-03-29
MUNICIPAL GRAFT INvEsTlGA.
TON CREATES SENSATION IN
SAN FRANCISCO.
THE BEGINNING OF The end"
After an Extended D~eliberation, Jury
Gives Its Report-Ten Counts
Against T. v. HaIsey-More
Indictments Expected.

a Francisco-The long looked.for
indictments in the municipal graft
cases were returned last night. Short.
~ after 9 o'clock the grand jury filed
with Presiding Judge Coffey of the
superior court rs indictments charging
bribery, which were found upon evil
uence presented to the grand jury aft
er SIX months probing into the mu-
nicipal affairs of this city by Assist
ant District Attorney Francis ].
Heney and Secret Service Agent viii
liam j.. Burns, and which reveal an
amazing story of alleged graft and
corruption that surpasses the Doodle
cases OF st. Louis, ranks with the
Minneapolis expose and Is only
eclipsed in the amount of money
passed, but not it's qualifications AMI
organization, by the famous Tweed
ring of New York.
S~ixty-Five Counts Against Rues.
or the indictments returned. sixty.
nve are against Abraham Ruef, for
years the political boss of San Fran
cisco, charging him with bribing he
board of supervisors to grant fra,,
chises to the United Railroads. he
Home Telephone Co., the San Francis.
co Gas and Electric Co. and he so.
called "prize-fight trust Ten are
against T. V. Halsey, former general,
agent OF the Pacific States Telephone
and Telegraph Co., who is charged
with having bribed the supervisors not
TO grant a franchise to a rival com.
pany. One indictment against Ruef
and four more against Halsey which.
It is understood, were also returned.
were not filed in open court. Several
more indictments, the exact number
and against what person Heney and
burns refuse to divulge until the &C.
cused persons have been arresced
were returned by the grand jury, but
not filed, Heney and Burns not even
trusting the secret file.
One Franchise Worth $1,000, 600.
or the sixty-five counts of bribery
against Ruef, seventeen are in connec.
ton with the granting of the overhead
trolley franchise to the United Rail.
road Co. Immediately after the dis.
aster OF last April. Seventeen are
based upon the money alleged to nave
Deen spent by the gas company to Sc
cure an S5c gas rate, as against a "a,
rate; thirteen refer to the passing of
the money by the Home Telephone Co.
to obtain a franchise for a bid of
$4,000 and which it had been de
clared was worth at least 81, OOO, 900.
and eighteen indictments are based
upon the alleged bribing of super.
visors by Ruef to grant prize-fght Der.
mits only to the so-called fight trust
of this city. which is composed of
Eddie Graney, Morris Levey, James
Coffroth and Willis Britt.
The money in all these cases is al.
legged to have been handled by Ruef,
who, according to heney and Burns,
was the agent and broker between
the public service corporations and
board OF supervisors and a sort of
general distributing agent for all who
desired privileges from the super.
visors.
Halsey Fought Rival Company.
The indictments against Halsey
charge the agent of the Pacific States
Telephone and Telegraph Co. with
having bribed fourteen members of
the board of supervisors to refuse the
rival company a franchise.
Judge Coffey fixed the bail at $40.
600 on each Indictment, or a total of
$640,O00 for Ruef and 500, 900 for
Halsey. The latter is a brother.in.
law Of the late John I. Sabin. former.
ly president Of the Pacific States Tele.
phone and Telegraph Co., later at
the head of the telephone system in
Chicago, and a brother-in-law of Louis
Glass. president of the Philippine Tele-
phone Co. Halsey has been in Manila
installing a telephone system.
The Beginning Of the End.
In this connection 1t is noteworthy
that fourteen of the supervisors are
alleged to have also taken So, 900 each
from Halsey to prevent the granting
of the franchise to the Home com.
pany and 1t is understood that on
these counts fourteen indictments
were returned against Halsey, only
ten of which were filed Tuesday.
Assistant Attorney Heney stated
that yesterdays indictments were
the beginning of the end of Ruef"-
the beginning of the work OF exposing
the municipal corruption In San Fran.
cisco and the prosecution of those
high up" who are responsible for
such conditions in this city.