Arizona republican., 1907-06-07
A WITNESS
FALLS DOWN
n the Case Against Mayor
SChmitz
He Denied That lie Had
Been Il Victim of ExtOr-
tiOn.

San Francisco, June "a few min
utes before the adjournment OF court
this afternoon the defense in the trial
of Schmitz for extortion scored what
they consider a signal point during the
cross-examination of one of the pros
ecution's chief witnesses. Antonio b.
Blanco. Until the great fire Blanco
was proprietor of the Del Monico. one
of the five French restaurants from
whose owners the mayor and Ruef are
accused of having extorted thousands
of dollars under the threat implied.
IL not expressed" to prevent the re-
issuance OF their liquor licenses.
Did Ruef ever tell you that if you
did not pay money you would not get
your licenses renewed" asked AttOr-
ney Campbell, the mayors senior
counsel
No" replied Blanco promptly. he
did not"
Did the mayor ever tell you that %
No"
Did anybody ever tell you so?"
No. nobody ever made that threat
to me-" said Blanco.
Four witnesses were on the stand
retary of the board of police commits
sioners; former Police Commissioner
Thomas Reagan; DR.. Joseph Pohem
and Antonio Blanco.
The first witness tomorrow will be
Joseph Malfanti. present proprietor of
the Delmonico. He acted as agent for
the other French restaurants and
handed to Ruef the money which the
prosecution claims was eXtorted and
which the defense maintains was paid
purely as a retainer and in pursuance
of a legal contract by which Ruef was
10 act as attorney for the Frenchmen
in the matter of securing the removal
OF the licenses which had been held
up by Commissioners Hutton and Rea-
gan on charges OF immortality. The
man who conducted the negotiations
with Ruef on behalf of the other res
taurant keepers and himself. and
whose name appears as a signature
TO the contract il is alleged. is dead.
Former Commissioner Reagan testi-
fled minutely to the sudden determined
Change OF ths-mayor's attitude in the
French license renewals. from advis-
ing a refusal, to the demanding they
be d.-simultaneousiy with the
appearance of Ruef. as attorney for
the restaurants and his testimony i'm
plicated the walters union in a plot
to expose the immortality OF these
places as a result of union difficulties
with their proprietors.
Former Commissioner Pohem told OF
the compiling by Ruef of a set of bogus
regulations for the government OF
restaurants and how he and the boss
laughed over these and how after they
had been by Ruef submitted to the
police board the held-up licenses were
renewed.
Blanco testified that he and the pro-
prietors of the Pup. Delmonico's. Mar
chand's and Tortoni's had raised a
fund OF $4,000 to be paid Ruef "as a
lawyer and political boss" for taking
care" OF their licenses.
Heney conducted the examinations
for the state and G ampbell cross
examined for the defense. After the
Mr.. Heney was asked
when Ruef would be called to the
stand. He replied that he was unwill-
ing to say because ne did not want ito
give Campbell chance to prepare for
kuef's cross-eXamination-"
Today's attendance at the trial was
larger than ever before Crowds
pressed about the locked doors of the
Bush street synagogue before the
opening of the mornings session. Dur
ing the sessions every pew in the large
was filled and scores OF
persons stood