Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1907-04-02
|RUEF'S FRIENDS
MAY TRY RESCUE
PROSECUTION IN CASE AGAINST
SAN FRANCISCO BOSS
FEAR COUP.
THE PRISONER KEPT
UNDER HEAVY GUARD
Order Is to Shoot Him If Attempt is
Made to Effect His Rescue by
Force-Prosecutlon Admits 1t Ex-
poets Trouble Before Trial Ends.

Made to Effect His Rescue by
Force-Prosecution Admits 1t Ex-
poets Trouble Before Trial Ends.
San Francisco, April 1.-Since the
capture and arrest of Abraham Ruef
at the Trocadero, a month ago, rumors
have been rife that an attempt would
be made to rescue him by force from
Elisor Buggy and his guards, either
during session of court or while
Ruef was being taken to or from court,
from his prison chamber in the St.
Francis hotel.
An officer prominent in the bribery
graft investigation was asked Friday
If 1t is not true that every person iden-
tifiaa with the prosecution is going
armed, and was questioned about the
significance of this. He said:
Though l think the matter should
not be exploited, it is a fact that
every man openly identified with the
prosecution of the bribery charges
and grafters is going heeled,' and that
some of the more prominent of them
are employing body guards. Though
1t may sound sensational to those not
familiar with the local situation, it is
fact that for a month we have been
keeping a special lookout for an at
tempted rescue of Ruef, and we shall
be happily surprised if these investiga-
lions and impending prosecutions end
without gun play.
Suspicious Acts in Court.
Several times when Ruef has been
in Judge DUNES court on one or 9TH
err of the preliminaries that precede
trial a sudden movement toward the
prisoner of men, some of whom we
know to be reckless of personal con-
sequences, has been checked quickly
and quietly by the interposition of Of
ficers and deputies in the employment
of the prosecution.
We know that should Ruef be res
cued-a seemingly impossible feat-it
would not be a difficult thing to hide
him SO securely right here in San
Francisco, that to find him again
would be practically an impossibility.
The prosecution knows this, the elisor
knows it, and neither is taking any
| chances.
Ruef Would Be Shot First.
1T is stating literal fact to say
that each of Biggy's seven guards is
instructed, in the event of serious
attempt at rescue by force, either in
court or elsewhere, to shoot Ruef and
turn their attention to his would-be lib
orators afterward. Ruef has been ac-
quainted with these orders AS he is
not the type of man to consent to
any plan of escaping through force,
it is only his rough and reckless
| friends on the outside who would at
tempt to devise such a coup. Ruef
might try to regain his liberty by
strategy, but not otherwise"
Rudolph Spreckels Generous.
Rudolph 6preckels, who by packing
the prosecution in the graft investiga-
ton with his fortune made the present
investigation possible, gave out a
statement Friday in which he said:
Contributions from citizens to the
fund of 100000 guaranteed by me be-
fore the commencement of the bribery
SAoiI iufCoLiSdIlOu dIS COuulLS III
steadily, though slowly. They are in
amounts ranging from 500 to $1,000
and more"
In the event that the ultimate total
of subscriptions falls short of the
100000 guaranteed, will you make
the deficit good?" Mr.. Spreckels was
asked
He replied: Il certainly will, and ii
| it costs more than 100000 to COM
plete this prosecution, that will make
no difference. Those engaged in it's
furtherance will never be hampered by
lack of funds, no matter what the bill
may be.
Want to Get BrIbe-elvers.
"The work of investigating will not
be suspended until every bit Of rot.
tenness has been fully exposed. We
fully expect to land behind the bars
of the penitentiary every giver of
brides and the higher up the offender
the more vigorous will be his pursuit.
1--WE do not, however, expect to send
every bribe-taker to prison. Some of
the miserable men who sold them
selves to the corporations must be
granted immunity in return for their
testimony, which is worth great deal
more to us as evidence of the guilt
of high corporation officials than their
own incarceration would be-"