Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1907-03-21
RUEF PRINCE
OF GRAFTERs-
San Francisco Grand Jury
Returns Large Number
Indictments

SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, March 21.-
The grand jury today resumed it's in
vestigation of the alleged telephone
graft.
Assistant District Attorney Heney
and Detective Burns interrogated off,
cials of the Pacific States Telephons
& Telegraph company.
Twenty-sev indictments have al
ready been returned in connection
| with the telephone scandal, and De-
tective burns says 1t has just conn
menced.
SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, March 21.--
The long looked for indictments in the
municipa graft cases were returned
last night Shortly before 6 o'clock the
grand jury filed with Presiding Judge
Coffey of the superior court rs in
dictments including bribery which
were found on evidence presented to
the grand jury after six months prob
ing into the municipal affairs of this
city by Assistant District Attorney
Francis ]. Heney and Secret Service
Agent VIM. 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 and Is only eclipsed in the
amount OF money passed but not in
its ramifications and organization by
the famous Tweed ring Of New York.
65 indictments Against Ruef.
OF the indictments returned today
4 65 are against Abraham Ruef, for
years the political boss Of San Fran
cisco. charging him with brihing the
board OF supervisors to grant fran
chises to the United railroads, the
Home Telephone company. the San
Francisco Gas and Electric company
/ andzaAher a0-ealied prize lighting trust
Three are against r. v. Halsey former
General agent of the Pacific States
Telephone and Telegraph 4 company.
who is charged with having bribed
the supervisors not to grant d franz
chise to the rival company. One In
dictment against Ruef ana four more
against Halsey which were also re-
vrned yesterday were not filed in
open court Several more indictments,
the exact number and against what
persons Heney and Burns refuse to
divulge until the accused parties have
been arrested, were returned by the
grand jury but not filed, Heney and
Burns not trusting even the secret file.
OF the 65 counts of bribery against
Ruef II are In connection with the
granting of the overhead trolley franz
,hise to the United Railroads imme-
diately after the disaster of last April.
Seventeen are based upon the money
alleged to have been spent by the Gas
company to secure an IS cents gas
rate against 75 cent rate: 13 refer
to the passing of money by the Home
Telephone company to obtain a fran
chise for bid of $25,e0o, and which
1t has been declared was worth at
least 1900, ,00e, and Is indictments are
based upon the alleged bribing of the
permits only to the so-called fight
trust of this city, which is composed
of Eddie Graney, Morris Levy, James
Coffroth and Willis Britt.
The money In all these cases Is all
legged to have been handled by Ruef,
who, according to Heney and Burns,
was the agent and broker between the
public service corporation and the
: board of supervisors and sort of gem
eral distributing agent for all who de-
" sired privileges from the supervisors.
The indictments against Halsey
I charge the agent of the Pacific States
" Telephone and Telegraph company
with having bribed the board of super
= visors to refuse the oval company a
franchise.
$65o,00o Bail for Ruef.
= Judge Coffey fixed the bail at $10.-
> 900 on each indictment or total of
= $650,000 for Ruef and 100000 for Hal
sey. The latter is brother-in- n-law OF
= the late John I. Sabin, formerly presi-
: dent of the Pacific States Telephone
Continued on Page Two.)