The Washington herald., 1907-05-16

San Francisco. May 1.-THE greatest
sensation in the graft cases since the
wholesale confession of the boodling sup
ervisors came to-day. when Abe Ruef, the
indicted boss" whose trial was TO ba
called to-day. made a confession of his
guilt and extortion in court. and agreed to
cid in the prosecution of the boodlers.
It was a complete surprise 20 Ruefs
counsel, as well as TO the prosecution, and
the scene in the courtroom was pitiable
when the once gay, supremeiy confident
political leader broke down. wept, and
nearly collapsed while acknowledging his
shame and his purpose to live down his
old ofenses
Ruef has been a sick man for several
weeks but his mental condition must be
even worse than his physical for he
showed in court the yellow streak which
his enemies have predicted would come
out when he had exhausted all the legal
devices to stave off the trial of his case
Ruefs promise to tell all has caused
CONSERVATION in political circles. Il means
certain conviction on many charges. and
long terms in State Prison for Mayor
Schmitz, and il may mean the conviction
OF the railroad and telephone officials.
against whom the charges have been
made
Ruef and Schmitz Enemies.
Those who know Ruef well believe.
however, that when his present srasm Of
weakness and remorse has passed he will
fail to make good with any valuable
revelations except in regard TO Mayor
Schmitz. whom he hates because he
openly gloated over Ruefs discontinue,
Schmitz stiIl believes that the friend !
ship of certain prominent men will save
him from paying penalty Of his misdeeds, /
and he has taken no pains to hide this
from Ruef, and to impress upon the de-
throned boss that they are not in the
same boat.
, Ruef began proceedings before the
court opened by calling his counsel to-
gether and reading a statement, which ne
aftcTwaTd made in court. His lawyers
were intensely aroused and pleaded with |
Ruef 20 reconsider his decision. They !
represented that it was almost impossible !
20 convict on ,he evidence which the |
prosecution had disclosed.
Ruef wept but remained firm in his |
decision to confess his guilt Then three !
OF his counsel decided to withdraw
When Ruefs case was called. his at /
torneys made a final effort to secure more
delay and failed. Then Lawyers Ach |
Shortridge. and Murphy Ruef's principal |
lawyers arose and stated that owing to /
a grave difference Of opinion with their |
client, each must withdraw. Ruef sat |
pale in his chair. but il was evident that |
he was greatly excited, for beads of |
sweat stood on his bald forehead.
Scarcely Able to Speak.
Judge Dunn instinctively turned toward /
Ruef. who rose TO his feet unsteadily. He /
moistened his lips with his tongue. but |
so great was his emotion that he actually /
could not speak until he had taken /
drink Of water. and throughout his brief /
address he continued TO sip water at /
frequent intervals. His tongue seemed TO |
swell so that he could not articulate
The courtroom in the meantime became I
crowded. and most Of the spectators were |
standing Ruef, after thanking mis- law
yeTs for their friendship. counsel and |
guidance, said:
This trial has become a threatening
danger to my health both mental and |
physical. I am unable to bear the strain
any longer Here the speakers voice
failed. and with shaking hand he raised
a glass to his lips, taking several gulps
OF water. then. continuing. he said:
''The strain on those nearest and dear
est to me is undermining them. they are
on the verge of collapse, their lives hang
in the balance. and I must take some
action. l have occupied prominent posi-
tions in this city, l hope 10 remain here,
and this viii be the place of my eternal
sleep Heretofore I have borne an honored
name I'm my professional life. There has
been no stain upon my honor. and until
the present board Of supervisors was
elected. there was no act Of mine that
could be justly Censured.
Nevertheless. owing to assaults Of the
press ! have been burdened with a bad
name. Il is true that in order to hold
together the political machine which |
had built up with great difficulty. that
did lower high political ideals that I had
hitherto upheld Last night l reached
the conclusion that there might still be
an opportunity to make some effort TO
restore myself in public favor and be 4
power for good.
willing TO Help Authorities,
1 N4A 90 al lildt sun lies IN my power
20 help overthrow the system which
makes possible the terrible corruption of
public officials To do this 1 will work
even as the humbest citizen. My future
career will be one Of integrity. I hope
that I can still accomplish some good.
L am making the greatest sacrifice that
could befall q human being Of my disposi-
ton, namely, % acknowledge my faults
and mistakes 10 restore myself in public
favor. Duty calls me wherever the path
may lead, but l want the whole world
10 know that l am not guilty of the
charges made against me I'm this instance
Nevertheless. on account Of the reasons
stated, l withdraw my plea Of not guilty
and enter a plea of guilty"
As Ruef concluded and resumed his
seat. he was trembling like a leaf his
'aCe was the color Of parchment. and /
ears were streaming down his cheeks.
Judge Dunn made an order setting the
,ase over two weeks for sentence. Then | :
% N /