The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-03-28
STILL PROBING
GRAFT IN FRISCO
Bankers and Others Examined
Believed TO Have Given
Important Evidence

San Francisco. March 27.--There
were . witnesses examined today by
the grand jury in It's investigation of
bribery and graft during session
which lasted from o'clock In the af-
ternoon until after 6. These we're,
In the order named:
DR. Ferdinand Butteriield. repre-
senting interests allied with the Unit
ted States Independent Telephone
company, the concern which desired
to but did not bid for the competitive
franchise awarded to the Home Tele-
phine company. 1t is charged. after
approximately 100000 bribe money
had been paid. and $4,000 to the
earthquake and fire relief fund; 3.
Oppenheimer of San Francisco, Will
lam Mead. president OF the Cetnral
Bank Of Los Angeles and a stock
holder in the Home Telephone COM
pany OF that city; Mr.. Solan of Los
Angeles; Frank M. Brown, a broker
of Los Angeles, who had to do with
the formation of the Home Tele-
phone company, and. who, 1t Is said,
furnished the grand jury with evil
dence respecting the manner in which
that corporation secured the San
Francisco franchise after. as claimed,
it had been lllegitimately bought by
the Pacific. States Telephone compa-
ny; w. c. Patterson. vice president OF
the First Nationsla Bank of Loa An
geles. who was financially interested
in the operations Of the Home COM
pany; j. S. Torrance. Los Angeles
broker; A. B. Casp. president of the
Home Telephone Company of Los An
geles; T. s. Parkhurst of Los Ange-
les: Mr. Dole of Pomona, and Super
visor W. w Sanderson of this city.
one of the several supervisors who
are alleged to have furnished the
grand jury with much of the ground
work for its indictments by confess
ing to wholesale bribery practiced
upon themselves by the two tele-
phone companies, the local gas COM
pany, the United Railroads and other
corporations.
Each witness AS he came from the
inqusitorial chamber refused unc-
quiyoeally to answer all questions
put or TO divulge in any respect the
nature Of the questions asked him
or the answers given in the jury
room
II is believed that the witnesses
called or some of the more important
of them. had given testimony tend
ing to corroborate the bribery and
graft evidence on which 65 indict-
ments have already been returned
against Abraham Ruef, nine against
General Manager Louis Glass of the
Pacific States Telephone company, 13
against Abraham X. Detweiler, out
side agent for the Home Telephone
company; 10 against J. V. Halsey,
outside agent for the Pacific States
Telephone company, five against
Mayor Schmitz, and one against
Chief of Police Dinan.
Supervisor Sanderson who though
a young man, is in feeble health, was
accompanied from his Palo Alto
home to the grand jury room by his
physician, DR.. A. G. Villain. Sander
son, when surrounded by newspaper
men, made a pathetic appeal not to
be questioned or quoted. He said
this was not on his own behalf but
for the sake OF his very aged mother,
who has suffered greatly through
number of tragic happenings of re-
cent occurrence In the lives of her
three sons After the grand jury ses-
sion Sanderson was taken In an au-
tomobile to the ferry by Detective
Burns.
Mayor Schmitz today made a state
ment specifically denying published
charges that he has profited by ad-
ministration graft to the extent of
$662, 900 He decalred that when
given an opportunity in court he will
prove his innocence of all charges as
made against him.