Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-04-02
RUFF WANTS Ball. NJ
Asks To Be Freed From
Custody Of Court EIisor.
Say He Cannot Prepare Defence
Under Present Conditions.
Practically In Solitary Confinement
-..TriaI To Begin Today.

San Francisco, April lon the eve
of his trial IN the charge Of extorting
$4,000 from French restaurant keepers,
Abraham Ruef today asked the SUI
preme court of California to free him.
from the custody of Ellison Briggy and
order him into the charge of the Sher-
if, whom Judge Dunno disqualified on
the ground of professional interest.
Ruef filed in the higher court his appli-
cation for the writ
He sets up that his imprisonment by
Ellison Briggy in the former home Of
Mayor SchmitZ is illegal; that his case
was in court for four months prior to
March 4, and that on that day being in
disposed he concluded to visit the Tro-
cadero, Il suburban resort and there
recupcrate believing, on the advice of
his counsel, that his presence in court
was not required, owing to an appeal
taken by him to the supreme court OF
the United States by means of WITT
of error granted by Superior Judge
Hebbard; that he was there arrested
without legal right; that he has applied
to Judge Dunno for admittance to pail
and has been refused. That he is ~
years Of age. has lived in San Francis
60 all his life, has been engaged IN inc
practice Of the law for 20 years and
has large business interests at stake;
that he is constantly and minutely
watched by eight private guards and
the court elisor, all of them bearing
firearms, all of them employed by Ru-
dolph Spreckles, Francis j. Heney ana
William j. Burns, and all of them PAID
out of private fund of 800 900 guaran-
teed by Spreckles; that his indictment
By the grand jury was caused by
Sprecklcs, Heney and Burns; that
Spreckles, Heney and Judge Dunno are
his enemies; that he has complained 10
Judge Dunno through his counsel ana
been refused more liberty; that persons
who are to be witnesses in his defence
are not permitted to visit and converse
with him in the preparation of his de-
fence: that he is compelled to sleep IN
a bed chamber occupied by guards and
wherein lights are kept burning all
night: that he is practically in a state
of solitary confinement, not even MS
attorneys being allowed to visit him
except at the discretion of the elisor;
that he is being punished, Inundated
before trial and that he cannot proper
" prepare his defence under existing
conditions Of confinement; that all this
| is being done for the express purpose o.
hindering and hampering himself and
| counsel in the preparation of his de-
| fence.
| He asks to be discharged from the
custody of the elisor on reasonable
bail and to be then ordered into the
| custody of the sheriff and that pend
| ing the hearing of his petition, an Or
| der of the court be made directing the
| elisor to permit any one person at a
| time to visit and talk with him With
! in reasonable hours, and to permit any
! person to visit upon written order OF
| his attorneys and to permit him to con-
| suit freely and openly with his attor-
| rcys outside of the hearing Of Ellsol
| Bigey and his guards. The trial Of Ruef
| on the extortion charges is to begin III
| the superior court before Judge Dunno
| tomorrow.
| Special Agent Burns today announced
| the receipt of cable dispatch stating
| that Theodore H. Kelsey, indicted or
| 10 counts for the alleged bribing of SUI
| rorvisors in behalf of the Pacific state
| Telephone Co., will start for san Fran
| CISCO from Manila April in charge OF
| Capt. Trownbridge, chief of the secret
| service of the Philippines.
| Mr. Heney told newspaper men after
| .oday's grand jury session that he had
| in his possession lone Of the note books
| Of Ielsey's former stenographer and q
| typowrittcn transcript OF It's con-
| tents" He would not give any infor-
nation as to their Importance to the
| prosecution.