Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-09-26
SUPERVISORS SAY THEY FA-
voRED TROLLEY FRANCHISE
IMMUNITY is PROMISED BY
sPREcKELs
Gallagher Admits at Ford Trial That
Millionaire Assured Him and His
Associates There Would BE
No Prosecution

wherein the chief counsel for the United
Railroads is charged with bribery OF public
officials, 1t was affirmed that confessed
bribe takers, members of the board OF
supervisors, would have voted to grant
the United Railroads a franchise for an
overhead trolley franchise without the
use of the money which is alleged to
have been so lavishly distributed.
! Former Chairman James l.. Gallagher
of the board of supervisors explicitly de-
clared his belief that the franchise could
have been secured without any attempt
to influence the opinions of the members
Supervisor Sam Davis, the only other
witness of the day, reiterated this as
surance on his own account.
Gallagher occupied the stand during
four hours of todays session and every
scrap of testimony he gave was threshed
by the attorneys for either side.
Ruef Present
1t had been rumored that Gallagher was
to be followed by Abraham Ruef the de-
posed political boss, and that the prose-
cution would attempt to trace the course
alleged to have been taken by the 100000
declared by Gallagher to have been the
price of the privilege. In anticipation Of
| this, the court room remained crowded
throughout the day, but although Ruef
was present, he was not summoned
| The most interesting feature of today's
session was the attempt of Earl Rogers
for the defense to show that Gallagher
was at this time possessed of more money
| than he admitted having corruptly re-
| ceived from all sources.
| The witness after appealing to the court
| to protect the knowledge of his private
affairs, admitted that he had now in two
safe deposit boxes, between $4,000 and
s35, 900. part Of which he declared to be the
proceeds of bribery transactions.
| The motive of the defense became ap-
parent when Rogers asked Gallagher
point blank how he could have on hand
more tnan he received If he had not re-
ceived it from Rudolph Spreckels, finan-
| cial hacker of the prosecution.
Assistant District Attorney Francis ].
Heney later ELECTED from the witness
| that his savings prior to his becoming
| a supervisor would have accounted for at
| least part of this sum.
4 1t developed also that Gallagher had ar
4 ranged immunity for himself and other
members of the board in the course of two
or three interviews with Mr.. Spreckels.
held near the entrance to the Presidio.
which Gallagher said he selected as one
of the most secluded spots in the city.
Fords trial was resumed this morning in
Judge Lawlor's court. Former Chairman
James l.. Gallagher of the board of
supervisors, who yesterday testified to
| having received and distributed $85, 900 in
behalf Of the franchise, resumed the
| stand.
Had Met Ford
| Questioned by Assistant District At
| torney Heney, Gallagher stated that he
had several times met TREY l.. Ford, on
one occasion in an attempt to arrange
! for payment of the percentage of railway
earnings due to the city. On another
occasion, Gallagher testified that he had
received a note from William M. Abbott,
attorney for the United Railroads. to de-
| liver to Abe Ruef and that the witness
! finally carried the note to Ford who in
vited him to read it.
The note, according to Gallagher.
stated that the grand jury was delv-
ing into the franchise matter, that
nothing had been accomplished, but
| that the next move would probably be
| to try to trap the supervisors. The
note was typewriter and was not
signed.
With this Mr.. Heney closed his ex-
animation but the questioning was re-
sumed by Juror Chase, who wished
further enlightenment on the matter
of Gallagher's paying $4,000 to Loner-
gan without the latter's knowledge.
| Earl Rogers of the defense caused
Gallagher to admit that he had been
grand president of the Order of Native
Sons Suddenly abandoning this line
Mr.. Rogers exacted from the witness
| that in his earliest conferences with
Ruef on the subject of the overhead
| trolley franchise he was in favor of
granting the franchise as he had told
Ruef, and that he thought it would be
for the best interest of the city.
| The witness identified a newspaper
| interview in which he had strongly
supported the overhead system and ac-
L r1oIe I. t.
uninfuenced by any financial consid-
GRAFTON. Gallagher stated that he in
company with Ruef had taken luncheon
at the car barns because they were
hungry, there being few places to se-
cure meals, and that he had met Pat
rick Calhoun accidentally and had held
no conversation with him.
Could Have Been Passed
Don't you think. as matter OF fact.
that this franchise could have been
passed without a dollar?" asked
Rogers.
II rather think so, but I am not posi-
tive" was Gallagher's reply.
Gallagher, like Lonergan, was then
called upon to Identify his signature
to declaration of innocence of any
felony or other crime whatsoever. and
particularly of any charged in a com
plant brought to secure possession of
the district attorneys omtce- SuDSe-
quent to the fling of this document
witness confessed he met Rudolph
Spreckels twice or three times near
the Presidio gates to arrange the pre-
liminaries for immunity to be extended
the witness.
.I went to the Preside to meet Mr..
Spreckels," said Gallagher. II made
1.-The appointment. there to escape obser-
walton. No one else was present. 1t
never occurred to me that the Preside
was government property and that the
laws of the state were not operative
inside the grounds. arranged with
him to secure immunity from the dis
trict attorney. The matter OF immun-
ity for Ruef was mentioned. Mr..
Spreckels said he had no feeling OF
vindictiveness against Ruef. neither
did Langdon or Heney. He said they
did not regard the punishment OF Ruef
as OF the utmost Importance so far as
their purposes were concerned. He
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