The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1907-05-23
san FR,Nc1sco.s pURGArIoN.

everybody DelleVed that san francisco
was irretrievably fixed in the fangs OF
hopeless corruption. There hardly ap-
peared ray of hope in the gloomy sit
uation. Brazen, INSCRIPTIONS dema-
gogs playing under the mask OF
friends of labor, seemed absolutely in
control of the large ignorant foreign
element in the city and be able at all
times to command a majority which
was ready to go to any extreme in their
support. So daring and fierce were they
and their followers that a riot amount
ing TO municipal war with wholesale
destruction of property seemed immi-
nent at any attempt to wrest them from
power. The property owners were ter
rified by this and every newspaper in
the city was servilely subject to their
wishes and dared not make any effec-
tive opposition to them. The newspa-
pers did not dare to tell the truth, even
in a small degree, with respect to their
villainous practices and corruptfons.
Equally shrewd, cunning and unScrupu-
lous spectators, gamblers and manipu-
lators were in league with the mob
leaders and We're robbing the city in
were stealing from the Treasury and
depredating upon the taxpayers. Such
was the effrontery of the head of the
gang, Mayor Schmitz, that he bluffed
at the President of the United States
and threatened to involve us in a for
nj in hn Of tI,a
the selfish interests whom and which
he represented, and so shameless were
they in their robberies that they even
stole $225,000 out of one sum of $780,
900 sent for the relief of the people
rendered destitute and homeless by the
terrible earthquake and fire. Nothing
was sacred from the vicious hands of
these rascals, and the administration Of
the Red Cross funds, the contributions
of the charitable and sympathetic were
pillaged to the scandal of the country
and the injury of our reputation in the
eyes of the world.
All this has suddenly changed in the
most astonishing and the most crafty
ing manner. The old German proverb
as translated by Longfellow says:
Tho the mills of God grind slowly, yet
they grind exceeding small;
Tho with patience He stands waiting,
with exactnesS grindS He ALL
This applies to the law divine, hui
man, moral and statute. The laws of
our country are generally sufficient to
bring the most audacious offenders to
proper punishment, and no matter what
man may say yet there operation is at
last sure and terrible. The good, law
abiding people of San Francisco had
the utmost reason to doubt this, hut
now they see its vindication. The fate
which has overtaken these presumptu-
Gus rascals is complete and terrible
We have not had in our history
more impressive spectacle than that
presented last week before the Grand
Jury by Abe Rueff the head, front and
brains of the criminal political gang
which has been tyrannizing over the
city. For long time Rueff made the
most extraordinary defiance even to the
courts and nearly everyone expected
that with the power behind him and
his extraordinary brazon assurance he
would daunt and defeat justice. When
proceedings were begun in earnestness
against him; when a revelation of his
terrible crimes had been made, the
courts could not compel its officers to
execute the writs against him. The
Sheriff, the sworn conservator OF the
peace and justice of the County, the man
whose highest duty was to safeguard
the interests of the people and execute
the orders of the court, either feared to
do his duty or was suborned not to do
it and the court had to remove him
man or any possible combination of
perform his plain duty. 1t was not be-
lieved that jury could be empanelled
which would convict Ruef, but he was
struggling with the firm, memorable
majesty of the law, stronger than any
man rany possible combination of
criminals, and at last Ruef, haggard
and worn from the terrible strain un-
dergone in his resistance from the Iner-
CHESS condemnation which he suddenly
read in all decent mems eyes, appeared
before the Grand Jury a broken down
man, his eyes streaming with tears, and
made full confession and promised to
give the fullest revelations as to all his
acts and his accomplices of every de-
gree. So terrific had been the load that
he was carrying that he made his con-
fession in opposition to the strenuous
resistance of the highly fed criminal
attorneys whom he had retained in his
behalf. They had hoped to make
sensational trial and somehow wriggle
their client thru upon technicaIties,
but Ruef saw, if they did not, how
hopeless his case was
Just how much and what Ruef told
the Grand jury is, of course, secret
Of that body. but it is believed at least
he confessed that President Patrick
Calhoun, Assistant President Thornwell
Mulally, Chief Counsel TRY l.. Ford
and Assistant Counsel William NJ. Abb
bot, of the United Railroads, paid OF
caused to be paid the sum of 5000, 900
for the privilege named; that SCI, Gee
of this amount was Ruefs fee" that
$50, 900 went into the pocket of Mayor
SchmitZ, and that the remaining $780,
900 was handed to the IS supervisors,
16 of them receiving $4,000 each, an
other demanding and getting $4,000