Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-29
BRLBE DRAF1>
ENTERED IN
cos BOOKS
FORD WITNESS SURPRISES
PROSECUTION
UNITED ROADS SECRETARY Ap.
MITs RECORD
Heney Inclined to View with Distrust
Statement That 100000 Drawn
by Defendant Had Been
Recorded
BY Associated Press.

By Associated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2s.-Such rapid
progress was made today by the prosecu-
tion in the Ford bribery trial that If
the defense, adopting its procedure in the
former trial. declines to put in any EVIL
dence the case should be in the hands uf
the jury within the week.
Twelve witnesses were examined today
all but the last one of whom were con-
cluded with Nathan Seeley, cashier of
the San Francisco mint; former Super
visors Thomas F. Lonergan, Sam Davis
and Daniel G. Coleman; Thomas p. Burns
cashier of the San Francisco sub treasury;
Eugene d. Hawkins assistant cashier Of
the mint; Charles Haggerty, Abe Ruef's
office boy; Richard J. Fox, formerly a
chauffeur In the employment of Abe Ruef;
l. w. Hellman, president of the Wells
Fargo Nevada National bank and direc-
tor of the United Railroads; George
Francis. secretary and confidential clerk
to TREY L. Ford; Miss Celia McDermo.t.
Ford's stenographer, and George Wilcutt,
secretary and comptroller of the United
Railroads.
Mr.. Wilcutt supplied the feature evil
dence of the day by testifylng-to the un-
concealed surprise and manifest distrust
Of the prosecution-that the books Of the
street car corporation do carry as entries
the 5000, 600 with which Ford and Ruef are
alleged to have bribeo the supervisors to
pass the trolley franchise The witness
was directed to produce the corporations
journal and ledger tomorrow.
The prosecution called Nathan Seeley
of the San Francisco mint, who acted as
assistant cashier OF the relief corporation
in the months following the earthquake
and fire. He testified that 1t was he who
made up into two bundles of small denom-
ination bills the first $4,000 Withdrawn
from the mint by,Tirey l.. Ford and VIM.
M. Abbott and which the state asserts
was paid out in bribes to the supervisors.
Lonergan Under Fire
| Former Supervisor Thomas F. Lonergar
took the stand, When he has finished the
story of his bribery by Supervisor Gal.
| lagher, acting allegedly as the agent oi
| Ruef and Ford, he was subjected to a
searching cross-examination by Earl
Rogers for the defense. He was forced to
confess that in some particulars he had
changed his testimony from that given by
him at the first trial Of Ford.
Judge Lawlor finally stopped the cross
examination of Lonergan, telling Rogers
he had covered the ground exhaustively
and consumed time enough.
Thomas p. Burns, cashier of the San
Francisco sub-treasury of the United
States, testified to giving Mr.. Ford $4,000
in currency in exchange for gold July 28,
1906, and 100000 in currency in like ex-
change August % or that year.
The coin, said Burns. was wheeled in
sacks on trucks from the mint to the SUBJ
treasury, located in the same building.
ross-examined by Stanley Moore, the
witness said that 100000 in gold coin
would weigh about 374 pounds. The pur-
pose of the defense In drawing out this
point was to suggest to the jury that
Ford's sole purpose in exchanging the gold
for currency was to do away with weight
and MISUNDERSTANDING prior testimony
that the United Railroads commonly
withdrew gold for payroll and current
uses.
The assistant cashier of the mint,
Eugene D. Hawkins was called by Heney.
He acted as cashier of the relief corps
in the period following the fire. His tes-
timony corroborated that given by Nathan
Seeley. Hawkins said the $50,000 in bills
given Ford ranged denomlnationally from
So to 800. Pressed by Heney he thought
there might have been few as small as
81 and $2"-it was money contributed from
all over the country to the relief fund.
The prosecution claims. and some of the
confessing supervisors bear out, that the
first installment- of the alleged bribes was
paid in bills of from 81 to $40 value
Lonergan was recalled and redirectly
examined by Heney. He said that he had
not been asked to return any of the vari-
GUS bribe moneys except by Theodore
Halsey of the Pacific Telephone and Tele-
graph company to whom he handed back
$25OO of the $4,000 accepted.
''You don't understand that the city has
any right to those moneys, do you?"
asked Honey.
II don't know that it has," was the
reply.
"Put Him Over Jumps"
Heney asked Lonergan if Detective Tom
Gibson of the defense had told him that
the defense was investigating the wit
ness record. Lonergan replied: mo, but
cut in the lobby Gibson told me they were
going to put me over the jumps"
Lonergan in his primary examination
had told the story of how he was trapped
in the acceptance Of $500 bribe by Gilden
M Roy, restaurateur; how Roy gave
him $500 at Roys house to vote in favor
Of a pending ordinance enlarging the
limits within which crude petroleum
might be stored in San Francisco, and
how, the moment after he took the money,
he was confronted and seized by William
j. Burns and others.
In cross examination the defense COW
ertly insinuated that this trap and
Lonergan's subsequent confession were
not bonafide, but were prearranged be-
tween him and the prosecution. To offset
this Heney asked In redirect examination
II Lonergan had ever seen the oil storage
ordinance. He replied that he had not,
and when Attorney Moore made re-
mark Lonergan declared that he had not
heard that such an ordinance had been
introduced. To back him up Heney said
"Such an ordinance was introduced,
know, because 1t was prepared In my
office and turned over to Roy, at whose
request Supervisor Boxton introduced It.
I have it here and will OFFER 1t in evil
dence. You gentlemen. addressing coun-
sci for the defense, will see by examina-
tion of it that the initial letters of alter
nate lines in the first paragraph spell the
word fake in other words we made the
document an acrostic for the purpose OF