Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-16
BOSS RUFF WEEPS
AND PLEADS GUILTY
Deserted by Counsel, He AlmostSwoons
After Making fearful Statement
at Opening of Extortion Trial.

through the judgment of the court. would
be the upbulding of the community wherein
he lived and which he TRUSTEE he would be
enabled to upbuild on moral plane.
At the conclusion Of the reading of the
statement Judge Dunno dismissed the jul
rors. and on motion of Mr.. Henley remand
ed the prisoner for sentence, which may not
be for several weeks.
Then Ruef arose, and YEARLY, still pale
and trembling, went out of the courtroom
with Detective Burns. The two walked to
the corner of Sacramento and Weber
streets, where they entered automobile
and drove to the house in Fillmore street
which is Ruefs prison.
While in consultation with his attorneys
during the recess just before noon Ruef
tainted. His condition was regarded as seri-
Gus, but he soon revived. He was trembling
and pale, however. His attorneys grouped
about him in vain effort to cheer him up
The specific charge in the indictment con-
cerned the payment to Ruef of $1,175 by the
proprietors OF Delmonico's French restau-
rant to secure for the place permission to
sell liquor in private rooms.
Ruef in his statement In court said: This
trial has become a threatening danger to
my health, both mental and physical am
unable to bear the strain any longer. The
strain on those nearest and dearest to me
Is undermining them. They are on the verge
of collapse Their lives hang in the balance
and I must take some action"
Ruef. who evidently was laboring under
great emotion, after pausing a moment,
continued:
Il have occupied prominent position in
this city. I hope to remain here, and this
Will be the place of my eternal sleep.
Bore Honored Name.
Heretofore I have borne an honored
name in my professional life. There has
been no stain upon my honor and until the
present board of supervisors was elected
there was no act of mine that could be
justly censured. Nevertheless. owing to the
assaults Of the press have been placed in
a wrong light and have been burdened with
q bad name.
the political machine which 1 had built up
with great difficulty I did lower the high
political ideal that I had hitherto upheld
Last night l reached the conclusion that
make some effort to restore myself in the
public favor and be power for good.
I will do all that still lies in my power
to help overthrow the system which has
public officials To do this 1 will work
even as the humblest citizen. Ny future
career will be one Of integrity. hope
that can still accomplish some good.
could befall human being Of my dispo-
sition-namely, to acknowledge my faults
and my mistakes to restore myself In
public favor. Duty calls me wherever the
pain may lead, but want the whole world
to know that am not guilty of the charge
made against me in this instance. Never
theless, on account Of the reasons stated,
terea nea my ny plea Of not guilty and en-
In the course of long interview this
afternoon in the house at No. 2S49 Fillmore
street, which for the last month or more
has been his prison, Ruef said:
His Strange Plea.
I changed my plea to guilty today, yes:
but l pledge my solemn word that am
innocent I have been guilty of connivins
at the corruption Of municipal officials by
corporations. but in these French restau-
rant cases 1 am not guilty. Since my ac-
ton of this morning I have no motive in
misleading any one on this point l shall
not mislead any one.
Never, never in the wide world could
l have been convicted on this charge. No
one knew this as well as myself. Then
why, one might ask, did l plead guilty? l
pleaded guilty to save the lives of those
VINO are nearest and dearest to me on
earth. l am not overstating the truth
when l say that If my father, my mother
and my sister had been compelled to en-
dure the strain OF my trial, lasting at
least two months, and possibly longer, it
would have cost their lives"
Ruefs eyes were filed with tears when
ne SAID this. He turned and for a full
moment gazed out Of the window. When
ne had mastered himself he went on:
Last night l gathered my family about
me In this prison house of mine and pre-
pared them for the act had determined
upon. That would mean one day of sorrow
10 go on would have meant months of
agony and-death.
Il don't know what my sentence will be,
For myself l do not greatly care / saw
now that no man possesses physical nerve
more than do. l could face crowd of
o,ooo men, OF 10000 men, every one with a
rope In his hand and calling for my life.
l could face them calmly and meet NV end
without fiinching but the suffering of those
l love l could endure no longer
Can Meet His Sentence.
1 say l do not know what my sentence
Will be. If it be five years in prison / can
meet that when it comes. 1 believe that
leaving out of consideration the feelings of
those who love me and have stood by me
prison almost as comfortably as in a hotel
at summer resort. But, if the step I
took this morning had meant five years or
fourteen years, or 1,400 years. the fear of
that would not have deferred me.
Il have made no confession I know
much. Some things 1 shall tell, some things
l shall not tell Whenever an innocent
man has been forced into corruption against
his will, that man 1 shall protect Whan.
ever man, be he high or low, has entered
into corruption with his eyes open. that
man shall expose.
Il will not say at the present moment
that Mayor Schmitz is guilty of the charges
that have been brought against him or that
he is innocent will say this, wanted to
break away from Schmitz before his re-
election year ago last November, and
said to him. I am sick Of the whole thing,
and l want to get out 1 can't stand for
all those labor union buns you have gath
cred around you. and will appoint They
would eat the paint off house
In answer the mayor begged me to stay
with him and put up the argument that
these fellows must be allowed their share
or we could never hold the machine to-
gether. There was all too much truth in
that