Omaha daily bee., 1907-05-16
Says Strain Would Have Killed His Father
and Mother
He TELLS STORY OF HIS DOWNFALL
Pressure from Without Caused Him to
COnnive at Corruption.
MUCH OF BLAME PLACED ON scHWTz
Many Acts of Graft 90 Keep In Line
the Alleged Labor Leaders That
the Mayor Gathered
Around Him.

SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, May 15--Abra,
ham Reuf better known as Abe Reuf.
the acknowledged advisor Of Mayor
schmitE and once the recognized dictator
OF municipal affairs In San Francisco.
pleaded guilty 70 the charge of extortion
in Judge DUNES department of the super
! ior court today. Sentence will be pro-
nounced upon him two weeks hence.
After a private conference with his four
attorneys in Judge DUNES private cham
| bers this afternoon, and after they had
withdrawn from his case because OF the
resolution he had taken to change his plea
and avoid trial Reuf. to the utter astonish-
ment of the prosecution, arose in court and
announced in dramatic address that after
! long and earnest consideration he had de-
termined to withdraw his plea Of not guilty
and enter a plea of guilty. He asked that
the jury be dismissed and the trial aban-
doned.
Reuf read his statement from man
uscript which he had prepared in the pres
enoe of his attorneys few moments be-
fore Judge Dunnes chambers opened.
He showed I'm his voice. in the expression
on his face, in his quiet and gestureleEs
attitude, and By the tears that again and
again overfiowed his eyes, tho great emo
ton and utter humiliation that he suffered.
The pathos OF the scene was communicated
| TO the crowd that thronged the court room.
| Tears sprang to the eyes OF veteran news
paper men who have been lifelong ac-
/ quaintances and whose papers have con-
Quoted against him and his political ASSOC
ciates long and bitter campaign for the
| publication of municipal affalrs. The ac-
cused man was several times all but over
come by emotion. When he reached the
fnal words of his address--'T desire to
withdraw my plea Of not guilty and enter
the contrary plea'-his voice was sunk to
! a whisper. But so intense was the silence
that 1t reached to the far corner Of the
room.
Though Abraham Reuf has formally de-
clared himself TO be guilty OF the charge
on which he was about 10 be tried he
nevertheless prociaims his innocence. He
confessed that he is guilty OF having con-
fnived In the corruption in municipal af-
fairs. but he Denies with all the emphasis
man in his unhappy position can COM
mand that he is guilty Of ths crime OF
extortion charged against him. He de-
clares that his sole motive IN accusing
himself in open court was to save the lives
of those who are nearest and dearest to
him, his aged father ana mother. his
maiden sister and a niece.
Reuf Talks 10 Reporters.
In the course of long and frank conver-
sation this afternoon with a representative
OF the Associated Press In a room at the
house, No. 2s4s Fillmore street, which for
the last month or more has been his
prison, Reuf said:
II changed my plea to guilty today. yes;
but I pledge you my solemn word that
am as innocent as you are I have been
guilty of cOnniving at the corruption of
municipal officials by corporations. but in
these French restaurant cases 1 am not
guilty. Since my action of this morning
can have no motive In misleading you on
this point. l shall not mislead you. Never.
never IN the wide world could have been
convicted on this charge. No-one knew this
as well myself. Then why, you ask.
did l plead guilty7 l pleaded guilty to
save the lives OF those who are nearest
and dearest to me on earth am not over
stating the truth when 1 tell you that II
my father. my mother and my sister had
: been compelled to endure the strain OF
: my trial. lasting at least two months and
possibly longer. II would have cost their
lives"
Ruefs eyes were filled with tears when he
said this. He turned and for a full moment
gazed out OF the window unseelngly. When
he had mastered himself he turned and
with wet eyes but a steady voice. went on:
,, ''You don't know what they have suf-
fered in these last few months, and would
not tell you If I could. Why. night after
night-every night-my father and sister
have come up here into my room and sat
for an hour saying nothing. seeing nothing.
, 1 could not stand it any longer"
, Again the tears and the ehoking ana the
long look out OF the window.
Last night 1 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 sor-
row. To go on would have meant months
of agony and-death.
1T don't know what my sentence VIII be-
For myself do not greatly care I have
made no confession. know much. Some
things I shall tell some things / shall
not tell Whenever an innocent man has
/ been forced into corruption against mis- will.
I that man ! shall protect. Whenever a
. man. be he high or low has entered into
) corruption with his eyes open. that man
: shall expose.
d Blame Placed on schmitH.
II will not say at the present moment
3 that Mayor schmitz is guilty OF the charges
e that have been brought against him or that
y he is innocent. / will say this; wanted
J. to break away from schmitz before his
d reelection a year ago last November and
y said to him: am sick Of the whole thing
and / want 20 get out. can't stand for
all these labor union buns you have gath
] cred around you and will appoint. They
would eat the paint on house. In an
. swer the mayor begged me 70 stay with
him and put up the argument that these
fellows must be allowed their share or
we could never hold the machine together.
There was all too much truth In that.
; Il stayed with schmitz and / stayed with
e the machine that l at great labor and pains
:, had built up"
4 Before the Doodle board OF supervisors
j. were elected 1 warned them against crook
b edness In office. Immediately after their
e election ] got them together and l said 10
j. them Now, you - -, n any one OF
4 you takes a dollar, I'll prosecute you my
sslf,' and meant t. WRa N earnest.