Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-01
OFFICE BOY IS
STAR WITNESS
LAD TELLS OF RUFF MEETING
RAILWAY OFFICIALS
FoRD's FAIR sTENoeRAPHER IS
DEFIANT
Girl Tosses Her Head and Smiles
ScornfuIIy at Heney--Loneraan's
Wife Admits Getting Hus-
bands 6rIbe Money
BY Associated Press.

bands BrIbe Money
By Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. so-Charlie
Hagerty, Abe Ruef's office boy; Miss Ce-
ia nacDermott confidential stenogra-
pner to Tirey L.. Ford, and Mrs. Emma
L. Lonergan. wife Of ex-supervfsor
Inomas +. Lonergan whom Ford is ac-
cused OF having bribed, were the most in
teresting Of the various witnesses who
testified today for the prosecution in the
trial Of the general counsel of the United
Railroads and former attorney general Of
the state.
Young Hagerty told of a visit paid by
United Railroads officials to Ruefs tenn
porary quarters at 2423 Pine street after
the fire. when, desiring privacy, Ruef.
Ford and Thornwall Mutually retired into
a bath room for conversation behind
closed doors.
This bath room, said Hagerty, served as
Ruef's private office. Hagerty once car
ried note from Ruef to Gen. Ford. It
was sealed and he did not know It's con-
tents. This was soon after the empanel-
ment Of the Oliver grand jury. In the
summer Of 1906 he observed Ruef enter
his office with a shirt box under his
arm. According to the prosecution ii con-
tained $4,000 in small bank notes for the
brtbing Of supervisors.
Stenographcr Defiant
Miss McDermott provoked much interest
by her airy attitude on the stand She
tossed her head at each question put by
Heney, pitched her voice to a naughty
tone and allowed scornful smile to play
about her lips. The defense raising the
objection that Miss McDermott could not
divulge as a witness information gained
in the pursuit of her duties as stenog-
rapher to Ford, the prosecution retorted
that the law throwns no such protection
around the relation when the commission
of crime or fraud is involved. Judge
Lawlor will rule on the point tomorrow.
Mrs. Lonergan verified her husbands
confession Of guilt by telling how he
brought home and gave to her $4,000 al
legged to have been paid him as a bribe
by the United Railroads.
Glass Case Called
Before the resumption this afternoon Of
the Ford trial Judge Lawlor called the
untried cases of bribery remaining against
Louis Glass. At the suggestion of Assis-
tant District Attorney O'Gara they were
continued to October Z. with the under
standing that they or some one of them
will then be set for trial. Judge Lawlor
granted an additional two weeks stay of
execution of the sentence already imposed
| upon Glass
The first witness to be called in the
Ford case was John Henry Meyer, a
director of the United Railroads and a
banker by profession.
Assistant District Attorney Heney's ex-
animation of Meyer was brief and for the
purpose of showing that he as director
was not taken into the secrets OF the
alleged briberies.
did you ever know that Abraham
Ruef was employed as lawyer by the
United Railroads." Heney asked.
The witness replied negatively. He also
declared ignorance of Patrick Calhoun's
100000 deposit in the local mint.
Mr.. Meyer was not cross examined
Charles Holbrook, also United Rail-
roads director, and one of the Oldest and
best known merchants in San Francisco.
was called. He told Of going with Ford
and Treasurer Starr of the street car
corporation to the mint, soon after the
fire, when sack Of gold pieces was de-
livered to Mr. Starr and carried away in
an automobile. He thought the sack
would hold about $4,000.
Mr.. Holbrook said that at no meeting
of the board of directors attended by
him was the expenditure of money to
secure the passage of the trolley fran
chise discussed, nor did he learn Of any
such expenditures He said he had never
Dccn llAOIiHcQ tlldI tAc COIpOIdtioH tIu-
ployed Ruef as a lawyer or in connection
with the desired franchise.
Heney brought out this testimony with
intent to forestall the plea by the de-
Tense that the 100000 paid to Ruef was
paid as a fee, he having been retained
as a lawyer and that not dollar was
ever paid by the United Railroads to
anyone as bribe.
Ford Got $1,000 Month
Mr.. Holbrook said he last saw Mr..
Starr in New York last June. He did
not know his present whereabouts. He
said Tirey L. Ford's salary in 1906 as
general counsel for the United Rail
roads was $1,000 month.
In cross examination by Earl Rogers.
Mr.. Holbrook testified that after the fire
no unusual amount of material supplies
suggesting expectation on the part Of
President Calhoun that the trolley fran
chise would be granted-was ordered
I'm 1906" asked Heney, "did an appro-
priation of 100000 or $4,000 come up be-
fore the board OF directors?"
Ndr. Holbrooks answer was: "I don't
remember any such sum-
The witness said he had no definite in
formation but he had heard rumors be-
fore the fire of suit by Rudolph Spreckels
against the United Railroads to prevent
the transformance of the cable system.
He also heard it rumored that Spreckels
offered to build an underground system In
the city to prove false the statement by
Mr.. Calhoun that such a system was not
physically practical.
by the way said Rogers, did you
ever hear of the habit of Mr.. Spreckeis
Of erecting gas plants and water plants
and getting public patronage by promises
to maintain them, then selling them out?
Ever hear Of that habit OF Mr.. spreck-
els?''
yes"
"Not Rudolph"
''You don't mean to say you heard OF
Rudolph Spreckels doing those things. do