The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-06-07
TESTIFIES THAT
RUEF-SCHMITz
GOT $4,000
DEFENSE SCORED A VICTORY
RESTAURANT KEEPER SAID
MONEY NOT DEMANDED.
RUFF PAID ATTORNEY FEES
Prosecution Refuses to Divulge When
Ruef Will BE Placed on the
Stand.

SAN FRANCISCO, June Ga few
minutes before adjournment of
court this afternoon the defense in
the trial of Mayor Schmitz for eX-
tortion scored what they consider a
signal point, during the cross-eXam-
nation of one of the prosecutions
chief witnesses, Antonio Blanco.
Until the fire Blanco was pro-
prietor of Delmonicos, one of the
five French restaurants, from whose
owners the mayor and Abraham Ruef
are accused of having eXtorted thou
sands of dollars under threat, ''im-
piled If not expressed" to prevent the
resistance of their liquor licenses.
Did Ruef ever tell you that if you
did not pay this money you would
not get your license renewed?" asked
Attorney Campbell the mayors
senior COUNSEL.
NO" replied Blanco promptly,
"he did not"
Did the mayor ever tell you
that?"
No
Did anybody ever tell you so?''
No. Nobody ever made that
threat to me-" said Blanco.
Four witnesses were on the stand
today. Officer Charles +. Shelly, sec
rotary of the board of police commits
sioners; former Police Commission
ers Thomas Reagan and DR.. Joseph
Poheim, and Antonio Blanco.
The first witness tomorrow will be
Incanb Malfpntn nrOpriptOr of na1-
monico's restaurant. He acted as
agent for the other French restau-
rants and handed to Ruef the money
which the prosecution claims was ex-
torted and which the defense main
tains was paid purely as a retainer
and in pursuance of legal contract
by which Ruef was to act as attor-
ney for the Frenchmen in the matter
of securing the renewal of their Ii
censes, which had been held up by
Commissioners Hutton and Reagan
on charges of immortality.
Pierre Priet, who conducted the
negotiations with Ruef on behalf of
the other restaurant keepers and
himself, and whose name appears as
a signature to the contract alleged,
is dead.
Former Commissioner Reagan tes-
tilted infinitely to the sudden change
of the mayors attitude on French
license renewals-from advising their
refusal to demanding that they be
granted simultaneously with the APP
pearance OF Abe Ruef as attorney for
the restaurants, and his testimony
implicated the walters union in a
plot to expose the immortality of
these places as a result of union diff
ficulties with their proprietors.
Former Commissioner Hope told
of the compiling by Ruef of set OF
bogus relations for the government
of the restaurants, how he and the
boss had laughed over these, and
how, after they had been by Ruei
submitted to the police board, the
held-up licenses We're renewed.
Antonio Blanco testified that he
and the proprietors of the Pup, Del
monico's Marschand's and San Tor
toni's. had raised a fund of $4,000
to be paid to Ruef "as a lawyer and
the political boss for taking care
of their licenses for them.
Assistant District Attorney Heney
conducted the examination. Former
Judge j. G. Campbell cross-eXamined
for the defense.
After adjournment Mr.. Heney was
asked when Ruef would be called tc
the stand. He replied that he was
unwilling to say, because he did moi
want to give Mr.. Campbell a chance
to prepare for Ruef's examination
Todays attendance ON the tria
was larger than ever before. Crowds
pressed about the locked doors OF
the Bush street synagogue before the
opening of court in the morning and
afternoon and during the sessions
every pew in the large auditorium
was filled and scores of persons stood
Late in the morning session the
women spectators withdrew at the
suggestion of Mr.. Campbell thai
they might save themselves embar
rassment by doing so.