The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-05-25
CORPORATION OFFICIALS
FACE INDICTMENTS
Grand Jury Brings Formal Charges Against Al
legged BriberS in San Francisco Graft
Cases--Big Men are Caught

SAN FRANC1SCc May 24.%Ine
speculation which has been rife for
weeks as to what the grand jury would
do in the matter of indicting high
corporation officials and municipal Of
ficers for alleged bribery in connection
with the granting of the overhead troll
ley franchise to the United Railroads,
ended tonight when the inquisitorial
body returned 10 indictments on 80
counts, charging the crimes of giving
and accepting bribes and naming as
guilty the following persons:
Mayor Eugene Il. Schmitz, Abraham
Ruef President Patrick Calhoun and
Assistant to the President Thornwell
Mutually of the United Railroads, and
Attorneys Tirey l.. Ford and William
M. Abbott of that corporation, and also
President Louis Glass and Agent
Theodore b. Ialsey of the Pacific
States Telephone and Telegraph com
pany. the last named indictment being
in connection with an alleged deal by
which the established telephone cor
poration sought to prevent the grant
ing of a competitive franchise to the
Home Telephone company.
Fourteen indictments, containing "a
counts. We're returned Jointly against
Schmitz, Ruef, Calhoun, Mutually. Ford
and Abbott. whom the grand jury ac-
cused of fbribing Il supervisors in
amounts ranging from $4,000 to $15,
600 tovote the change in the franchise
of the United Railroads. by which that
corporation Immediately after the fire
gained authority to electrify its 200
miles of street railway system in San
Francisco
Two additional indictments were re-
turned against Schmitz, the one charg-
ing that he sought and accepted from
Ford and Ruef bribe of $4,000 for
his cooperation in the trolley deals
the other charging that he sought and
received from Frank G. Drum and
Ruef bribe of $3250 to approve the
vote of the supervisorial board fixing
the public gas rate for 1906 at S5 cents
instead of rs cents, at the bequest of
the San Francisco Gas and Electric
company.
Two indictments were returned
against Louis Glass, charging him with
the bribery of two supervisors. who
refused TO vote franchise competitive
with that held by the Pacific States
Telephone company. These indictments
are additional to the nine others re-
turned against him several weeks ago
in the same connection. The indict-
ment returned today against Halsey is
identical with those returned against
Glass and with the eleven previously
voted against Halsey himself
1t was after o'clock when the grand
jury adjourned from it's regular meet
ing place in Native Sons hall and went
in automobiles to Judge Coffey's de-
partment of the superior court at Cali
W. ,,f,a ,,f,, To ,tr,,, Il,
10 true bills. Attorney A. A. Moore of
the United Railroads legal staff and
Attorney Earl Rogers of Los Angeles,
who has been especially engaged for
the defense of President Calhoun and
his assistants. appeared for the rail-
way corporation Other than a few
lawyers, several newspapermen and II
of the 10 members of the grand jury.
there was no audience present. Judge
Coffey announced, after running his
eye over the indictments, that he would
fix bail at the sum of $4,000 on each
of the SO counts. He gave the accused
until IL o'clock tomorrow morning to
furnish bonds and remarked that he
would accept in lieu thereof cash bail
of ST, 1000 on each count Assurance
was given that pending the arrange
ment of bail no arrests will be made
by the prosecution; so the nine men ac-
cused of the giving or taking OF
bribes are at liberty on their own
recognizance until tomorrow.
The statement was made unofficially
that all but $4,000 of the entire
amount of bonds. $S9O,00O, will be
Forthcoming at the appointed hour to-
morrow.
The United Railroads alone will have
to put up for its president, assistant
president and two attorneys. $560.000 in
securities, or $2S0,000 in cash. Schmitz,
in addition to the $4,000 security he
has already given to secure his liberty
pending the trial on the five couts of
extortion brought against him and
Ruef, jointly, will have to put up $780,
600 in bonds Ruef will have to put
up $4,000. Inasmuch as he now is,
and for more than two months has
been prisoner without any immedi
ate hope of release, it is understood he
will make no attempt to give bail 1t
is said indeed. that under the circum-
stances and in view of the fact that
he has turned states evidence, he pre-
fers to remain the prisoner of Elisor
PIGGY.
President Glass of the telephone
company, already has given Donds IN
the sum of 100000. He will have to
put up $4,000 more to retain his lib
erty. Theodore Halsey has put up
$4,000 in bonds, covering the / in
dictments previously found against
him. He will have to put up $4,000
additional tomorrow.
When Foreman oliver of the grand
Jury filed the 10 indictments in court
he stated that these were "only par
tial report from the grand jury" This
is taken to mean that more indictments
are to follow.