The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-06-07
BLANCO PUT UP
THROUGH AGENT
One OF the San Francisco Res
taurant Men Says No (
Threats Were Made.
ABE RUFF GOT THE MONEY
SCHMfTZ TRIAL DRAWING BIG
CROWDS.

San Francisco, June "a few minutes
before adjournment of court this after
noon the defense in the trial of Mayor
Schmitz for eXtortion, scored what they
consider a signal point, during the cross
examination of one of the prosecution 8
chief witnesses. Antonio B. Blanco. Until
the great fire Blanco was proprietor of
Delmonico's, one of the five French res
taurants from whose owners the mayor
and Abraham Ruef are accused of hav-
ing extorted thousa nds of dollars under
threat, implied if not expressed" to pre-
vent the resistance of their liquor Ii
censes.
Did Ruef ever tell you that II you
| didn't pay this money you would not get
your licenses renewed?' asked Attorney
Campbell, the mayors senior counsel.
No, replied Blanco, promptly, The
did not
Did the mayor ever tell you that?'
Did anybody ever tell you SOP
mo. Nobody ever made that threat to
me-" said Blanco.
Four Witnesses Examined.
Four witnesses were on the stand to-
day. Officer Charles F. Shelley. secre-
tary of the board of police commission
ers; former Police Commissioners Thomas
Reagan and DR.. Joseph Poheim. and An
tonic Blanc0. The first witness tomorrow
morning will be Joseph Maifanti. proprfe-
tor of Delmonico's restaurant. He acted
as agent for the other French restaurant
eurs and handed to Ruef the money which
the prosecution claims was extorted and
which the defense maintains was paid
purely as retainer and in pursuance of a
legal contract by which Ruef was to act
as attorney for the Frenchmen in the
matter of securing the renewal of their
licenses, which had been held up by Poi
lice Commissioners Reagan and Hutton
on charges of immortality.
TD-sn l.
tons with Ruef on behalf of the other
restaurant Keepers and himself and
whose name appears as a signature to the
contract alleged, is dead.
Reagan's Testimony.
Former Commissioner Reagan testified
nlnutely to the sudden and determined
change of the mayors attitude on French
license renewalS-from advising their re-
fusal tic demanding that they be granted
simultaneously with the appearance of
Abe Ruef as attorney for the restaurants.
and his testimony implicated the walters
union in plot to expose the immortality
of these places as a result of union diff
ficulties with their proprietors.
Former Commissioner Poheim told of
the compiling by Ruef of set of bogus
regulations for the government of the
restaurants how he and the boss had
laughed over these, and how. after they
had been by Ruef submitted to the police
board. the neld-up licenses were re-
Fund of $4,000.
Antonio Blanco testified that he and the
proprietors of the Pup, Delmonico's
Marsh and Sand Tortonfs had raised a
fund of $4,000, to be paid to Ruef "as
lawyer and the political boss" for
taking care of their licenses for them.
Assistant District Attorney Heney con-
Quoted the examination for the state
Former Judge J. c. Campbell cross-ex-
amined for the defense.
After adjournment Mr.. Heney was ask
ed when Ruef will be called to the stand
He replied that he was unwilling to say
because he did not want to give Mr..
Campbell a chance to prepare for Ruefs
cross examination"
Today's attendance on the trial 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 dur
ing the sessions every pew in the large
auditorium was filled and scores of per
sons stood. Late in the morning session
the women spectators withdrew at the
suggestion of Mr. Campbell, that they
might save themselves embarrassment by
doing So