The San Francisco call., 1908-03-15

I1dt his tickets TO Europe D8o DSeh
given him by an official of the Santa
Fe road. Before leaving for Europe
Schmitz commissioned Ruef 70 look
after the interests of the Commercial
street brothel, in which he stated that
Fred Hilbert was interested, and Ruef
understood that Hilbert represented
schmitz himself in the enterprise.
Burns also lays bare an attempt made
by Sam Leake 10 bribe him with $5.0Up
TO have the Benson case dismissed and
declares that all the evidence In this
matter is now on file with the govern
ment secret service bureau Burns says
that when he returned from the east
after his attempt was made to bribe
him. he Furnished all the informa ton
concerning 1t to the Examiner and that
that paper Immediately quasied the
whole story.
Burns gives the complete history of
all the dealings between Ruef and the
prosecution. corroboratiug Heney In all
details and shows how Ruef He'd about
the United Railroads bribery when he
first gave any information concerning
Il. Henry Ach- acccrdin gto Burns, told
him after Ruef had confessed that he
had intended TO block the trial by tao
tics Of delay and TO lead Judge Dunno
on to make errors. and that Ach also
declared Ruef was the stingiest of NOR
tails and had not even paid Judge Heb
bard for what the latter did for him.
TEXT OF THE AFFIDAVIT
Following is the af7idavit in full:
N THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE
STATE OF CALIFORNIA, IN AND
FOR THE CITY AND COUNTY OF
SAN FRANCISCO.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF
CALIFORNIA, Plaintiff,
PATRICK CALHOUN, THoRNwELL
MULLALLY, TREY L FORD. WILL
LIAM n. ABBOTT, ABRAHAM RUFF
and EUGENE E. SCHMITZ, defend
ants.
No s2s.
AFFIDAVIT
WILLIAM j. BURNS,
being first duly sworn. on oath deposes
was employed to investigate the
municipal corruption IN San Francisco
and took up that work during the
year 1906 In the month of March,
1907, Abraham Ruef. one Of the de-
PENDANTS herein. disappeared, and on
March 8. 1907. the sheriff and coroner
having been duly disqualified, one Will
liam J. Biggy was appointed elisor by
Hon. Frank II. Dunno in department
No. OF tho superior court.
Immediately after the said elisor's
appointment aud on the same day
accompanied him, the said Biggy, to
the Trocadero roadhouse, near Ingle-
side. Ruef was found in hiding in
the company of MYRTLE Cert Ruef
was thereupon taken into custody by
Biggy and was confined in apartments
at the Little ST. Francis hotel
During the time Ruef was detained as
prisoner at the St Francis hotel aff1-
ant visited Ruef almost daily. shortly
after the arrest OF Ruef aff1ant asked
Ruef if' it had occurred TO him that
he ought TO make full disclosure of all
he knew TO aid the prosecution and at
the same time right the great wrong
he had done the people OF the city
OF San Francisco. Ruef replied that
he had not thought Of it. but that he
would consider il. Af7iant further
stated 10 Ruef that he would see the
district attorney aud his assistant
Francis J. Heney. and convey TO them
the fact that Ruef was considering the
sdvisability Of making a confession.
Aflant then endeavored TO discuss
the situation with Ruef, but found it
almost impossible, because, Ruef would
furnish one excuse after another for
not wishing to discuss the evidence in
his case, or his connection with IT,
and the only feature that he would
discuss at that time was the probable
outcome as to himself and what would
tft OOue lOT Dlffl 10 l7is GVsallt al
ways replied that he did not know
nor could il be determined until the
prosecuting officers knew what evi-
dence could be furnished by defendant.
Ruef but that afiant personally would
recommend to the district attorney that
II Ruef would tell the whole truth
concerning all OF the matters in which
he had been involved in connection
with the graft situation in San Fran
iii -
way he could and would furnish evil
deuce that would be corroborated and
would bring about q conviction OF the
persons known as the higher ups" af-
fart felt satisfied he could induce the
prosecution to grant immunity.
ASKS FOR SUPERVISORS
In the meantime. and while these
negotiations We're pending with Ruef,
IS members OF the board OF supervisors
made confessions in which they impfi-
Gated Ruef and held him wholly re-
sponsfble for all the bribery and de-
bauchery Of which they We're guilty
Immediately after the confessions of
the supervisors Ruef asked me if I
had any objection to his sending for
Supervisors Gala CHER and Wilson.
told him that I had not. On the same
day I met Gallagher and he told me
that he and Wilson would like to call
on kuef TO tell him that he could have
the same opportunity to come
through" which had been given them
and asked IL ! had any objection to
their seeing Ruef ] said that I had
not and that I would arrange it so
that they could see him
On Sunday. March II. 1907. Gallagher
called on Ruef and was closeted with
him alone shortly thereafter and be-
fore Gallagher left, Supervisor Wilson
called on Ruef and was also permitted
in company with Gallagher to confer
with Ruef alone Gallagher had pre-
Viously told me that the board OF su-
pervisors in their caucus had deter
mined TO do everything they possibly
could 10 induce Ruef to join them in
a full confession. I told Gallaghe that
] had already informed Ruef that if he
would do this would be in favor of
treating Ruef the same as the super
risors. but that Ruef would have to
confess by 10 o'clock the next morning
or ] would call it Off Gallagher and
Wilson talked with Ruef for some time
and Gallagher came out of Ruefs
room and left Wilson there alone with
him. Gallagher told me that he had
told Ruef that I had agreed to give
him until 10 o'clock the next morning