Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-25
NEW WITNESSES
AGAINST FORD
MORE EVIDENCE PRODUCED BY
PROSECUTION
RuEF's SAFETY DEPOSIT VAULT
FIGURES IN CASE
General Counsel of United Railroads
Said to Have Drawn Large
Sum to Pay Former
Boss
D. Associated Press.

BY Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO, April 24'-Ihe
prosecution today called two new VIII
nesses to the stand in the case OF Ilrey
T. Ford. general counsel for the unlteu
railways on trial for the third time
before Superior Judge Lawlor on the
charge of bribing Supervisors uurllS
the Schmitz regime. .,. II
one of the witnesses was Frank f.
Morris. a bookkeeper in the western
National bank safe deposit Vaults. " nc
testified that Abraham Ruef, on May
o. 1905. rented a third safe deposit poN,
eoincident with the drawing by Ford of
$40. 900 in small bills at the mint on
that date, which it is alleged by the
nrosecution was the money given 10
Ruef as the first payment to the super
yisors for the passage of the trolley or
dinance on May p.
The other new witness was state SEN
ator George B. Keane, formerly asso-
ciated with Ruef in the pracuce oe
law and clerk of the boodling board OF
Supervisors. Keane's memory was
Iather vague on some points and por-
lions of his testimony were INDEFINITE.
Very little of Importance was enclteu
from him. 1T.
other witnesses who repeated their
testimony given at the two former
trials of Ford were Charles HaggertH,
Ruef's office boy: w. X. Cole cashier
at the mint: e. D. Hawkins book
keeper at the mint, and Nathan SeilS'
HAWKING assistant Another witness
was William M. Abbott, assistant gem
eraI counsel for the United Railways
Abbott on Stand
A. A. Moore, sr., chief counsel Tor
Ford. brought out that witness (Ap-
bott) was jointly indicted with the de-
fendant. and upon this showing OBJ
iected to Abbott testifying and advised
him not to answer the questions asked
hy Assistant District Attorney OGara'
"When YOU pleaded to these 1ndlct-
ments., asked Judge Lawlor, "did you
demand a severance from your CO.
defendant"
'I did," replied Abbott.
objection overruled," said the court.
Reino directed not to answer, Abbott
said: "On advice of counsel l reiuse
to answer" ,s
Asked if it would incriminate himseif,
Abbott declared: My testimony would
notincriminate me or anybody else.
Upon motion of O'Gara this answer
was stricken from the record
Abbott then proceeded to TESTIFY uh-
der protest and told of accompanylns
Ford to the mint upon two occasions
to draw II oney, but stated that he dld
not know what his chief did with II
or what it was intended for.
Abbott admitted that he made the
first rough draft of the trolley ordl-
nance, which, with some changes, was
subsequently, passed by the Supervisors
Court adjourned to Monday
Ruef Juror Former Convict
Norris Haas. a liquor dealer one of
the accepted jurors in the trial of Abra-
ham Ruef, was denounced by Assist
ant District Attorney Heney as for
mer convict, and he was dismissed To-
day by Judge Dooling.
The incident caused quite a sensa-
ton in court just before noon adjourn
ment. Heney rose and dramatically
forced Haas to admit that he had
served two years in San Quentin for
embeZzlement. Haas wasl sent up from
this city in 1888 and he was pardoned
two years later by Governor Water
man. Frank J. Murphy of counsel for
Ruef brought out that Haas accuser
afterward committed suicide. Haas
was deeply affected by the laying bare
of his record in open court.
Following the Haas disclosure Juror
Edwin Mohrig asked permission TO ad-
dress the court. He stated that he
wished it understood that Detective
Tom Gibson, in the employment of
Patrick Calhoun, under indictment for
alleged bribery of supervisors in the
overhead trolley franchise matter,
could not fix" him. He went on to
state that rumor had come to him
that it had been said he was one of
two jurors sworn to try Ruef who had
been fixed. On being assured by the
court that the statement had never
been made, Mohrig became composed
Mohrig charged the statement to AS
sistant District Attorney Heney, but
the latter told Mohrig that all inves-
legations on the part of the prosecu-
ton had found him to be an honor
able citizen.
No new jurors were sworn today and
on account of the elimination of Haas
the case is further away from tria
than it was yesterday, leaving three
vacancies to be filled.