The San Francisco call., 1908-12-26
Bankers Who Paid $4,000 to
COuncilmen for City De-
pOsits Are Known
One Official, Expecting Arrest,
Carries Around Bond to
Assure Freedom
Mayor Guthrie Says Funds
Will Be Withdrawn from
Vaults of Bribers
Detective Declares COuncilmen
a Cheap" Crowd, Willing
to Accept Small Sums
Especial Dispatch to The Cal1

could not enjoy her Christmas
turkey and cranberry sauce when
it was made known that certain
banks in Pittsburs had paid out s17S.-
600 to the grating councilmen in order
to set their share of the cftys money.
Mayor Guthrie has issued a statement
admitting that this amount of money
appears to have been paid. and he takes
rather grim delight In announcing that
not only will the banks lose this graft
that has been paid. but that they will
also lose the city deposits which they
now have.
Bank Officers Threatened
The air is filed with rumors about
coming arrests of bank officers. but 1t
can not be said with positiveness that
this is true 1t is known. however. that
certain bankers are taking no chances
on being caught unawares. One bank
president is said to be carrying around
a bond for $4,000 already made out
THE Pittsburg councilmen are q
cheap crowd" said one OF the detec-
tives today. "On the day we offered a
little sum to one OF the defendants he
took it as If it were a fortune. He
hurried away. fearing, perhaps.
would change my mind and take it
back. Do you know that the council
man could just as readily have taken
away $1,000 with him as the $500 or
$500?
Grafters Declared "Cheap"
Il had more than that amount with
me. thought his price would con-
form with the scale in other cities.
But he was cheap. Had not the coun-
cilmen whom we have been dealing with
been cheap they could have got thou
sands of dollars from US. Fifty dol
lars and sometimes even less than that
was their price"
Detective Wilson engaged rooms on
the second floor of the Fort Pitt hotel
a month ago. He obtained the con-
sent OF the management to use the
rooms for secret service work. Per-
mission was granted Wilson to bore
holes in the hardwood doors and other
wise adapt the rooms for his peculiar
work.
| Representatives Of the Voters league.
the civic reform organization that pre-
cipitated the municipal scandal by
causing the arrest of seven members
Of the council and two former bankers.
tonight announced that they have re-
ceived assurances OF federal govern
ment help in the forthcoming prose-
Icutions
The department OF justice, 1t Is an
nounced. has taken steps thoroughly to
investigate all national banks serving
as repositories for city funds.
Money Used to Favor Banks
Testimony at the preliminary hearing
was that s17s,O00 had been corruptly
used in influencing the selection OF
repositories, but up to this time only
SIT 500 of this sum has been accounted
for and only one bank publicly men
toned. 1t is the intention of the de-
Ipartment OF justice to learn If any
j other national banks contributed to
4 the $17s.0O0. 1t is also the intention
of the department. according to the
league representatives. to begin prose-
cutions against former President Ram
sey and former Cashier Vilsack of the
German national bank on charges OF
Illegally using the funds OF the bank
A conference OF nine accused men and
their lawyers was held, at which it
was decided to act in unison in making
defense. although a number Of the
leases are to be tried separately.