Los Angeles herald., 1908-01-29
DEAL WITH
"BOSS MADE
IN SECRET
DETAILS OF THEIR MIDNIGHT
MEETING RELATED
JEWISH PAsToRApDs STARTLING
SIDE LIGHTS
Declares That Both Superior Court
Jurists Agreed to Let Prisoner
Go Free If He Would
Testify

By Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 2s.-In a
statement given to the public tonight
| DIR. Jacob Nieto, who has had much
| to do with the famous broken immunity
contract made between the graft prose-
cutors and Abraham Ruef, after re-
viewing the circumstances which led
up to his taking an active interest In
the matter, tells how he finally induced
Ruef to agree to the terms of the con-
tract, and in return for immunity from
prosecution to tell all he knew.
Rabbi Nieto says his sole interest in
| the matter was his desire to advance
the welfare of the city and to see ex-
listing conditions purified. He states
thar after the proposition, which came
from the prosecutors originally, had
been presented to Ruef and he had
expressed his willingness to accept the
| terms of the contract, a doubt arose
in the mind of Ruef that the judge
to whose court the case might be as
/ signed would after he had confessed
| to the charges of eXtortion in indict-
ment No. 305, which had been agreed
upon as the one to which he was to
confess, fail to agree to the carrying
out of the agreement granting him I'M
munity.
Ruef Meets Judges
"Tt was then arranged" says Rabbi
/
should accompany Mr.. Heney to see
said judges and obtain their assur-
ances in the matter.
Accordingly we were taken to the
respective chambers of these judges,
saw them personally, and heard their
statements as made to Mr.. Heney
! personally, which caused to us to be-
lieve we weer justified in counseling
Ruef to trust himself entirely to the
| prosecution.
1.-THE meeting took place at midnight
on April 20. and Mr.. Burns brought the
Judges there to meet us. In our inter-
view with Judge LaWlor he said
Gentlemen, do not wish to know any
particulars. 1t has been the practice
of this court, so long as the court has
confidence in the district attorney, to
act on all recommendations that that
office might make in the interest Of
justice. such recommendations being
made in open court
Dunno Also Promises
Later we met Judge Dunno, to
whom Mr.. Heney said; Judge. Ruef
will plead guilty to indictment No. S05.
| We may subsequently ask you to have
the plea of guilty withdrawn. that of
not guilty substituted and the case
dismissed
ITO which Judge Dunno replied: 4
| have confidence in the district attor-
" y
"As he was leaving the office Dr.
Kaplan said to him Judge, do you
really mean that you will allow the
plea of guilty to be Withdrawn and dis
miss the case?' And the judge an
swered, Certainly
Or. Nieto tells how he went with De-
tective Burns the following morning to
see Ruef and impressed upon him the
necessity of not delaying his part of
the contract.
On his return from Europe. after a
lapse of three months, DIR. Nieto was
informed, he says that the verbal
agreement had been put in writing and
had been placed in escrow.
Mr.. Heney assured him that the word
of the prosecution given to him in re-
gard to the matter of substituting the
plea of not guilty for that of guilty In
the case of indictment No. S05 would
be kept, DR.. Nieto says, and the writ
ten agreement was in accordance with
the terms of that contract.
Assured Faith Would Be Kept
DR.. Nieto says that on the day that
the trial of Ford closed without Ruef
having been called to the witness stand
District Attorney Lang6on told him
that the word of the prosecution would
be kept and that later Detective Burns
called at his residence and reassured
him of the same thing. DR.. Nieto says
further no suggestion was made dur
ing this period that Ruef was not full
filing his agreement to tell the whole
Il truth.
DR.. Nieto concludes his statement by
saying that Ruef never sent for him,
nor did he have an communication
with Ruef concerning his case until
the time when he accidentally met
Burns in Temple Israel, where the trial
of the graft cases are held. and was
asked by him to speak to Ruef. What
/ hos he WAS IN hn in
terest of public justice as a minister
and a man.