The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-11-14
Heney Is a WeStener
In All His Instincts

Francis J, Heney is almost fifty years
old, and although he was born in Ohio,
he is essentially a Westerner in his had
its, in his thoughts, and in his fearless
ness.
He studied a bit in the public schools
Of Lima. Ohio. his home city, but his
family soon moved TO California, where
Heney, after a while, began the study
o. law, at the University OF California
Law School.
after his graduation from the Hast
ings School of Law. the second ustitu-
ton of the kind ta8t he entered. Heney
left the coast, undecided as TO his fu-
ture, and struck out into the wilder
country OF Arizona
The story of how he killed a man.
who was more or less of "a bully, is well
known, b,.t the most significant of his
acts, while la the territory was his con-
duct of some land fraud cases before
the territorial supreme court
Heney started on his years of graft
prosecution through these first land
fraud cases, and since then there has
been but little time I'm his life that has
not been devoted 10 the great public
service OF cleaning out graftersr either
national. State, or municipal.
Cleveland HOnOIs Him.
In recognition OF his conduct Of the
first Arizona Iandgraut prosecutions,
President Cleveland appointed HeHey
attorney general Of that territory. In
1885, however, Heuey went back to Cali
fornia. as all good native sons" are
supposed to 90. and there he attracted
some attention by his masterful hand
ling of the case of Judge Noyes, OF
Alaska. whom the Department OF jus
tice ordered removed, but who wished
10 night before removing.
When Secretary Of the Interior Ethan
Allen Hitchcock needed a man to IN
cover the rottenness which he saw ex-
listed beneath the surface In Oregon,
Washington, Idaho, and Montana; when
he wanted man TO dig down To the
bottom and stop grabbing of Govern
meut land, no matter who lnterposed,
he put out his hand and it rested on
Heney.
Heuey took William j. Burns an old
Secret Service man. lOurneyed uD to
Portland and started iu on night that
probably cost the life of one United
states Senator, john Mitchell, exposed
scores of business men and thoroughly
inCeused a great part of the public that
should have been with him in his fight.
Battle Not Pleasant.
In a battle that was not tasteful to
him, however, he did his best and
fought long and hard. making his way
through a mass of graft that had eX-
tended back for years, finally laying his
hands on the right men, and convictIng
thirty-three out Of thirty-four indicted.
Probably his biggest task, however,
has been the one which lies at the bot
tom of the shooting. san Francisco. the
prOudest city on the Pacific slope, the
wonderful city Of the West; unlike any
other in the world, was rotten 10 the
core, the grafters busying themselves
even when the city lay almost "a ruin.
Abe Ruef, the man who stood behind
Mayor SchmitZ, In a confession which
Heney practically forced from him in
May, 1897, showed the prosecutor that
behind him and behind the aldermen
stood business men who wanted special
privileges and who got them-fOr a
price.
For three years or more. therefore.
Heney has been not only the object of
hate upon the part of Ruef, Of Schmitz,
OF the crooked aldermen, police. all
sorts Of little crooks connected with the
san Francisco government. but he has
had on the other side hundreds OF
prominent business men who said they
were tired of graft disclosures and
preferred TO let the sore go on fostering
20 cutting it out, especially if there
was to be any more pain with the
operation.
In spite of this, with the backing of
a few big men like Rudolph Spreckles,
of the Call, with the assistance of
Burns and others not so well known,
Heney has forged ahead, securing more
evidence.
The second trial of Ruef. once con
Victeed but freed on a decision of the
appellate court OF California last Janu-