The Washington herald., 1908-01-26

indicted Eugene Z. Schmitz has returned
indictments charging bribery
Related to the Indicted.
The Judges Of the Appellate Court are J.
A. Cooper. Samuel b. Hall. and Frank H.
Kerrlgan and the relationships referred
to are these: Judge Cooper. who wrote
the decision, IS "a hrother-in-law Of ". l.
Brobeck, indicted in connection with the
buying Of the Parkside Railway fran
chise. Judge Cooper Is further a brother
iu-law Of Gavin MCNab the Democratic
boss Judge Kerrigan married McNab'
niece. Judge Hall is the brother-in-law
Of A. A Moore, attorney for Patrick Cal
hOun. the Wall street magnate who is aC-
cUsed OF paying $4,000 Tor a permit TO
convert the United Railroads into a troll
ley system. Judge kerrigan is also pOlIt-
ically ia debt O. Eaef under peculiar cir
cumstances. At the last state Republican
convention which was held just before
the graft disclosures were made herrigan
was the private candidate Of Hartman 8
State political boss Herun Ruef wanted
20 place b00dler Big Jim Gallagher on
the appellate bench Gallagher would
have beaten Kerrigau had not Maestretti
a salOOnkeeper and a Ruef henclmau
vino had conceived an ambition TO make
himself boss in Ruefs place, turned 10
HcrTin's support, and kerrigan was nom
mated. kerrigaus rise TO the police
bench is equally interesting, which was
due 20 his prominence In aE organization
Of wheelmen during the bicycle craze
At that time fraternaI societies were more
powerful than political machines. and
Lawyer Kerrigan was % champion joiner
He Las since followed programme
After his nomination for the appellate
bench he made peace with Ruef. who
threw his strength 20 him. However. the
belaJed returns from a rural district were
an that saved the judge from defeat. as
he has never had the Endorsement or sup
port Of the bar. and even iu his new office
wrote II concur TO q decision reversing
one of his former decisions on appeal
Cooper was. on the contrary. considered
an able Elan. and was elected largely by
the lawyers iu a year when his fellow
Democrats Jared poorly His son has
lately married the daughter of J. Downey
Harvey, capitalist who obtained a rail-
road franchise through the social favors
heaped by his wife upon socially ambi-
tiOus Mrs. Schmitz, a piece OF hbeTaiity
ON SChmitz's part that greatly angered
the greedy Ruef
These relationships. whether or not af-
feCtiug the decision OF the appellate JUS
tices. afford a formidable retort to the
charge that the methods pursued IN Judge
Dunne's court in the Schmitz trial would
have railroaded an innocent man TO the
penitentiary But the decision has been
made. and il viii guide the future con-
duct Of its makers. The prosecution may
say that II is only the more determined
10 convict the bribe-giveTs and may pro-
claim that il has some surprises in the
way Of evidence but the fact remains
that there IS rejoicing in the county Jail.
Just what the true reason was that
prompted Ruef to confess is still, he says.
untold. If he does not tell it, two promi-
nent rabbis who have interested them
selves In his behalf threaten 70 tell IT for
him unless the district attorney grants
complete immunity in return for testi-
mOny against the millionaires But what
ever the reason is. Ruef said just after
his confession that be had spent over
Sl00000 on attorney and detective fees and
other expenses. and his first trial was not
half through. There is considerable gOs-
sip about the courts that Ruef is not
good witness, or has given promise of
not being good one and that is why he
has appeared on the stand only against
Schmitz, Those who believe with the two
rabbis that his repentance is deep and
genuine are few In San Francisco. Ruef
has done nothing to restore his loot and
is said recently to have made large sum
on land sale This was when he still
lived in private jail with an elisOT, while
Schmitz lodged in the county jail in
private ROOM
Passing Time In Jail.
But the easy days OF the big maiefac-
tors in the county jail have passed. af-
fording Ruef an interesting object lesson
on some OF the city's needs and giving
him a taste of his own medicine. With
the new sheriff on the first of the year,
the distinguished prisoners were all NOV
ed from special rooms to the common
cells. There were the three wildcat
financiers. Brown, Bartnett, and Tread
well, who looted not a rich city, but the
savings of the poor deposited in the col
lapsed California safe Deposit and Trust
Company; Louis Glass, a feeble old man
convicted as manager Of the telephone
company Of bribing the bOodling super
visors; George d. Collins, a bigamist and
perjurer and one OF the cleverest tech
nical lawyers in the State; Mayor
Schmitz, who complains that the cells,
being four by six feet, do not allow him
TO stretch out his legs; and Abe Ruef,
prison reformer
Whatever may be said against ,Ruef,
his insatiate greed, his policy Of appeal
ing to the lowest traits in his followers,
and to the lowest elements in the city,
ali that know him affirm his tenderness
Of heart when suffering comes before his
eyes. He would pave the city streets so
badly and dishonesty as TO cause the
death of thousands Of truck horses
through disease caused by strainng over
chuck holes: he would build sewers that
have broken in transforms and spread
fevers among the babies of the poor. but
be has never failed to use his influence,
occasionally his purse, in aid Of the dis
tTegsed.