Los Angeles herald., 1908-01-31
ABE RUFF BREAKS SILENCE OF
MONTHS IN LONG PROTEST
SAYS PROSECUTION HAS BROKEN
WORD OF HONOR
San Francisco's Deposed Political Boss
in Open Court Makes Vigorous
Answer to Charge of Dou-
BILE Dealing
By Associated Press.

in charge of an elisor appointed bv
Superior Judge Dunno, and who also
was to have been used as the "star
witness" by the prosecution against
Patrick Calhoun, president of the
United Railroads, and other public
service corporation officials in the
bribery-graft cases, until the district
attorney two weeks ago suddenly an
nulled the immunity contract which
had been given Ruef last May, today
broke his silence for the first time since
last summer.
Ruef in open court this morning de-
1ounced as untrue the statement of
District Attorney Langdon that he had
been in communication with the other
defendants in the United Railroads
cases, and tonight issued statement
in which he repeated his denial of his
alleged double dealing; charged the
prosecution with violating its solemn
word of honor and written pledges;"
accused the district attorney of trying
to force him into absolute compliance
with certain demands by securing his
conviction and then, under promise
of .eniency compel him to testify; re-
1terated that he had kept faith, and
asserted that he was now and always
mad been willing to testify to the truth
as he had done before the grand jury.
statement IN TuH
Ruef's statement forms the third
chapter in the now famous immunity
contract, and is as follows:
eft is evident from the various news
paper articles having their inspiration
in the district attorneys office, that the
prosecution in violating their solemn
word Of honor and their written
pledges to me, are proceeding upon
the theory that if they can get jury
10 find me guilty on this indictment
which they had expressly agreed TO
dismiss, they can then, under promise
of leniency, force me into apsoluee
compliance with certain DEMANDS.
''I assert to the people of san Fran
olsen ard can furnish the indisputa-
ble corroboration of men of the nlgh-
est repute and integrity, that l nave
fully kept aho performed, both In iet-
Ter and in spirit my part Oh tne iiii
munity agreement.
1T do not intend to make full state
ment now, but there are Two tillhse .
which I desire to establish clearly III
the public mind, as to both OF which
n,isrepresentations are oelng ni''u0'
Ready to Keep Word
"First I have always been' ana am am
now. ready to keep my part oI 'te H
contract with the prosecution anu ~
testify fully ana coinp.ooSiS u.,ot
truth, ard the whole truth' IN Aii ma
.ers. ond am now
,,i,ling and ready to testify 10 tne
truth as 1 did before the grand jury,
and have always been ana am NV ,
yviII,ng and ready to repeat WoIu 20 20
I'D ND that testimony, and further 10
testify to any other matter Wltliln my
t[nowiedge and within the trutn.
'There has never been sussyd sSyde bv
on my part thai l Woulu o,,1S ~, Of any
80 decline or hesitate to reaiilrIi ~.
'iinIri a.rri,is is we'll known to the ulslrioe ,e
.a,1,ov and OF others, ana can ,, p1
f,,,Iv corroborated, among oI olno' oon,
Iuii' 'uan1an. VINO has the special III. ~
a5one ~. &c of the prosecution, ana viz
- +heir instance va present "'
.,rai interesting inter views a,s+,.ic+ at
"Second-Relative % tne oo+ion in
torney's intimatlon nat ,,ord r of honor
Ns ,aartialIv because he had leaiioS 4t.or
Mas was dickeriLg with the ,e5 o.ne5
ma %tiia. nositiyely assert, ana sun el,a
slue, 20 nrove. beyond any possipie
Ieauy rt tbat from the date OF the nm
NIFTY contract until the suuuen su4 ",tN az
unexpected action OF llle 10 have
torney in breaking ms pleusec, Conferred
80 "a
,,';th nJ or communicated with any Oh TIC
other defendants in these actiolis'
"Not only would I not have t uohe on1 I'D
for reasons of personal seS Sasirad
personal precaution, put Saan m physically
so to do, 1t would nave p0o'A p''
impossibIe to do so. ..o,,, eve
M IT have at all times had from hVe
20 eight of Mr.. Burns private uet1c- &C.
live force In charge of me uiiuel 'ne
designation Of deputy ensors' I've
almost every breath that 1nai,ey'- isey
drawn. every word nave haan
every move I have mace, H"to 20 Mr.
daily reported by them, nT " M
Riesv. the elisor, but to Mr. burns, 1i'
the privately paid detective OF the
prosecution. .,,o oose of
.yVith rare exceptions in the case VI VI
NV attornevs and certain ministers u uol
religion. no visitor has been alloWeu "a ~
see me except in the presence ',nt nrn
hearing of these men, ana 9niy AZ
visitors have been admitted ds ~.
Burns granted the deputy eii9''S P-
mission to see me. ,s ~,
"Moreover, 1 have never told any
person, even my attorneys aIytnins E
which would be of the slightest value
to any defendant. For example, nay { {
never told nor spoken to anyone ~ ~
WnOln the prosecution Aeli tASS = p. :
made disclosure of the existence - tle
immunity contract, the arrangement ol
Withdrawing my plea of guilty peloIe
Judge Dunno, or the scope OF Tenor
of my testimony before the grand jury
in thees cases.
"I make these declarations to deny
the impressions that the prosecution
are sedulously seeking to circulate III
an attempt to justify their monstrous
and outrageous action in attempting
to set aside their obligations. thelI
solemn agreement, and their pledged
words of honor after using my testi-
mony and otherwise stripping me OF
large elements of defense through my
dependence upon their honor
VIII Explain Later
81 expect later to make a full state-
ment of all the facts. Before conclud-
ing, l call attention to the fact that
only two weeks ago the district attor-
ney in person, called upon Judge
Dunno and personally besought him to
carry out the provisions of the immun-
ity agreements, so far as they con-
cerned proceedings in Judge Dunne's
court-an act which was certainly in
consistent with the pretenses nov
sought to be put forward that 1 had
not been living up strictly to my part
of these agreements"
Ruef tonight announced that his
counsel would be composed of Grove