The San Francisco call., 1908-09-05
.LFAkE ATTEMPTS
To- BR|BF BURNS
Detective Told to Name Own
Price in Hyde-BensOn
Land Case
Offer Made in Presence of At
t0rney Joe Campbell in the
WaldOrf=Ast0ria Hotel

BY openly charging Joseph Campbell
and William H. Metson of the law firm
of Campbell. Metson & Drew with at
tempted bribery, and by laying SINH
lar charge at the door of Sam Leake,
Special Agent William J. Burns yes
terday explained a taunt flung by
Francis ]. Heney at A. S. Newbuneh
during the investigation of the Ruef
bribery matter in Judge Lawlor's court
Thursday, night.
Newburgh had mentioned a deroga-
tory statement made by Campbell with
reference to Burns, and Heney returned
the compliment by asking the Ruef
lawyer If Campbell had ever told him
that with his authorization. Sam Leake
had offered Burns a $4,000 bribe in
connection with the Benson land fraud
cases.
1t was in New York city in 1908 that
this bribe was offered, Burns explained
yesterday, and he also asserted that
after he had led Leake on to make in
eliminating overtures both Campbell
and Benson informed him that Leake
was authorized by them to conduct the
negotiations and that any arrangement
ne might make with Leake would be
all right" according to Burns story.
Metson, CampbelPs partner, did not
figure in this case, but in later one
in San Francisco
BENSON JUMPS BAIL
Benson and Hyde, the defendants
In the land fraud cases, had powerful
influence in Washington said Burns,
who was at that time chief of the Sc
cret service of the interior department.
When Benson came to Washington In
December, 1903 to continue his briber-
les, l had secured enough evidence to
convict him and / took him into GUS
tody. He jumped $4,000 bail bond
and skipped to New York city, where
1 found him and rearrested him. It was
then that ran across Sam Leake.
Il knew Leake's San Francisco repu-
tation as jury fixer and briber and 1
took John E. Wilkie, chief of the Sc
cret service bureau. into my conf
dence. Campbell was in New York
city as attorney for Benson and had
associated with him in the case of
Frank Platt of New York, son of
United States Senator. Platt. 1t was
on the day of BenSon'S hearing before
the United States commissioner that
Leake approached me in front of the
commissioners office.
TOLD TO NAME OWN PRICE
II want this case dismissed. he
told me, and you can name your own
price. All you have to do is to- fall
down on the evidence and I'll pay you
$4,000 in cash. In order to lead Leake
on, pretended to believe that he was
not authorized to pay such bribe,
and SO arranged another meeting with
him. That time he threatened me in
case L didn't play fair. At third meet
ing in the Waldorf-Astoria hotel 1
found him with Benson and Joe Camp
bell. He told them lin my presence
that he was authorized to do bust
ness" with me and asked them to bear
him out
Certainly, that's all right Camp
bell answered. Whatever Leake says
or does is all right, and we will stand
behind him. Benson aequiesced in this
was preparing to secure Leake's ar
rest when he came to me and said
there was nothing doing, attempting
TO pass 1t all off as q joke"
Later after his return to. San Fran
cisco, Burns was visited again by
Leake, but the latter had cold recep-
tion. Burns told the history of the case
to a reporter of the Examiner and it
was later published, carefully pruned
of all reference to the attempted brib-
cry. Even after that, Burns states
Leake made an attempt to bribe Heney
and was warned not to pursue his
course.
The charges made by Burns against
William H. Metson arise out of the
Schmitz case. At the conclusion Of the
trial Juror Gish reported that he had
been offered money by Harry Cooper
for vote of not guilty in Schmitz'
behalf, and according to his story
Cooper informed him that the bribe
was authorized and would be paid by
Metson.