Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-23
BOODLERlS
BLOWN UP
GALLAGHER'S HOME IN OAK
LAND DYNAMITED
FORMER SUPERVISOR NARROWLY
ESCAPES DEATH
Residence Where Star Witness In
Ford Trial Was Living Is
Wrecked by Mysterious
Explosion
By Associated Press.

Explosion
By Associated Press.
OAKLAND, April 22.-What is be-
lieved by the police to have been an
attempt to assassinate James L. Gal
lagher, one of the main witnesses for
the prosecution in the San Francisco
graft cases, occurred shortly after 7
o'cloc|. tonight at the home of II. H.
Schenck, his brother-in-law, in East
Twentieth street and Nineteenth ave-
nue., East Oakland, when a huge bomb
placed in the porch exploded and tore
away the whole front of the house.
Gallaher was upstairs with his wife
a the time and Schenck was in a rear
room with his wife and four children
and DR.. Guy Brown. Ali escaped but
one boy, who was hit in the neck by Il
flying missile That none was killed
seemed little short of miracle.
Gallagher's hat was pierced by q
splinter and taken away as a souvenir
! The house was completely wrecked
The report was heard all over Oakland
and many windows in the neighborhood
were broken A post belonging to the
porch was hurled 100 feet away.
Thousands Rush to Scene
qulthly ul1 lHe NEWS spread IndN
Gallaghers home was dynamited that
1000 people were on the premises in a
few moments. The ex-supervisor was
spied in the crowd and some one re-
marked:
Il guess that was meant for you.''
Yes, | guess it was replied CAL
lagher, but they missed me-
A man was seen running down Nine
teenth avenue a few moments before
the explosion, but up to late hour to-
night no arrest has been made by the
police.
Chief of Detectives A. Peterson made
a careful inspection of the demolished
house and had a long talk with Gal
lagher afterward. But little light could
be thrown upon the matter which is
enshrouded in mystery.
Late tonight Gallagher went to San
Francisco and went into hiding for the
night.
Gallagher was a member of the
boodling board of supervisors and was
chairman of the finance committee.
During the absence of Mayor Schmitz
he was acting mayor. According to the
confessions of the several members of
the board and himself Gallagher acted
as intermediary between Ruef and the
members of the board in distributing
bribe money.
Gallagher a Witness
Rapid progress was made today in
the case of Tirey L. Ford, ex-attorney
general of the state, on trial for the
third time on the charge of bribery in
connection with the obtaining of trolley
franchises for the United Railroads, of
which corporation he is general counsel
Following the conclusion of the cross
examination of ex-Supervisor James
L. Gallagher. the prosecutions most
important witness, who told in detail
of receivirg & from Abraham Ruef and
dividing among the other supervisors
the alleged bribe money, seven other
supervisors repeating their testimony
given in the two former trials of Ford,
and again retold the story of their own
dishonesty and the corruption of the
board of which they were members.
OF the sixteen supervisors who con-
fessed to taking bribes amounting to
thousands of dollars, the following tes-
titled today: John J. Furey, Cornelius
j. Harrigan, Max Mamlock. James f.
Kelly, Edward L. Walsh, Charles Box
ton and Sam Davis.
The testimony of all of them was but
a repetition OF that given by them twice
before. Each told of receiving from
Gallagher, who was the leader of the
board and acted as agent for Ruef, $4,000
in two payments of $4,000 each for the
head trolley ordinance.
With the exception of Gallagher, the
cross examination of the former super
visors by counsel for Ford was very
brief; in some instances confined to a
few questions.
All Favored 1t
Without exception, the supervisors
admitted that they were in favor of the
ordinance, had no intention to oppose
1t and would have voted for it even if
there had been no money consideration
in 1t.
There seemed to be more unanimity
the witnesses as to the denomin-
alton of the money received than at
the former trials. Mamlock had no
of receiving his second pay
ment. Both he and Walsh testified at
the former trials that they received
some large bills In their first payment
and this time stated they were paid in
small bills. Attorney Moore confronted
them with their former testimony and
remarked that their recollection, like
DID wine, improved with age"
From the line of questioning by the
Defense it was apparent that the in
ferential deduction was sought to be
1rawn that this change of testimony
and unanimity of witnesses was due to
he meeting of the supervisors at the
district attorneys Office last Tuesday
night. brought under cross eXamina-
ion as having been called for the pur-
pose of refreshing their memory upon
heir previous testimony. Moore sar-
referred to 1t as the might
school of instruction"
,ase may go to the jury the latter part
~ 11avt IUaa1K