Los Angeles herald., 1908-05-01
BANKER ON
THE STAND
TALKS WITH RUFF TOLD BY
W. H. CR0CKER
ADMITS cAsHINe THREE CHECKS
Fob $4,000
Heney's Questions Meet with Steady
Fire Of Objections from Aeh.
Day Passes FavorabIy TO
Former Boss

BY Associated Preas

By Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO. April SO.--william
H. Crocker. president of the Crocker
National bank, and principal stockhold-
er in the Parkside Realty company;
and Douglas S. Watson. secretary of
that company, testified today in the
trial of Abraham Ruef. charged with
offering a bribe of $1,000 to Jennings ].
Phillips, a member of the former board
of supervisors. for his vote for trolley
franchise desired by the Parkside COM
pany.
Crocker told OF speaking to Mayor
Schmitz about the trolley franchise de-
sired by his company and OF receiving
the mayors assurance he would ap-
prove 1T, and of subsequently talking
about it to Ruef, who also was favor
able to the project and promised his
aid.
Crocker said he had no knowledge of
his company employing Ruef as an at
torney In the matter of getting the
franchise from the board of supervis-
ors; emphatically denied that the for
mer political boss had demanded any
compensation for his assistance in the
matter when he talked to him about 1t.
The witness stated that on the con-
trary Ruef had declared he would ac-
cept no money for any aid he might be
able to render him.
No cross-Exaninatio
Counsel for the defense declined to
cross examine Crocker.
watson, under direct examination,
went into the details of the organiza-
tion of the Realty company and very
reluctantly told of the transaction by
which he and Harry b. Umbsen trans
ferred two pieces of property to the
company, each. receiving a check for
$15, 900, and the subsequent retransfer-
ence of this land TO them without the
latter bei- recorded
Witness testified to having cashed
these checks at the Crocker National
bank, receiving thirty $1,000 bills, which
We're placed In an envelope and by him
delivered to G. II. Umbsen, a brother,
of Harry 3. Umbsen, and who with j..
e. Green, neral manager of the Park
side company, and W. /. Brobeck, at
torney, were Jointly indicted with Ruef.
The prosecution expects to prove that
this was the $4,000 demanded by Ruef
to get the. ordinance granting the fran
ehise through the board of supervisors
when 1t had been held up in committee,
and that $4,000 of this was actually
paid to Ruef by Umbsen.
Many Objections Raised
Heney's questions to the witnesses
met with steady fire of objections by
counsel for Ruef
During one of the wrangles between
the attorneys Heney exclaimed:
''This is not my witness. j want'you
to understand that the people have no
volunteer witnesses in this case We
are merely producing witnesses to be
examined by both sides"
Just before Judge Dooling adjourned
court until tomorrow 1t developed upon
cross examination of Watson by Ach
that the witness had talked with Heney
during a ten minute recess of the court.
Pressed by Ach. Watson said he had
looked over his testimony before the
grand jury with the assistant district
attorney; that Heney had stated to him
that he had admitted the facts before
the grand jury very reluctantly and
that he apparently again was a, very
unwilling witness for the prosecution.
Counsel for Ruef was very insistent
in getting the substance of the conver-
sation between witness and the prose-
cutting attorney, and finally brought
from Watson the admission that Hen
ey's talk was f"forceful."
The ASSISTANT district attorney
charged Ach with attempting to pre1u-
dice the testimony Of the witness be-
fore the Jury