Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-12-10
RUFF BRIBERY
CASE GOES
To JURY
END COMES TO LONG
DRAWN OUT TRIAL
Unusual Precautions in Court
Room to Prevent Repetition Of
Assault on Assistant Prose-
Cutor Heney,

san Francisco. Dec. 9.-The case OF
Abraham Ruef. charged with bribery
OF a former supervisor Of this city,
went to the jury at S:96 y. IN. today.
At 5:45. after having been out two
hours and nine minutes. the jury re-
quested. and was given, permission to
go to dinner by Judge William p.
Lawlor. but was ordered to resume
deliberations at o'clock.
During the last day of the trial
which has required 105 days to bring
to a decision, the room was crowded
with men and women of local promi-
nenee. The usual precautions taken
after the shooting of Prosecutor Fran
els j. Heney was resumed today i'm full
force, and the spectators subjected to
close scrutiny before entry, were sur
rounded by a heavy detail of police
at every stage of the proceedings.
Hiram Johnson, one of the attorneys
who volunteered his services after Mr..
Heney was shot, closed the argument
at noon after an address of two hours
and half, during which time he re-
ed many arguments set forth by
use had never shaken the tes-
his own, seeking TO put the ease of the
prosecution before the jurors in the
form of closely connected chain of
events, with the defendant as center.
He charged that Ruef had practically
admitted his guilt upon more than
one occasion and he maintained that
the defense had never shawen the tes-
timony of witnesses who charged
Ruef with receiving 100000 from the
United Railroads and with giving for
mer Supervisor James l.. Gallagher
$4,000 to be distributed among the
members of the board.
The instructions of the court We're
delivered after a slight delay, and
contrary to expectations, occupied but
an hour in delivery. During the first
hour that the jury remained secluded
Ruef paced nervously up and down
the aisle, occasionally stopping to
speak to acquaintances. and often
sinking into his seat, where he appear
ed bowed in thought, his back turned
to the spectators.
Henry Ach, Ruef's chief counsel
whose efforts in behalf of his client
have several times threatened him
with a penalty of physical collapse,
did not appear in court this afternoon, |
and Ii was reported that he had been
stricken with pleurisy during the noon
recess as a result of a cold contracted
last night after he had completed an
address of six hours and twenty min
utes.
Both in duration and by reason of
the startling and unusual occurrence
that attended its progress, the trial
has attained position as the most inn
portant outgrowth of the exposures of
the summer of 1906 when a grand |
jury after hearing the confession of
sixteen members of the board of su-
pervisors, returned scores of indict- |
ments charging bribery against the
supervisors. Mayor f. f. SchmitZ and
against Ruef, then recognized as the
political head of the administration.
and against officials of the street rail |
way system, the gas and electric COM
pany, two telephone companies, a
realty company and quartet of prize
fight promoters.
In addition to several trials in |
which the alleged associate of Ruef |