The San Francisco call., 1908-09-05
BLAKE IS
ARRESTED
IN FLIGHT
Man Accused OF Attempted
Bribery of Ruef Venireman
Caught on Train
Returned to City by Detectives
and Promptly Indicted
for Bold Crime
Lawyers Murphy and Newburgh
drilled by Grand Jury and
May Be Accused
Defenders OF Arch Boodler Go
Through Ordeal Before
Inquisitors

Caught yesterday as he was
fleeing from the city to avoid the.
consequences of the exposures
made on Thursday in the Ruef
case, E. A. S. Blake was brought
back and lodged in the city prison
under an Indictment charging
him with an attempt to bribe a
venireman. The Indictment of
Blake was returned by the grand
jury at o'clock In the evening. after
long day of rigid investigation of
the bribery case. 1t was an investiga-
ton that pointed the finger of guilt,
not at Blake alone, but also straight
at Attorneys Frank j. Murphy and
Adolph s. Newburgh of Abe Ruefs
legal staff. 1t was by the narrowest
of margins that these two escaped In
dictment.
The investigation is still far from
ended, for the prosecution will lay
fresh facts before the grand jury with
in few days. and will ask at that
time that true bills be brought against
Murphy and Newburgh- There were
only 10 members of the grand jury
present yesterday, and when the poll
was taken on the names. of Murphy
and Newbdrgh the u votes necessary
to indict were not forthcoming. This
was due to the direct conflict between
NHA erkr
and the other testimony. The prosecu-
tion has not given up the case because
of the failure of the grand jury to act
yesterday, but will present the case
anew when the entire jury is present
BLAKE's PART PROVED
Blake's part in the attempted bribery
of Venireman John Martin Kelly was
proved so conclusively that the indict-
ment against him was voted without
any hesitation. Yet when it came to
the question of returning true bills
against the mana alleged to have hired
him to do the job the grand jury
balked. All the testimony secured. ex-
cept the denials of Murphy and New
burgh. was of strongly discriminating
nature against them, however, and in
half dozen particulars the two-law--
yers were meshed in contradictory
statements and unexplained evasiOns.
Blake is now in the city prison, his
bail having been set at $4,000 cash or
$4,000 bonds He was arrested at noon
yesterday on a coast line train ON
which he was going south TO join his
wife at Palo Alto and escape with her
from the vicinity of San Francisco.
Later in the day he was given an op-
portunity to testify before the grand
jury, but refused to answer questions
on the ground that he ght incrimi-
nate himself by so doing.
EvADEs THE DETECTIVES
BIake's flight was that of a thor
oughly frightened criminal He was
in his office In the Pacific building
exposures made in Judge Lawlor's
court was telephoned to him. Two de-
teetives were waiting for him at the
foot of the elevator, and Blake knew
it, He quickly left his Office and
walked down seven flights of back
stairs, slipped through the lobby OF
the building and made his way to the
street through a side door and an al
ley. When he was caught yesterday
he admitted the details Of the escape
He said that he went to Palo Alto.
spent the night with his, wife there
and returned to San Francisco yester-
day morning.
This latter statement was found 10
be untrue. Blake did not leave the
city Thursday night but supposedly
was in conference at some time during
the evening with Ruefs attorneys He
had been living for some time at ho-
tel in San Mateo, but when he learned
that developments in the bribery mat
ter were imminent he arranged for
sudden fight. Thursday AFTERNOON
Mrs. Blake packed all the belongings
of herself and husband. paid the hotel
bill in San Mateo and went to Palo
Alto. where she spent the night at tho
University hotel.
BOARDS MOVING TRAIN
Early yesterday morning Blake
made efforts to see his attorney Mar
tin Stevens. who became notorious as
the alleged go between OF Abe Ruef
and Marchand, the French restaurant
keeper, at the time OF the original
graft exposures. Stevens was out OF
the city. however, and rather than
wait until his return and take the
chance of having an indictment re-
turned against him in the meanwhile.
Blake caught the II 40 train for Palo
Alto, where Mrs. Blake had arranged
to meet him at the depot and join
him IN his flight tsouth- Blake did not
board the train until after it had
started TO pull out OF the depot at
Third and Townsend streets. and then
he walked through the cars carefully
scanning every face.
r. C. SCHNEIDER and W. III. Russell
two of Special Agent Burns men. were
on the train on their way TO Palo Alto