The San Francisco call., 1909-02-17
SAN MATEO GRAFT
DEFENDANTS PLEAD
Accused Men Try All Sorts or
Quibbles, but They Are
Ruled Out

REDWOOD CITY. Feb. 1s.-The cast
ing aside by Judge DooIing OF the ma
jority of the technical objections,
interspersed by the counsel for the
defense in the county's graft prosecu-
tien today. which, in spite OF their
trial. were made with clocklike regular
ity, ended the first days battle for the
conviction of the six county ofhcials
with the majority of the victories
scored in favor of the prosecution. The
epoch event in the county's history was
followed with closest attention
throughout. a large audience. in addi-
ton to those directly concerned. gath
ering for the opening legal conflict
Robert W. Harrison of District At
torney Langdon's office of San Fran
cisco and Assistant Attorney General
E. B. Power represented the pros
ecution, the cares of the defense
resting with Ross & Ross of Red
wood City and Walter ]. Lin
forth of San Francisco, with Dis
u IL <1llOEMcy OASIluS 4tC-
quent suggestions when his own case
was up for consideration The case
against Bullock for misconduct in Of
fice, based on his drawing up the Sc
cret contract of s2.992 in favor Of
the O'Brien construction company, was
the first called for consideration.
Attorney Harrison submitted a mo-
ton asking that consideration of the
challenge to the grand jury interposed
IT.
objected, but Judge Dooling ove-ruled
their motions. Linforth then introduced
a plea of abatement, but objection to
this issue was also sustained. LinfoTth
thereupon entered the plea of the de-
fendant: Pleads not guilty and de-
nies the truth of the accusations"
Harrison argued for a postponement
of the date setting the trial on the
ground that he wished time TO prepare
an affidavit for the disqualification of
Sheriff Chatham and Coroner Plymire
and asking for the appointment of an
elisor. On the defense asking for an
immediate hearing the trial was set for
February %, Harrison agreeing to the
hearing of the disqualification afi-
davits on Saturday morning
In the cases against the accused su-
pervisors, Coleman, Blackburn. Deben-
detti and Julius Caesar Elkerenkotter
and Sheriff Chatham the same Objec-
tions to the accusations were inter
posed by the defense as in the case OF
Bullock. Attorney Power pleaded for
a postponement of these cases until a
decision was reached in that of Bull
lock. by which time the appointed dis
trict attorney could take up the prose
-cution, but Judge Doolfng denied the re-
quest and set the trials for February %
The same plea of not guilty was inter
posed by the four supervisors and sher-
iff and a hearing was had on the sec
ond accusation against Bullock, based
on the jailing OF James Power for an
infamous crime without trial since last
October. After lengthy argument the
demurrer was ordered submitted BY
Dooling, and the elisorship question
was introduced again by Harrison. who
on the refusal of the defense TO ac-
quiesce TO the appointment of an
elisor drew the courts attention to the
close relations existing between Bullock
and three of the members of the board
of supervisors who will submit the
names of the trial jurors for the va
rious graft cases. 1t was finally init
mated that If the effort to draw an
elisor is abandoned that the names
Will be drawn in Bucks presence.