The San Francisco call., 1909-07-26
DEATHFOLLOWS
IN WAKE OF THE
PHONE BRIBERY
Albert j. Steiss, Important Witt
ness Against Glass and
HalSey Expires Abroad
Former Assistant General Man.
ager of Company, Succumbs
in Germany
Fatality Still Pursues Men High
in Councils of Those Inn
pIicated in Scandal

~ EATH again has traiied afar an
expatristed officer Of the Pacific
- states telephone company. and an
IN important witness against Louis
Glass and Theodore Y. HaIsey, indicted
officials OF the corporation, charged
with bribing members Of the Ruef-
schmitz board Of supervisors.
Albert J. steiss, former assistant
general manager Of the company under
Louis Glass. died Saturday in Nauheim,
Germany, where he had gone with his
wife. Meager word Of the death
reached Mrs. steiss' sister at Palo Alto
Saturday. She said last night that
Steiss left California in May last for
a trip TO Europe and that while his
primary purpose in going was not for
his health, he was taking treatment at
Nsuheim at the time Of his death.
An Important Witness
steiss was a very important and ma
teriaI witness at the trials Of Halsey
and Glass. His testimony at the Glass
trial went far TO prove that Halsey
was directly accountable TO Glass for
his actions and movements. A chart
which Steiss drew at the Glass trial
gave a graphic delination OF the rela-
tive positions of the telephone COM
pany officials. After the graft prose-
cution attacked the telephone COM
panys corruption steiss retired from
the active work of the company and
moved his family to Palo Alto. where
st was popularly conceded he was liv-
ug on an ample pension given by the
predatory corporation
steiss was ranked high in local
financial, club and society circles. Dur
ing the last two years. however, he
has lived in semiretirement
Pursued by Fatality
A fatality had pursued the men who
were high in the councils Of the Pacific
states telephone company at the time
that Halsey hired a room in the Mills
building and passed tainted currency
10 members OF the board of supervis-
ors to insure that they would vote
against granting a franchise to the
Home telephone company, then seeking
10 gain an entrance into the San Fran
cisco field. In a material sense the
bribery was failure. Abe Ruef was
piqued because Halsey operated direct
Iy with the supervisors and not through
him and sold out the board a second
time to the Home company.
The oliver grand jury indicted Louis
Glass, vice president and general man.
ager of the company, and Theodore v.
HaIsey, outside man. for the concern,
Tor giving and offering bribes. Glass
was subsequently convicted, and his
case is now in the supreme court wait
ing review Of the appellate courts null
lihcation of the superior court trial
Glass has been broken in health since
his trial and conviction.
HaIsey Is Stricken
Ialsey was brought to trial in Au-
gust. 1907. and during the trial was
stricken with appendicitis. The pro-
ceedings were stopped and resump-
ton Of the case has been delayed pend
ing his recovery. Two years have
passed since the attack, and he will
again be brought to trial soon.
The first fatality attendant upon the
case came November is, 1903, shortly
after Francis J. Heney was shot in
the courtroom during the progress of
the trial of Abe Ruef. John Krause
killed himself while expatriated and
alone Off the coast of Europe.
Krause had been assistant general
agent Of the company during the spring
Of 1906. at which time the supervisors
we're bribed. He was an aid to Halsey
and had played an important part in
reaching the corrupt supervisors. In
December, 1907, he quietly disappeared
from san Francisco. 1t was known that
the telephone company had instructed
him to get out Of the California juris-
diction, and he went TO Europe.
Krause Ends His Life
In November of last year he took a
trip from cherbourg, France, to Queens
town. ireland, on the steamer Adriatie.
About the time he sailed from the
French port he read in the papers that
FRANCIS ]. Heney had been shot by
Morris Haas and that the prosecution
Of ali grafters was to be pressed re-
IentIessly Then Krause, the popular.
light hearted publicity man for the COM
pany, alone of a foreign shore, cut his
throat with a razor. He was found dead
in his stateroom on the vessel.
In May of this year william Kennedy.
an official Of the company. was sent out
OF the jurisdiction of the California
courts to British Columbia Kennedy
was mayor OF Larkspur, Marin county,
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