The San Francisco call., 1909-01-31
The San Francisco Sunday CAN

seufic saw an opportunity, while the rest we're
serving as targets for his lists, to grab him by the
throat Harder and harder | shut down upon him,
until finally gaspng and almost black in the face, he
ceased to struggle and handouts put on him.
The next morning the six prisoners met at break
fast in tho station Lousc.
~IIavc inny av yc seen Tom Moran asked Nc
erath Poor Toni He with me when was
pinched, but / haven't seen him since he was locked
up
.Tom was with me when I was caught" said
Quinn
~Ye don't say 50, said Boyle, in araazement HE
was with too
We'll, Tom himself pnched me said old Brock
Maher, and then the other five fof the first time
realized how they had been trapped
Il knew We were a copper the hrst time saw ye,
said McCrath when | saw him the day.
"Of course you did" laughingy replied that's
why you sold me those counterfeit halves and quar-
ters@
Well. ye did dirt when ye fooled me- said
old Brock, with his customary good humor, and
bear We no grudge Ye did yer jooty and to show ye
think none the less of ye I'll shake yer hand"
One by one the eases came to trial and convictions
followed as rapidly as the uries could go through the
forms prescribed by law I feeling very good
over the outcome when one day met Louis F. Post,
attorney for the Irish Post, by the way, IS
now editor of the Public, single tax publication
issued in Chicago.
"Drummondg he said Il am going to free every
one of those counterfeiters that you convicted"
| laughed as if | thought he joking, as indeed
| did, and he continued:
There is no joke about it The indictments in
those cases are worth the paper upon which they
written. In every of them IS omitted the
phrase required by law then and there, with intent
to defraud. | going to make motion before
the trial Judge the convictions aside and dis
charge the defendants And, under the law, he
do nothing but grant the notion
Investigation proved all that Post said to be only
too FIe procured the reopening of the case,
made his motion the convictions were set aside and
all of the prisoners except McGrath, who had broken
from the Ludlow street Jail and slowed away a
steamship bound for England, discharged. Nc
Grath, by the way, captured his ship was
descending the Delaware river. and he received a
short term for breaking Jail The others went abso-
lutely free
was unspeakaby angry. Before the cases against
the prisoners were dismissed mentioned the of
the man who drew the indictments the trial Judge
and pleaded for an opportunity tell of in
stance in which l knew the in question had been
corrupt a small way
81 once knew this lawyer said 7, TO substitute
cheap three for nickel cigars for five hundred rs
cent smuggled Havanas that had been turned over
to him evidence by the customs authorities When
his Office to get the cigars take them back
to the customs Office | noticed the substitution and
called his attention to it. What difference does it
make? he asked 1t makes this difference, replied,
that will the substitute And 1 refused
to take them. | presume he has them yet if he ha~'
not destroyed them given them away
The judge listened to intently but the prisoners
were, nevertheless, discharged Post. by the way
was never suspected of being in collusion with the
attorney In the first place, Post is honest Further
more he the attorney for the counterieiters
when the indictments were drawn.
Thus it about, grotesque conclusion to
these ludcrous that the only counterleter who
was punished imprisoned for breaking from
Jail in which he illegally confined. And the last
humorous feature afforded when German juror
who had voted convict of the Irishmen stepped
over to me in the courtroom and said:
"You fool these Irishmen NIT your talk about being
a counterfeiter, but you could never fool Why?
You have gray eyes. have looked long, but never
yet see man with gray eyes who gets into trouble
and goes to Jail Believe me-"
That SO years ago, and my observation since
the German made this remark convinces there is
considerable truth in what he said