The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1909-06-20
TENSE FOR VERDICT.
Continued from page one.l

yestigation of privileges awarded sew
eral public service corporations
Ruef and Sehmitz were indicted on
charges of extorting money from
French restaurant proprietors in
November goo, after Ruef had fail
ed in an effort TO seize the District
Attorneys office through his own APP
pointment by the BOARD of Su-
pervisors.
The graft investigation, as 1t came
TO be known, was conducted secretly
for several months following, but in
the early part of March 1907, Burns
succeeded in trapping Supervisor
Thomas +. Lonergan,, Edward l.
Walsh and Charles +. Boxton in the
act of accepting money from Golden
NJ. Roy. a skating rink promoter who
was acting in the interests of the
prosecution. Within a week eighteen
supervisors had confessed their ae-
ceptance OF money from six different
sources.
Ii was subsequently announced
that the supervisors had been promis-
ed immunity for their testimony
against the men charged with offer
ing bribes.
7 The oliver grand jury empanaled
under the direction of Mr.. Heney in
October 1907 heard the confessions
of the supervisors on March 10 1908
and during a period of forty-eight
( hours returned over 300 indictments
against various persons charged with
completely in the briberies.
! Mr.. Calhoun. together with Abra
ham Ruef and three subordinate
officials of the United Railroads was
indicted on | 1 counts. three of which
were returned by later grand jury.
1t was charged that the corporation
had secured from the supervisors in
May q, 1906 a permit authorizing
the substitution of the overhead troll
ley system for the cable lines par
italy destroyed 10y the earthquake
and fire of April Is, 1906.
Calhoun and other defendants
were accused of having paid Ruef
Schmitz and the supervisors 5000.
900 for their services in securing
the permit of the company and each
Indictment was based upon the
money received by one of the SUI
pervisors.
the United Railroads was one of the
officials implicated by the indict
ments and during a period of eight |
weeks was tried three times.
In the first instance a disagree
ment resulted and in two subsequent +
trials Ford was acquitted.
Ruefs trial upon the so-ealled troll /
ley indictment was commenced T
August p, 1908. There was an in
corruption of several days subsequent
TO November 10. when Francis j.
Heney was shot down in the court
room by an ex-eonvict who subse-
quently committed suicide In the
county Jail. and three volunteer pros
ecutors took up the case which end
ed December 10. 1908. when a jury
returned verdict of guilty. On
December % Ruef was sentenced TO
fourteen years in San Quentin
penitentiary. and since then has been
confined in the county Jail awaiting
action on an appeal to a higher
court.
The prosecution during the several
trolley trials have attempted to prove
that Calhoun. on the day following
the final passage OF the permit sent
from New York to the mint in this
city 100000 which he previously
authorized the mint officials to pay /
to TREY l.. Ford.
The money, as is admitted, was
withdrawn in three installments by
Ford, who presented orders signed
BY Calhoun. It is alleged by the
that a few DAYS after
each of Ford's visits TO the mint, he
received a call from Ruef. Follow
ing this theory James l.. Gallagher. 4
chairman of the supervisors testified 1
that Rnef had paid him over 100000 II
in July and an equal amount in the
following month.
Gallagher declared that he had re-
tanned $4,000 for himself, had paid
Andrew NJ. Wilson, one OF his Il
lieutenants. and had given $4,000 i
to each of the other supervisors.
1t was affirmed by the prosecution
that Ruef and Schmitz divided the
balance of the fund. amounting 10
about s115. 900.
The specific indictment upon which
Calhoun was tried was the offer OF
a bride of $4,000 10 Supervisor Fred
p Nichols. to influence his action
upon the trolley permit. Nicholas.
called as the first witness admitted
acceptance of the money for that
purpose.
Ctnoa H. t,toI on,, ~roaf