The Washington herald., 1909-01-31

ringsters knew the reformers were look
ing for scalps. even though they did not
know Of the long investigation which had
been in progress.
These cOUncilmen were ARRESTED:
William Brand. president OF common
council.
John F Klein
William II Melsney
Oliver Atkinson, OF select council
Joseph C. Wasson
Jacob SoffeL
Hugh Ferguson.
All excepting Atkinson were members
Of the common council President Brand
and WassOE snd Klein were charged
with conspiracy. bribery. and the s0licita-
ton Of brides. while the others were
charged with the latter two offenses only.
Laying the Trap.
Two months before the bank scandal
became public. one OF the skiIIful hired
detectives Of the Voters League. posing
as a member Of a rich firm OF paving
contractors, came 10 Piusburg and OBJ
tained rooms in the smart Duquesne Ho-
tel, once so wen pstronized by Quay and
his men The detectives real name was
James Wilson. He sent for Klein. and
represented 10 him that he wanted con-
tract for the repaving Of Fourth avenue
He wanted TO know what the cost would
be OF jamming a special ordinance
through councils. He Indicated that he
knew that anything common council did
would be passed as q matter Of course
BY select council. 50 he had undertaken
to see only the boys" Of the lower
branch
Klein said that he couldn't tell exactly,
and that he would have 10 talk il over
with his colleagues He showed little
hesitancy in admitting that he could
probably use 500 as a preliminary feel
err In the way OF cigarette and wine
money among the counciImen. and took
that sum away with him as an evidence
Of good faith. He kept his word. and
sent President Brand around TO interview
the gOOd-natuTed man at the hotel
Brand, Klien said. was '-the whole
cheese" in councils. and il was up to him
TO manage and direct these little affairs.
According To Wilson'S story in court.
Brand confessed che impeachment, and
thought he could swing things without
much difficulty as long as the money
was forthcoming As an evidence Of his
good faith. he. too. carried away 500 Of
the vOluminous bundle Of bills with which
Wilson was provided, and he went away
to look the field over"
Many Conferences Held.
Brand and Klein made many trips to
the Duquesne for conferences. They
naturally had no suspicion that whatever
;hey said OF did was carefully noted by
men in an adjoining room who were peer
ing through holes in the door Wilson
finally switched his headquarters over to
the Fort Pitt Hotel, where more elabor-
ate traps for the unwary cou1cilmen were
prepared. He had a plant" there that
WAS the admiration OF the investigators
when they came to know the details af-
! tsrward.
Klein came in one day and said:
The boys are getting a little hungry.
They ought 10 have q sandwich or two.
! and you know its a case OF you tickle me
and III tickle you. That's the hungrieSt
mob I ever knew I'm the little angel of
charity, but they say must have broken
a leg, because I haven't been walking
very regularly lately
Mr. Klein was licked and left with
500 roll Of yellowbacks in a trousers
pocket Brand, who usually trailed after
Klein, came In the same day, Wilson said
at the preliminary hearing, and got his
$500 10 keep the wolf away. Klein had
said 10 the contractor" that day, before
Brand came around:
You've got TO keep the big noise feeling
friendly"
a CuIprft Caught.
Wasson was another who needed pin
money, and came around 10 get II. He
was satisfied with $500 at a time. wasson
was the buyer for one Of the largest de-
partment stores in Pittsburg and received
a salary Of S1eOoo year. He made two
trips 10 Europe every year for his firm
and was regarded as one Of the most eff
cient and trustworthy young business men
in the community. He received $500 at
least on two occasions
After Wilson had moved TO the Fort
Pitt Hotel he had holes bored In connect
ing doors between two rooms. Paper
megaPhones were attached to some of
these holes so that the listeners could
catch every word Holes were also pro-
vided sc that these men could see what
transpired. -Four men were picked as the
witnesses, two Of whom we're stenogra-
piers. who took down every word said in
their notebooks They obtained evidence
against Wasson. Klein, and Brand as to
everything that passed in the bribery
scheme to get the mythical paving con-
tract, and saw money passed up until the
final "blow-off. as Klein described It
John naTron. OF the counsel for the &C
cused councilmen. was led later to re-
mark sarcasticaIly in an Interview:
If you want 70 be Civic League detee-