Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1909-01-05
Pat CALHOUN ON TRIAL
President of the United Railroads OF
San Francisco Faces the Court on
Serious Charge.
Special to the Herald.

Special to the Herald.
San Francisco, Cal, Jan. 5.-Patricl
Calhoun, president OF the United Rail
roads and the capitalist whom Francis
j. Heney regards as the arch-plottel
of the so-called "higher-ups -againsi
whom the graft prosecution has beer
warning for over two years-went tt
trial today. His case was called III
Judge Lawlor's court, where, nearly
four weeks ago, Abe Ruef was convict
ed of offering to one of the boodlins
supervisors the bride which Calhoun
is accused of having placed in his
hand
Calhoun has fumed at the delays
which the graft prosecution inter
posed heretofore whenever he de-
manded speedy trial. He has ac-
cused Heney, Detective Burns, Dis
trict Attorney Langdon and Rudolph
Spreckles of needlessly prolonging the
suspense. Both sides in the fight are
out "for blood" In the language of
the ring, a knockout is all that will
end the struggle. San Francisco,
realizing the animosities which sway
the warning factions, is watching the
case with bated breath, for on its out
come hangs the fate of the graft pros
ecution Calhoun, rich, shrewd and
resourceful, has engaged the cleverest
lawyers he could find and has sur
rounded them and himself with a
small army of private detectives, in
tently watching every move made by
Burns and his agents. Prosecutor
Heney expects to win, despite such
occupation. Two years warfare in
the city has taught him what to ex-
pect from his opponents, and he has
learned the weak spots in the armor
of his enemies. Heney asserts that
the. evidence which will be presented
against Patrick Calhoun will be
stronger than that used in any of the
three trials of TREY L. Ford, chief
counsel for the United Railroads. and
that used in convicting Abe Ruef.
Calhoun is accused of having Offer
ed a bride to former Supervisor Fred
P Nicholas, one of the boodling city
officials, who confessed his crimes
and received immunity in the spring
of 1907 Calhoun was jointly indicted
on March 90 1908, with Abe Ruef and |
TREY L. Ford, chief counsel for the
street railroad company. The charge
was that they corruptly influenced the
supervisors to vote for the -strolIeSt
ffss<5 10 % % :! tfll s. \
been delayed despite seventeen in
dictments voted against him His
joint defendants, Ruef and TREY L.
Ford, have both been tried Ruef was
convicted and Ford was thrice tried
without a conviction. Ford's trials
attracted great attention, as it was
generally felt that the prosecution
was trying out its ammunition on Cal
houn's attorney before firing on the
millionaire himself. Ford was first
tried in September, 1907, on the in
dictment charging him with offering
bride to former Supervisor Thomas
F. Lonergan. The jury disagreed, and
before Ford was tried again Lonergan
died. Ford was next tried on the
nharca of hrihinO former Cunory;cor |
Jennings Phillips. The second trial
resulted in an acquittal in December,
1907. Undeterred, the prosecution
tried Ford again, using the Indictment
in which former Supervisor Daniel G.
Coleman was alleged to have been of
fered bride. The third trial result