The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-03-22
Forty Members and Ex-
Members Of Councils
Under Indictment.
TEN CONFESS AND
SECURE IMMUNITY
All Day Long Judge Sits and Re.
ceives Confessions - Con-
science-strickcn, Accus-
ed Men Tell Of Brides,
and Resign From
City Government.

City Government.
a Plttsburg. Pa, March 21.-Forty pres
ent and former members of Select an,
Common Councils. undcr Indictment ol
charge Of bribery. and ten more witt
!. suspended sentences and held in $50
4 ponds upon their own confession O
sharing In pool OF 100000 to innu
4 ence the votes OF the municipal bodies
4 is the result of the first days prob
i Of the grand Jury. following the sen
sational confession of Captain Joh
Klein, former member OF Councils, who
as chief disbursing officer OF the fund
characterized himself as "chancellor o
the eNchequer."
All day long Judge r. S. Frazer sa
as a committing magistrate in tn.
4 Criminal Court room, and his desk be
4 Councilmen under suspicion who
swarmed before the Judge to be
washed of their sins.n On one foo,
of the court building the grand Jury
/ would hear the -stricker
| tCouncilmen. who then would go be-
| fore Judge Frazer and take the i'm
munity hath offered last week by the
district attorney.
Ten Confess Guilt.
Up to tho adjournment of the court
for the day at o'clock ten had con-
fessed their guilt. In most Instances
the amount of money they confessed 10
accepting as bribe was not over
500. One man got $500, another $3.50
while others got but SS1.10.
AS fast as present Councilmen ap-
peared, after they had relieved their
consciences. they were ordered imme-
diately to resign from the city gov
ernment. and in every instance the
letter of resignation was written in
the district attorneys Office and mailed
to Mayor ". a. Magee before the guilty
ones left the building.
The greatest surprise of the day
came late In the afternoon, when DR..
B. ii. Weber. member Of Select Council.
aFpenredy ybefors judge Irazer and made
confession almost as startling as
thatSof Klein. DR.. Weber told Of re-
ceiving $4,000 in shoe box. Six
thousand dollars OF this, he said. he
gave to Klein for members of Common
Council. while lie kept $4,000 to FIX
members Of the upper branch. Later,
according to Weber. 1t was found nee
essary to secure more votes, and more
money was raised. and when this was
divided 1t was found that the addi-
tional Councilmen's shares We're but
S81.10.
From Various Professions.
The men indicted are from various
professions. Some are professional
politicians. one a private detective.
Saloon-keepers, physicians, marketmen,
3tailors and real estate men are record
ed in the list. One man. c.. G. Schad,
who Is a marketman, is also q MEM
ber Of the Legislature from Allegheny
county.
While before the grand jury, Dr..
Weber was unable to remember all
the men to whom he had paid money,
but he checked them up, by having.
the list of Councilmen read to him
from a city manual.
The ways In which the money was
delivered othem We're many, as de-
scrbed by the confessing Councilmen.
Some had it thrust into their hands
while standing In public places, some
received it In the mail, while others
had envelopes adroitly slipped into
their pockets while they admired adj
jacent buildings.
District Attorney William "A. Blake
5ly day extended the time limit by
twenty -four hours within which time
Others may come within his Immunity
proposition. After that time warrants
will be issued for al who have failed
to appear and these will be igorously
prosecuted. 55 a
When court adjourned for the day.
the grand jury had decided to hold a
night session to consider the evidence
~ !, o1a l,ofo ~
the day. s,,S SSf
Forty-One Names Presented.
At 9:3O o'clock Judge Frazer was
called into court and a presentment
containing forty-one names. those i'm
plicated In tho conspiracy by DR..
Weber. was handed to the court, who
the indictments swere returned, with
the exception Of ono case, ii which
the councilman had notified the Dis
.trict Attorney that he would appear iii
the morning to tell his story. The
Jury was then dismissed, but ordered
to report and continue the investiga-
tion Tomorrow. In all the
the men are recommended to mercy,
provisional upon their coming into
court voluntarily. VI
Those who fail to appear by noon
I tomorrow Will be brought In on war;
rants and for this emergency. the
county detective force has been taken
off routine work and is. being held In
readiness to serve the warrants.
While many Of the Indictment were
made in connection With the passage
OF thesordinancc naming banks as city
dopositaries, fully rs many moro ac-
cepted hribes IN co onnectio ion With tho
ordinance In Which the city vacated
South Side Street. for the use OF a
manufacturing concern. h AZ IN
Il During the day District Attorney
Blakely MAJ q a g tatement} to the public,
that he s. had VI III EMS full
and tha - T Il had 5b cen COR
roborated by other cor fesst ons to Its
mtaiitest tadetail .i q n IN
q Is lein,a " hose con fass ion s linked the
props out, wa sllrly ye gone to tho
ysto day n to 4 hegl II lIss six.
years. sept ence. w hen 81 sifs liz ain
was so oIng,S pistr rictS At torne u Il Blakely,|
Continued 4 On Fourt N paEe.
ss3