The Washington herald., 1910-01-15

has threatened Pittsburg politically
for more than a year. broke to-day.
Since the first arrest Of grating coun-
oiImen, December %, 1908, there have
been rumors about the Men higher
up" To-day warrants were issued for
five prominent men, as follows:
MAX c. LESLIE, county delinquent
tax collector and right hand man to
State Senator William Flynn. political
boss of Pittsburg; charges, conspiracy,
perjury and bribery $4,000 bail de-
manded and furnished by Senator
Flynn
EDW. II. JENNINGS, millionaire
president Of the Columbia National
Bank of Pittsburg; president OF the
Pure Oil Company; president of the
Colonial Trust Company, Of Pittsburg,
and head Of the E. H. jennings Broth
ers Company; conspiracy; $4,000 bail
furnished by a brother.
FRANK A. GRIFFIN, former vice
president and cashier OF the Columbia
National Bank. OF Pittsburg; con-
spiracy; $4,000 bail furnished by
brother Of President Jennings.
FRANK F. NICOLA, head OF the mon
ster Nicola Brothers interests; consid-
cred the biggest business man in Pitts
burg, and many times a millionaire;
conspiracy. Nicola reached Pittsburg
at midnight and will give bail IN the
morning.
CHARLES STEWART, business man
and former member OF Pittsburg coun-
ellis; conspiracy; bail IN $4,000. fur
nished by William Schempp, Of Pitts
burg.
CITY TS STUNNED.
The affair which has stunned Pitts
burg has to do with the councilmanic
graft cases Of more than a year ago,
and has been hanging fire for some. time.
/ District Attorney Blakeyey this morning
! ordered County Detective Henry Muth
1 to prepare and serve the warrants. Two
hours later Blakeley made the following
statement:
"In resard to the making Of informa-
ton by Henry AIuth. chief OF county de-
tectives, District Attorney William A.
Blakeley said:
" The informatiOns made by Mr.. Muth
are based upon testimony taken before
the grand jury. together with statements
made privately to me. have hoped that
the Superior Court would decide the ap-
peals In the graft cases now pending be-
fore that court adjourned Now no de-
c!sions can be looked for until the first
week in March. It is therefore imprac-
ticable for me TO defer further action
until that time. owing to the fact that
the statute Of limitations might run be-
fore final action had been taken.
The informations charge Max c. Les
lie, F. A. Griffin, and 2. H. Jennings.
with conspiring to cause the selection
of the Columbia National Bank as a
city depositary by bribery; Max c. Leslie
with the crime Of perjury committed
before the grand jury and bribery;
Charles Stewart and F. F. Nicola. with
conspiracy, and soliciting bribe from
the Columbia National Bank, for the
Four Charges Made.
Later the charge Of conspiracy vas
made against Leslie. and still later in the
day, a fourth charge against Leslie was
made, this time for misdeameanOr. In
this it is alleged that for two years past
the Tight-hand man of State Senator
Flynn has been engaged In the business
of soliciting cOuncilmen by bribery, &C.
It came out that the district attorney
claims to have in his possession a sworn
confession Of perjury from President Jen-
nings, and of Griffin. the banks former
vice president. in that they made false
returns TO bank examiners, and also
swore falsely before the grand jury when
hailed before It to tell what they knew
about the bribery Of councilmen in the
Pittsburg bank cases a year or so since.
Leslie, too, IS included in this perjury
affair." but has made no confession.
It is alleged that Leslie acted as the
go-between IN the deal between the graft
ing councilmen and the Columbia Ma
tiOnal Bank Of Pittsburg, and that he
was paid $4,000 over the counter OF the
bGL4h " Ne~iA " N-io Sia aAkbES.
Leslie. when questioned. according to
the office of the district attorney, def
nitely said that ne had put this money
in his pocket, and that It was none OF
the public's business, IN the meantime
those Of the grating c0uncilmen already
convicted who heard this let it be known
that Leslie did not put all the money IN
his pocket, but they accuse him of putting
1880 of It in his own pocket and paying
over to them only s17,5OO
On this Is said to have turned the wbole
bribery matter. grating counollmen as
serting that even they had been double
crossed by Leslie. and after giving plenty
Of time to Ak the matter up, they became
angry and decided TO put the tnforma-
ton where It would do the most good"
The assertion IS made here that $40 0o0
was raised as a corruption fund to see
that the cases against the five already
named were not pushed; that those In