Los Angeles herald., 1910-03-23
GRAFT
SCANDAL GROWS
NINE MORE FORMER COUNCIL
MEN CONFESS
EACH RECEIVES IMMUNITY BATH
IN SUSPENDED SENTENCE
District Attorney Says He Will Go
After Bribe GiVers Also.
Many Bankers ln-
VolVed
Associated Pressl

PITTSBURG, March 22.-Nine more
former members of councils before the
district attorney today confessed their
guilt in accepting money for their
votes while members of the municipal
bodies and before Judge r. S. Fraser
received the immunity bath of sus-
pended sentence.
When the grand jury adjourned for
the day, just before o'clock, it had
returned no indictments, although it
| had listened for hours to developments
| in the bribery scandal even more SEN
sational than those brought out yester-
! day Men admitted selling their honor
for from $50 up.
! John L. Klein was before the grand
| jury the greater part of the day and
! continued his narrative of council
manic graft. Klein recounted some of
| his experiences in handing out the
money to the councilmen.
There was one fellow he SAID,
"who was a daisy-a regular Shylock
! for the dough. In the South Seventh
street business 1 handed him $Sl. He
/ looked at me for full minute, and
then yelled like a stuck pig for the eX-
ira 10 cents. You know, SS110 was the
standard price in that deal. Well, he
got the 10 cents, all right"
After Bribe GiVers
District Attorney Blakeley. as soon
as the councilmen bribe askers have
been rounded up, will go after the
| bribe giVers These are said to be
| bank officials whose names have never
heretofore been mentioned in connec-
ton with the graft probe of the last
two years.
The Tip" has been passed to these
bank men that they may come under
| the Immunity" proposition extended
by the district attorney, but as they
have thus far failed to avail them
selves of the opportunity it is reported
| some bombshels will be dropped into
the social structure of the city and
prominent men be brought before the
bar of justice.
There is a feeling that what has
been accomplished thus far is but a
scratching of the surface. What one
| hour may develop no one is able to
foresee. Even the district attorney Is
frank in his expression that he can
tell what will happen.
Twenty have confessed. thirty seven
have been indicted, but have not con
fessed, and sixteen have been impll-
Gated, but have not been indicted.
Hundreds May Be Involved
1t is said at the district attorney s
office that before the grand jury is dis
missed fully 100 persons will be inn
plicated These will include not only
the bribed, but the bribers.
Yesterday and today Klein. still ii
the district attorneys office, worked
the telephone overtime trying TO get
William Brand, former president OF
common councils, to come forward anc
tell his story.
Brand was to have gone to the peni-
tertiary, but his Incarceration was
deferred, partly because of illness O
a daughter and partly in the hope ht
would confess.
Klein also telephoned Joseph c
Wasson, who entered the penitentiarS
Monday. Wasson was permitted tC
answer the telephone by Warden JOIN
Francies. Wasson will join the banC
of pentents.
The crowd could not suppress
laugh when William Frederick TESTIFIED
he had carried 500 around in his hiI
pocket for a week before he knew i
was there He said it had been PLACED
in his pocket during the councilmani'
ball game at Neville island in July
| 1908,