Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-26
THIRTY Y-ONE ARE
HELD FOB GRAFT
Continued from First PaEe.)


son for any OF the crimes to which they
have confessed. The grand jury declares
that it is convinced that Charles Steward
and William Brand can unravel the entire
net Of criminal work and are In position
to disclose the names Of ell guilty parties
1t is recommended that the court be as
lenient as possible in passing sentence on
those who confess their guilt
A paragraph from the presentments added
at the last moment declared that former
Councilman Jacob Soffel refused the tender
Of 5000, which was then set apart as a
defense fund in case any of the members
of the clique got within the grasp Of the
law. ->
Upon The receipt of the presentments
Judge Joseph Cohen ordered the district
| attorney Immediately to draw the indict-
ments against the men hitherfore named
and the others named in the presentment.
The grand Jury was then excused until
Monday. s.s.,r. ysg,s ,s.r.. - s-. p.
The only comment the district attorney
would make on the sensational result Of
the grand jury probe was I'VE expect
pleas at any moment, and we may have to
use. rain checks because OF. the rush"
New Phase to Leslie .Case.
Today's findings OF. the grand jury puts
a new phase on the case Of Max @. Leslie,
who is not at Hot Springs. Leslie was ac-
quilted on the charge OF perjury recently
IN connection with the Columbia National
bank matter. He had denied to grand
jury that he had ever received any money
in the deal, and convinced a jury when
placed on trial that on the day he was
alleged to have received the money he was
in New York tf 1a
The present grand jury finds that he paid
a1L50O to Brand and that the bank paid
Leslie $4,000 in June. Leslie, therefore. Is
in this position: one jury has declared that
1t believes him when no says he aid not
get the money on June 6 1sOs. ana another
Jury declares that he did receive It In the
month OF June. 81
Demands Made by Jury.
The grand jury made formal demands to
be returned next Monday upon directors Of
six city repositories for information as to
what they had done and are doing toward
ferretting out the extent Of bribery opera
tions carried on In their institutions in con-
nection with the councilmanic graft cases.
The grand jury also demanded whatever
knowledge they have OF implications in
their respective institutions and orders the
return Of city deposits.
The grand jury presentment in part fol-
lows:
Our Investigations covered the passage
by councils OF resolutions and ordinances
providing for the designation as deposit
ories OF Pittsbprg for the four years be-
ginning February /, 1903. OF the following
banks
The Farmers Deposit National bank, the
Columbia National bank, the Second Ma
tional bank, the German National Bank
e. pittssourg and the German National
We find that William Brand, Charles
Stewart, John Klein, Joseph WATSON and
Hugh Ferguson, all OF whom were members
OF the city councils OF Pittsburg, conspired
TO solicit and receive the sum OF S102, ,600
each Of the banks paying $17,bOO except the
Workinsmen's Savings and Trust company
which paid $4,000. We further find these
five men assigned the handling ana solicit
ing OF bribes from banks to certain in
dividuals, all but one Of whom were mem
signed to collect this money,
Stewart, We find, met an unnamed man
In New York Stewart and the unnamed
man exchanged duplicate cards and the
si75 500 on the bed Of Stewart's room.
The report further tells In detail Of the
handling of the bank bribe money. The
directors Of the banks named as city de-
positories are called upon to investigate
who paid for each OF the banks, the bribes
I set forth in the presentment and report
the same TO the grand Jury not later than
next Monday. The presentfnent asks elem.
ency for John Klein and J. Q. wasson
and orders the immediate indictment OF
Charles Stewart. William Brand and Hugh
Ferguson The ,presentntnt closes with
the expressed determination Of the grand
jury to dslve further into the graft cases
and mdict II possible the bribe-givers and
men higher up" in the graft scandals.
The men indicted today have been on
the grin for the last three days Ysster-
day the district attorney committed Brand
TO the penitentiary According TO the dis
trict attorney Brand. Stewart and Ferguson
had arranged with their attorneys to tell
stories 20 the authorities collectively, say
ing that each knew a part OF the story
and i would not be complete unless each
told his story in the presence OF the other.
The indictment against Brand relates
his many deals in councils which for some
time have been under suspicion by the
authorities The indictments are believed
by many to have been brought as levers 10
pry the seal from the lips OF certain present