The Washington herald., 1910-03-26

Pittsburg. March 25-The special Pitts
burg grand jury drawn 70 consider coun-
cilmanic bribery cases furnished a sue
cession of surprises here to-day, Aside
from indicting thirty-one additional coun-
cilmen charged with accepting brides
for their votes. the arrest Of two former
confessing councilmen was ordered, on
the grounds that they had not told the
whole truth.
At the same time the court laid bare
the entire rottenness Of Pittsburg coun-
ellis In one Of the most causuc present.
ments ever handed down in any city.
That an effort viii be made 20 place
much blame for grating and bride giving
on James w. Friend, millionaire banker.
who died recently, and on ex-Mayor
James Wyman. OF Allegheny, who was
buried yesterday, was made plain by the
trend of the presentments.
Orders to arrest ex-Councilmen Simon
Mathies and Frank P. Bonini came as a
surprise to these worthless and their
friends Mathies is a butcher, who on the
first day for confessions of grafters
created such a scene in court, falling on
his knees in terror when he thought he
was too late to have his confession ae-
cepted
1t is claimed now that Mathles perjured
himself. that he did not tell the whole
truth.
Did Not Admit to All.
The same charge applies to Bonlni,
rich Italian fruit dealer. 1t is claimed
Mathies and Bonini were declared in on
every graft split, but when they were
confessing they declared that $S0.10. on
one occasion. was all the graft money
they had ever received MathIes and
Bonini are expected to come into court
Monday with their bail
The grand jury came in first about ~
a m. and handed in a presentment Of
$500 words. which was probably the
most complete expose of city's rotten
ness in the history OF the country. After
naming six national banks in Pittsburg
which. it alleges. bribed councilmen To
name them as city repositories. the grand
jury report says:
We cali upon the directors OF the six
hanks named as city repositories 10 in
vestIgate who paid for each OF the said
banks the brides herein set forth. and
report the same 10 this grand jury noc
later than Monday. March 2s. 1910. And
We further demand that said report be
in writing and certified to by directors
Of said banks individually.
We strongly recommend and insist
that the proper officials Of the city of
Pittsburg take immediate legal action
to nullify the ordinance naming the
Farmers Deposit National Bank, tho
Second National Bank OF Pittsburg. the
German National Bank OF Allegheny, the
German National Bank Of Pittsburg. the
Columbia National Bank OF Pittsburg.
and the Workingman's Savings and
Trust Company of Allegheny. as city
repositories. in order that the bride Civ
ers may not benefit by reason of their
own wrong-doing and criminal conduct"
Friends Resent Attacks.
Effort to blame much OF the bride CIV
ing on the dead James W. Friend has
caused much indignation among friends
of the dead man. The grand jury has
taken a recess until Monday. when adj
ditional indictments are expected.
So bitter was the arraignment OF the
grand jury against the six Pittsburg
banks which are city repositories that |
City Comptroller Z. S. Morrow. late TO-
day, issued a statement that the banks |
in question were Of the most stable kind, |
but that if the advice of the grand jury |
TO withdraw all moneys from the deposit |
tories be followed, it should not be all |
withdrawn at once, or in large quantities. |
There is now $6,64O,S9076 of city money |
in the six banks named.