Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-31
Detective Believed to Have
Been in Secret Employ
of Burns.
HE is ALSO INDICTED
Held on Charge of Having At
tempted to Bribe Mcnamara
Juror at Los Angeles.

Los Angeles, Cal, Jan. 81 De-
spite absence of an official state
ment to that effect, it is generally
accepted that Bert H. Franklin, for
mer chief of detectives for the Nc
Namara defense, now facing trial on
charge of jury bribing, will be the
principal witness against Clarence S.
Darrow for similar alleged offenses.
To offset his testimony, it is gen.
orally believed the Darrow defense
will endeavor to prove Franklin, if
not actually in the employ of Will
liam ]. Burns, at least was in the
service of the state while employed
as the confidential agent of Darrow
in the Mcnamara case.
Los Angeles, Jan. 31.-"Did you make
confession to the grand jury, supply
ing the alleged facts on which Clar-
ence Darrow, chief counsel for the Nc
Namaras, was indicted for jury brib-
ery?"
will you become the states star
witness in the prosecution of Darrow
under an agreement of immunity"
These two questions were put to
Bert Franklin, the Mcnamara detective
accused of having passed the bribe
money to Robert Balm, juror, and
| George n. Lockwood, veniremap.
SAYS HE WILL TELL TRUTH.
! "If l am placed on the witness stand
/ shall tell the TRUTH" he replied.
will not perjure myself for anybody"
| At the same time he maintained that
there was no understanding between
| him and the prosecutors office with
! regard to immunity AS to the reports
that he had confessed to the grand
jury his alleged part in the corruption
of Mcnamara jurors, Franklin said he
had been before the inquisitors toe
short time to have told very much.
DOES NOT FEAR RESULT.
"You can take it from me-" he stated
emphatically, Bert Franklin never
will go to the penitentiary. No len
iency has been promised me, and there
is no arrangement at all between m'
and the district attorneys Office.
"W. Joseph Ford, the assistant dis
trict attorney, has never been at m,
office or my house, nor have l beel
to his house or his Office either, sine,
few days after was arrested, and
went then to obtain some property O
mine.
''At present I expect to go to tria
on Feb. 27 on the two bribery charge
! pending against me. l expect jury t.
, be drawn then and the trial to pre-
ceed regularly.
''If | am put on the witness stand il
, this or any other case l shall tell tn
truth. 1 will not perjure myself fo
anybody. But l know my rights witt
, in the law and 1 shall take advantag
of them
FORD is SILENT.
Assistant District Attorney w. il
seph Ford refused to comment upO
Franklin's statement or upon a confer
ence which he himself held with 81
perior Judge Franklin r. Willis, bt
) fore whom Franklin's cases are scheC
uled for trial. Judge Willis also d.
, clined to speak of the meeting
Ford said, however, that the gran
jury would not resume its investig;
ton this week and probably not fo
10 days, by which time John D. Free
ericks, district attorney, is expected I
return from the east
CHICAGOANs BOOST DARRow.
San Francisco, Jan. 31-The Sa
, Francisco Bulletin, union labor new
paper, prints dispatches from forme
Mayor Busse. Richard 5. Tuthill, job
Barton Payne. Judge Kickham Scal
/, Ian and other Chicago men, who spea
, in laudatory words Of Clarence S. Da
row.