Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-08-19
ABE RUEF'S CONFESSION TAKES
fling At CORPORATION BRIDES

, Secret Message Received.
| Late one evening before the Super
| visors had gone into Office Ruef re-
! ceived secret message TO meet a man
I in a small room in a French restau-
rant. 1t proved to be Eddie Graney.
the honest blacksmith" a sporting
man and fight promoter. Graney ex-
planned that there had been cut-throat
competition between the fight promot-
erS so that the fighters and Coffroth,
Morris Levy. himself and others had
formed a combination to divide up the
dates for the fight permits. Through
previous Boards these clever promot-
ers had gotten legislation passed
which only permitted regularly inAor-
porated clubs to conduct fights. These
must have permanent headquarters
and a gymnasium Also an annual tax
OF $1,000 was levied. All this Of cN'ue
barred out Eastern sports who could
hardly afford to get up club and pay
a large tax for one fight. 1t also pre-
vented the fighters from pulling of
their own fights. Graney proposed to
fern one combine and wanted Ruef
tc see that the permits for fights for
the entire year were granted at one
time to his corporation. For this privi-
lege Graney offered to make a contri-
button of $40, 900 to the Labor "politi-
car fund. This seemed reasonable to
Rnef, who discussed the matter with
SchmitZ, stating further that 120 goo1
tickets would be reserved at each fight
fol the Supervisors and other city Off
Gals.
The prizefight resolution was drawn
and given to Gallagher to be presented.
to the board. Ruef never dealt with
the board direct in matters of this
kind, but always worked through Cal
iagher, the floor leader" Some of
the supervisors were against passing
the resolution at once until they learn
ed whether or not there was some
thing to it" for them. This question
was not definitely answered, but it
was intimated that the resolution must
be passed at once, and it was, amidst
the greatest enthusiasm.
Immediately afterwards Graney paid
over to Ruef some $4,000, promising
the balance in a very short time. Ruef
gave $4,000 to Schmitz and passed over
$4,000 to Gallagher. The latter appear
ed among the supervisors and passed
out $500 to each one. Not a single
man on the board refused the money,
not a single one asked where it came
from. They had got their first "blood."
Later on Willie Britt, one of those in
the prizefight combination, came to
Ruef and asked for $4,000 back which
he had contributed to the fund, saying
that the fire had almost ruined him
and that the fights he had expected
to pull off naturally would not occur
with the city in ashes. Ruef told him
that personally he had never hSS any
dealings with him and advised him to
call upon the man to whom he paid
the money. Britt left very angry. q.
Within an hour Graney rushed in
and said that Britt was drinking heaV-
lily and talking all over the city about
his troubles and what had happened.
Graney said Britt had actually paid
the money, that he would like to re-
turn it, but that the fire had left him
more or less stranded, too, or he
would return it. Ruef returned $4,000
to Graney, which he promised to give
to Britt to shut him up.
Meanwhile the supervisors were haV-
ing the time of their lives. The "bak-
ers, the BARRIERS, the carpenters, the
wagon drivers" who had probably new
er in their lives had 500 at one time
before, began changing 500 bills at
the corner saloons, etc. Friends and
neighbors saw large, fat rolls of money
pulled from hitherto empty pockets.
FOL 0f Hhrih RI
thick and fast Gallagher and Ruef
learned of this very soon, and Gala
CHER cracked the whip of authority
over them, gave the supervisors Sc
we're tongue lashing and rebuked them
severely for their indiscretion.
But the supervisors had begun to
live. They had for the first time in
their lives found big easy money. They
were just getting into that condition
where they were afterwards described
as being greedy enough to eat the
paint off the house.
The Plot Thickens.
Early in January, 1906, Gallagher
telephoned to Ruef that he had a gen.
tIeman in his office who wanted to
see him. He refused to state the
JHdll udIllS vi UuSluSSS ONSI IhO
phone, but wanted Ruef to call at
once. This Ruef did, and was pre-
scented to a middle-aged gentleman,
scrupuously dressed, with iron gray
hair and closely-cropped mustache,
bright swapping eyes, firm jaw, a
man evidently of great activity and
determination, and 4 gentleman of
large affairs. Gallagher introduced |
him as MIR. A. K. Detwiler, one of the |
heads of the Home Telephone Com |
pany, a big corporation, which had /
previously endeavored to get into San
Francisco without avail owing to the !
successful opposition of the Pacific
Company. With these re- !
marks Mr.. Gallagher softly closed the !
door behind him, leaving Ruef and |
Detwiler alone.
Detwiler proceeded to his business"
which will be discussed in later
article.