Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-08-19
Convicted CRATER Tells of Re-
cisco Officials and ''B;g Bus
latlonS Between San Fran
mess"
BY e. N. SMITH.


! SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, Aug. Z -
With the statement that MY frs,
bride came from the Crocker bank
Abe Ruef has entered the most inter
esting part of his prison written auto
biography, in which he lays bare fol
the first time the inside history of the
selling-out Of San Francisco.
His most interesting contribution SC
far refutes the statement often made
by the indicted corporation officials
that they were held up by the Super
visors after the fire, by proving that
the corporations began going after
whatever they needed before the fire
in fact Immediately after the Schmitz
Board OF Supervisors was elected, and
before they took Office, according to
Ruef, that the opposition papers be.
gan talking about graft long before
graft was even thought of, SO much
SO that when the Supervisors were
elected, they began to feel that there
was graft everywhere and they might
as we'll get some for themselves. This
situation was not at all to the liking
of Ruef as he admits. He feared that
the indiscreet members of the board
dealing on their own hook would even
tually involve the whole labor admin,
istration, therefore working through
Gallagher he endeavored to- make the
board understand that they would
i. make considerably more money by
simply letting Ruef and his men han
die the corporations and afterwards
he would settle" with them. Ruef
claims he had no desire to graft at
that time but when the corporations
offered him fabulous sums to become
their attorney, without doing much
work, he was constrained to accept.
Put Screws On Him..
After he had been put on the stats
of various corporations the screws be-
gan to be put upon him, and the ways
and means are interesting. The Park
side land tract, lying beside Golden
Gate Park and close to the ocean was
to be put on the market by influential
interests, back of which was William
H. Crocker's bank. Millions of dollars
worth of property was to be sold off,
but nothing could be done unless, a
connecting street car line could be run
through the property. Application for
"a franchise was therefor made, but
the Supervisors, seeming money, re-
fused to- pass the matter in a hurry.
Everything was done to make the Of
ficials hurry the grant, and in a final
effort the interests" arranged for
tour over the property involved, which
ended in a most elaborate wine-fowing
banquet at a road. house. It was here
that one of the Supervisors in o be-
- 80, a. axoo An ~ m tod
that the Parkside people We're not IN
business for their health and neither
were We" The matter was seemingly
not noticed at the time and was passed
off as joke But. shortly afterwards
the corporations got busy. =, -, =
Mayor Schmitz had demanded that
the franchise be passed as personal
favor to him because man D1ngee,
close to Croker, had asked him TO DO
this. and Schmitz was socially heavily
indebted to him. But the Supervisors
SUSPECTED that, SchmitZ was drawing
down" something and refused to
bulge. ..<.-.s-...
Getting Large Fees.
Meanwhile G.. H. Umbsen, promin-
emit real estate. operator of San Fran
cisco, called upon Ruef to ask If he 4
would accept a large fee to hurry the
franchise through. He explained that
It meant everything to him personally,
he would make commits sions on land ]
sales amounting to 100000, and would !
be able to handle the remainder of the
great Croker properties. He had also
some valuable lots for him
self. and offered to let Ruef in on the
deal if he would hurry the franchise
through. Before, things. were settled
Ruef was waited upon by Walter Cope
a prominent attorney who was Presl-
dent of the San Francisco Bar Asso-
citation, who also represented the land
interests. He came to employ Ruef
he said as an attorney for the com
pany, thereupon Ruef named $4,000 |
foI two years retainer. Cope return |
eG later to say his clients considered |
he matter too large, so Ruef said tnat !
he matter had better he dropped Ehlt |
he franchise would probably go !
through anyway. He. considered the |
natter settled, when few days later |
Jmbsen again called, said the Park |
side people had reconSjdered the mat !
ei and wanted to pay the money.
Ruef now laid the whole matter before
5chmitz, who advised the acceptance
}: the offer after consulting with
0ingee. Ruef accepted, and calling at
Jmbsen's Office was handed $4,000 in |
as a first "installment." This
vas done a few days before the fire.
The method of payment used by the
was ingenious. The Park
tide directors voted to buy a piece Of
from Umksen for $4,000 and
deed was executed and checks for
10000 rendered Umbsen. This tram
sction was entered on the records of
he company. Secretly the Parksjde
oeople decided the land back to Umh-
en, who was not to record it I'm
he far distant future. Then came the
end fire.