The Detroit times., 1912-09-27
ACCUSED ALDERMEN TO
TAKE STAND ON MONDAY

fair vas part OF scheme, presented
by detective. with the approval ot
the president of the Wabash railroad
as 70 the use OF the wabash name In
the scheme: that conspiracy Ia a mis-
demcanor while bribery Is felony,
Rnd that the two cannot be coupled:
and that many OF the aldermen had
been examined on the charge OF being
guilty Of the completed offense OF
bribery. and could not be tried also
On the conspiracy charge on the same
facts.
The claim that there was no prima
tacie case was based on the fact that
the only testimony as TO conspiracy
was that OF Schreiter, confessed
har," whose testimony was to cen
meet with that OF Brennon. whom the
defense contends TO be a co-conspira-
tor, and whose evidence. therefore,
should not be allowed until n p-ima
facle case had been established.
argued Attorney Mcnamara.
The scheme was for Brennon to
offer Schreiter 81 500 for brlbing che
aldermen" he contended. But
Schreiter had a different view. Brcn.
non planned TO bride the aldermen.
Schreiter planned TO get Brennon's
money for himself The $500, :he
total on the list that he turned over
TO Brennon, was to go into Schreiter's
pocket.
"Brennon schemed differently. He
never intended TO give Schreiter that
money. He has sworn to that. He
never intended TO give Schreiter a
dollar TO hand TO the aldermen. III
that Is so. then the whole head aud
front of this case is gone. What
good is Schreiter's testimony under
those facts? Where does Schreitcr
come in?
Then Schreiter goes on the stand.
TO tell, parrot-like. OF his talks with
the aldermen. ''Brennon of the Wa
bash, is getting big fee and he
would like to split IL up with you boys
IL the deal goes through" was the
burden OF his tale.
But Brennon says n Schreiter
made such talks, they were fictitious,
as he never intended TO carry out
Schreiter's fake commission. Schreit.
er maze up that padded price list OF
aldermen to put the money in his own
pocket When he learned, on July 1,
that he couldn't do il, he notified
Brennon that he washed his hands
of the whole business. But il was
hard TO let that money slip out OF
his hands-almost out OF his pockets.
He thought he would try Brennon
once more, this time for $4,000. He
might as well have based his hopes
en- the shifting sands! The next
x,,r TttI, h.. trla 81 OAO
proposition on Brennon, and Bren-
ron refused him. Again he washed
his hands. He even went TO the aid
ermen, and told them the deal was
all on Therefore, on July 2, Schreit-
Ler stopped figuring as conspirator.
He figured, thereafter. only as the
man who was TO get $500 from Bren-
non for drawing a wabash resolution
10 defraud the city out OF $4,000.
The testimony OF man who has done
the things he has done. who admits
he has lied, ought TO get no credence
anyway.
Would Bar 6rennon's story.
Then comes Brennon TO testify.
not as 10 conspiracy. but as 10 act
nal bribery. . His testimony is ad-
missible only TO show a completed
offense OF bribery. There is no con
nection-on the contrary there il a
complete separation after July BE
tween Brennon, the principal, and
Schreiter, the tool. Brennon can show
no conspiracy, only the completed
offense. and such cases are now pend.
ing In the recorders court, and IN
this court.
I'VE have a police department. II
is the duty of good citizens 10 notify
that department. or wrongdoing. But
these well-meaning citizens who
claim to be cleaning up the city
went over the head OF the police de
partment and hired an outside detec.
tive agency to come in and test the
aldermen. Now We come to the set
in enormously referred to as set
ting A 'set.in' Is the name and bust
ness OF some big company or corpora
ton. used rs mask for the work OF
these private detectives. II Is a de
tective term.
Now comes Mr. Delano. president
Of the Wabash railroad. Did he just
happen to come into the case? All,
no. He came here in response to the
invitation OF Detective Burns. He
met Burns in the Pontchartrain. He
met Brennon there. Brennon on the
stand has said: oh, know Delano
He's an old friend of mine. did
work for him in Chicago when John
G. Rawn shot himself
'Brennon got Delano TO allow the
use of the Wabash railroad, to revive
the old Seventh-st. petition, on which
TO bride the aldermen. Delano knew
the purpose and the scheme. He told
Brennon he could introduce himself
to Wabash Agent Gull, and Wabash
Attorney @. Lathrop as the Wabash
land agent.
| IF that measure were meritorious
as has been claimed through this
case, why didn't Delano let the re
spected and trusted attorney OF the
Wabash, Mr.. Lathrop, in on the Sc
cret? Why didn't he let Mr.. Gull II
on IL? He loaned Brennon the name
OF the Wabash for the nefarious pur
pose Of bribing the aldermen; OF go
ing TO Gull and Lathrop as a liar, ant
representing himself as their LAND
I agent.
Then Brennon, posing as this Wa
bash agent. sat down in the home,
\ Of these accused men, In the presenc,
Of their wives and children TO do THU
dirty deal He ought to blush will
shame! Human nature is veal
enough; It's no trouble TO get a maj
to commit a crime II you hound hin