New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-22
Served Four and a Halt
Years of Fourteen
Year Term.
GOES TO HIS RANCH
FOR NINETY DAYS
Elections Are On in City he
Once Ruled and He Wants to
Stay Away.

San Francisco, Aug. Il. -ApIah"''
Ruef. once a power in San Francisco
POLITICS. who is serving fourteen
year sentence for offering a brlbe to
San Francisco supervisor. was
paroled to-day from San Quentin feni-
tertiary by the State Board Of Prison
Directors.
Rucf's parole provides that he shall
20 to Mendocino County, where he has
& ranch. and remain there ninety days.
Ruef requested that this condition be
made, that he might not be charged
with renewing activitv in San Fran
cisco politics, where a municipal cleo
ton campaign is under way.
Ruef has spent four years. hve
months and fifteen days in prison. HIS
conviction resulted from the famous
San Francisco graft prosecution.
With full credits for good behavior
his fourteen-year senence was auto
matically reduced to eight years and
ten months. He has served half oil
this, the minimum requisite for parole.
Abraham Ruef. long San Franchises
POLITICAL boss, was one OF the city
most picturesque characters. And
even in Jail his notwithstanding
bible class, giving vaudeville perform
ances and suggesting reforms for
criminals-have kept him in the lime
light. His trials, the third of which
led to his conviction after fifteen
weeks of testimony. were among the
most sensational staged on the Coast,
and came as a fitting climax to the
cleaning up of San Francisco.
Ruef was born in the Telegraph Hill
district Of San Francisco. of humble
PARENTS. fifty years ago. He was grad
uated with honors from the University
Of California. and after his admission
TO the bar soon attracted attention
through his clever work in the police
courts. He became a factor in poll
tics and gradually gained control Of
the labor vote.
The boss made Eugene f. Schmitz,
former orchestra leader, Mayor of San
Francisco. The two were sovereign in
the city and ran a political machine
complete in every detail. When the
Board of Supervisors met Ruef was
present to instruct the"members how
highest bidder.
TIE beginning of the crusade against
Ruef and Mayor Schmitz came when
District Attorney Langdon. assisted by
Francis J. Heney and backed by a
large fund contributed by we'll known
business men. started to clean up San
Francisco. Their first attack was
made on the payments of French res
taurant men to Ruef. whose places,
destroyed by the fire of 1906. had been
rebuilt and were denounced again by
the pulpit and press. In November.
1906, the grand jury returned five in
dictments against Ruef and Schmitz.
and then began Heney's battle to send
the loss to the penitentiary.
Ruef ran away early in March. 1907.
Heney learned of the relations between
the boss and the supervisors from the
latter, who had become frightened.
Ruef was caught in a suburban resort
and brought back to San Francisco.
His first trial began on May is. 1907.
He testified against Schmitz. who was
convicted. and was released on tech
nicality. But Heney again had Ruef
arrested. and at the second trial, in
May, 1908, the jury disagreed after
forty-eight hours.
As soon as Ruef was freed Honey
had him arrested a third time and
brought to trial. The charge was
changed from extortion to bribery in
connection with the granting of fran
ohises. During this trial Heney was
shot by talesman who had been re-
iected. and Hiram w. Johnson. now
Governor of California, completed the
prosecution. Ruef was found guilty
on December 10. 1910, after the jury
had been out twenty-four hours. The
Court of Appeals refused to grant him
new trial. he was sentenced 10 four
teen years and taken to San Quentin
on March 7. 1911.