Evening star., 1918-11-24
HENSHAW DENIES
DENSMORE CHARGE
Former California Supreme
Court Judge Answers
Mooney Case Claim.


SAN FRANCISCO, November "a
Frederick w. Henshaw, former JUS
tice of the California supreme court,
issued a signed statement to the
Associated Press today, denying
charges that he received bribe OF
$4,000 in the famous will case OF
the James G. Fair estate and deny
ing any connection with an alleged
"frame-up'' in the Mooney and other
prosecutions resulting from the San
Francisco preparedness day bomb ex-
plosion, as set forth in a report to
William B. Wilson, secretary of labor
published here over the signature OF
John B. Densmore, director of en-
ployment Of the labor department.
Judges Statement.
Judge Henshaw's statement before
witnesses follows in part:
'"The Fair case was decided some
twenty years ago. Years after its
decision 1 was reelected to the SUI
preme bench and served eleven of the
twelve-year term, resigning under no
compulsion or agreement with Mr..
Older, or anybody else. My resigna-
|
sonal grounds.
"The charges against me in the re-
port of Densmore, as special 1nVestf-
gator of the Department of Labor, are
twefold.
"sirst, that 1 Joined with Fickert
in a Mooney 'frame-up;'
Second, that was capable OF doing
this Infamous thing. because I had
corruptly taken a bribe of $4,000 in
the case mentioned.
Il was not, and am not, interested
in the Mooney case. save as any citi-
zen is interested in seeing exact JUS
tice in the punishment of a most wan
ton, vicious and unprovoked crime.
Mr.. Fickert, from time to time, con-
suited me. always at his own instance,
never at my own. to tell me his diff
culties in following up information
which would lead to complete dis
closures of Moneys guilt.
Saw No Witnesses.
ct never saw any actual or prospec-
tive witnesses in any of the bomb
cases.
Il was never in the employ of any
Of the big corporations charged with
bounding Mooney to death, and chal-
lenge the pointing out of one word in
all the Densmore statement which.
even remotely, tends to connect me
with any improper practice. much less
with being participant in frame
up.
"The charges of bribery against me
are thus summed up in the Densmore
report:
1.-The supreme courts final decision
as a result of the rehearing brought
about through the instrumentality of
Judge HenShaw was in favor of the
heirs. Henshaw having changed his
NySNf tn, faN <I.A
of checks of $4,000 each, drawn by S.
G. Murphy, president of the First Ma
tional Bank. in favor of Dingee
those payments covering a period Of
some weeks. Dingee AYERS that in
part these sums were given by him
direct to Judge Henshaw; that other
inStallments were conveyed to Hen
shaw by Moff1tt.'
The charge Of bribery is utterly
appear from the statement. Mr.. Din
gee did receive money from the Fair
heirs. never knew Of it-never re-
ceived a dollar of it.
Expresses Amazement.
Il can but express my amazement
that a government official investi-
gator should thus give currency to
so infamous an attack, without af-
fording me the slightest opportunity
either for explanation or denial"
The charges referred by Judge
Henshaw were made in a statement
developed by Fremont Older. edi-
tor Of the San Francisco Cali, and
printed yesterday. Mr.. Older today in
a signed statement printed in the
Call reiterated these charges.
William ]. Dingee, mentioned in
the statement, is capitalist Of Oak
land, Cal.
The Moffitt referred to in the Dens-
| more report was Frank J. Moffitt, a
newspaper man of Oakland. Cal,
who died more than ten years ago.
Decision not to call a general
strike as a protest against the execu-
tiop on December 13 Of Thomas J,
Mooney has been reached by the San
Francisco labor council, which as an
alternative appointed a committee OF
ten to call personally on Gov. W. b.
Stephens and urge him to grant the
condemned man a new trial on one of
the remaining indictments Mooney
| was convicted Of murder in connection
with the Preparedness day bomb ex-
p1osion here on July 90, 1916. He is
L fY, nnnnfSn r~iCo~