Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-02-01
State viii Seek NelU
Indictment of Mayor

Continued from Page Ono
licly Inundated and the good name
of Philadelphia dragged in the mire
because I would not submit to the po-
litical dictation Of my enemies, who
struck from their hiding places through
their willing tools. and because I would
not turn my administration over to their
manipulation.
Calls 1t Political Conspiracy"
"This trial, however. has cleared the
way for us all to bend all our energies
and to devote all our attention to the
resumption r CT the great plans for the
advancement of our city that neces-
sarily have been interrupted by the
war conditions and the distractions that
have been put In my way by these ene-
mics. both in and out OF court.
Now that this political conspiracy
has failed, ] call upon all good citizens
TO frown upon and cast aside the tra-
ducers of our city and all join in the
completion of all our plans, which will,
result in so much good to the city we
love"
AS the Mayor turned from the jury
box, following the announcement of the
verdict, he was caught in a swirl of the
spectators. who pressed close to him to
shake his hand and congratulate him
on the turn his affairs had taken. The
first man to reach him was George
Benz, a detective. the Mayors personal
bodyguard. who shouted:
"This Is great! 1 knew you would
come out al right" His brother, Pri-
vate Secretary Joseph C. Smith. and
one Of the witnesses, followed, and for
ten minutes there was Il public recep-
tion. Finally Detective Benz steered
| him through the crowd to escape
through the door leading from the bar
inclosure. when the Mayor bumped
! squarely into three of his lawyers. The
first was Mr.. Scott, and he turned all
colors when the Mayor flung his arms
around his neck and kissed him fer
vently on the cheek
Scarlet Was Captured
Many of the spectators laughed, while
| others applauded, and then Mr.. Gaffney
was the next to be embraced. Mr.. Scar
| let was trying to escape from this ef-
| fusive thanks, but he couldn't OUTRAGE
the Mayor. as Mr.. Scarlet suffered a
| sprsined ankle the night before. and was
caught. He got his hug and kiss. and
then. with a stream of people flowing be-
hind him, the Mayor was piloted out of
the courtroom.
He went straight to his apartments in
the Longacre, where his wife and daugh-
ter, Betty. were waiting for him. Mrs.
| Smith has been in a state of partial col
lapse during the last days of the trial,
and to assure her of the good news
young Davis Smith had rushed to a
telephone and sent over the verdict. In
his own apartments the Mayor was Wis.,
tied by numbers of his intimate friends.
while others called up on the telephone
to give him their good wishes and con-
gratulations.
After the Mayor left the jurors gstf!-
cred about to get their money. Stolzer
the foreman. was plainly anxious to
know what became of his milk route
that he had to leave In order to serve as
a juryman. He was uncommunicative
and when asked for information regard
ing the jurymen and their deliberations
he pointed to gas jet and said: lash
tf.at, 1t will tell you as much as
will" But the others were not so mute.
William w. Crosby. a printer, said
that the jury had discussed the evidence
from day to day, and that II was unani-
nous. I'VE talked IL over from time
to time" he said, "and kept pace with
the case. So we were able to have one
mind on the matter when the trial
ended. We simply took one ballot, after
we ate our supper. and that showed we
were all united TO acquit the Mayor
Another said that the entire discus
sion preliminary TO the ballot required
from f,fteen to twenty minutes, he be-
Iieyed. certainly not more than a half
hour,