Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-05-03
MAYOR WOODMAN
OF Los ANGELES
IS NOT GUILTY
Jury Frees City Executive
Charged With Accepting a
Bribe to Protect Vice Con-
ditionS of City.

lBN MORNING JOuRNAl SPECIAL LEASED WipGl
Los Angeles, Calf. MAY 2-Mayor
F. 7. WoodmanA on trial here for sew
eral weeks on tharges of having ac-
cepted bribe to protect vice condi-
tions was acquitted tonight by jury
, in the supreme court
Woodman was indicted March II
by the county grand jury on charge
of asking. receiving and agreeing to
receive a bribe to protect vice.
1t was charged that the mayor had
agreed to accept $4,000 from George
Brown and George Henderson in re-
turn for allowing them what prac-
tically would have been a monopoly
on the operation of certain Illegal re-
sorts in Chinatown and other districts
close to the business section, without
police molestation.
The $4,000. it was alleged, was to
be paid in ten monthly instaliments
of $2,500 each. OF the $25 600, it was
alleged Brown and Henderson actual
ly paid $4,000 in January to Horace
w. Karr. former newspaper man,
who was accused of receiving II in
behalf of Mayor Woodman for his in
terest and under his direction.
AS part of the alleged conspiracy
for the protection of vice the indict-
ment charges the mayor caused the
appointment of Sergeant William
Hackett as head of the so-called
purity" squad. whose duty it was to
suppress various forms of vice. Brown
and Henderson We're indicted on a
charge OF bribing Mayor Woodman at
the. same time the true bill was voted
against the official
The indictNeut ( uaNed ar investi.
gation by the grand jury under the
direction of Thomas Lee Woolwine,
district attorney. A number of city
officials testified
According to the mayor the entire
affair is a political plot designed to
prevent his reelection as he had just
previously announced his candidacy.
Mr.. Woodman furnished bail in the
sum of $4,000 and employed counsel.
Pressure was brought to bear upon
him to resign or ask to be suspended
as mayor pending the outcome of his
trial but he refused to do so. After a
spirited debate the city council voted
to allow him to discharge the duties
of his office.
Mr.. Woolwine charged the police
department was being used to intimi-
date state witnesses and to embarass
the prosecution. He issued an appeal
to the citizens asking their co-opera-
tion in furnishing any evidence they
might have in connection with the
case
The defense charged that the dis
trict attorney had piled certain wN-
nesses with liquor and otherwise had
Improperly conducted the investiga-
tion which resulted in the Indictment
of the mayor.
An important factor in starting the
Investigation were kilograms alleged
to have been sent the mayor by Karr
from Sacramento. The mayor after
his arrest made two of these public.
They urged him to make shift
and that IL he did not do so lit means
grief" The prosecution contended
the Shift referred to the placing of
Hackett at the head of the purity"
squad The mayor declared Karr's
meaning was not clear to him nor did
he attach any Importance to the mes
sages regardless of their meaning.
The trial was held before Superior
Judge Frank r. Willis. veteran
jurist, who had presided over many
noteworthy criminal trials, including
those of Matthew A. Schmidt and
David Caplan convicted Of completely
in the dynamitng of the Los Angeles,
Times building.
Besides the district attorney, w. c.
Doran, chief deputy, and Deputy A.
H. VanCott were active in the prose-
cution. The mayor was represented
by Capt. John d. Fredericks, chief of
counsel; Byron' c. Hanna, Arthur
Veitch, LeCompte Davis, Jud R. Rush
and E. E, Leighton.