Evening star., 1924-06-28
X!"BOSS" FACES
JAIL UNDER RIVAL
McDonough of San Francisco
Sentenced to Year Under
Finn, Who 0usted Him.
By Consolidated Press.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jun, 2S.-Unless
an appeal to the United States Su-
preme Court, to be filed early next
week, should serve to intervene, San
Francisco shortly may witness the
novel spectacle of her oldest, and for
many years her most powerful, un-
derworld political boss serving
years sentence for bootlegging-in a
jail presided over by his bitterest
political enemy
The man who is seeking to avoid
Jail term-and particularly the igno-
miny of year behind the bars and
under the lock and key of the man
VINO is most largely responsible for
his political downfall-is Peter Nc
Donough. who in score of years has
made himself a millionaire as San
Francisco's s Official bail bond broker,
ana who in the same interim is credit
ed with having been the hidden cZar
OF the San Francisco police depart
ment and the uncroWned king of the
now defunct Barbary Coast and its
more modern successor, the North
Beach section.
Glad to Have support.
The prospective jailor of McDon-
ough is Sheriff Tom Finn, who, in this
modern day of political adventuring,
is credited with carrying San Fran
cisco S vote in his vest pocket. but
who in his less powerful political in
fancy was henchman and protege of
McDonough.
For many years McDonough ruled
over San Francisco's underworld and
over many parts of the city not in
cluded in the underworld. Candidates
for Congress, governorshipS and po-
ntH nf L IND 1nI
TO have his favor. His rule was that
of the old-style political boss, with
jobs for the faithful, help for the
needy and clout on the jaw for
those who did not like his methods.
AS a source of income. on which he
soon waxed wealthy. he arrogated to
himself the exclusive privilege of
furnishing bail bonds to all who fell
afoul Of the law in San Francisco.
Sheriff Finn, once a humble team
ster. was one of the faithful" Nc
Donough elevated him from job TO
job until finally he became sheriff
After that came the split. Finn
promptly went out and organized his
own political following. Since then
he has been beating his old political
boss at his own game Among other
things of which he relieved McDon-
ough was the privilege of suggesting
to United States senators from Cali
fornia the names of various federal
cluding the United states attorney
and prohibition director.
Just to make il more interesting for
McDonough, there also appeared in
the field d rival in the bail bond brok-
ing business who has been getting
the cream of the old political boss
former monopoly. Then, as an added
climax to his political GriefS, Nc
Donough was arrested several months
ago on a charge of selling five gallons
of pre-war whiSkey to d trio of pro-
hibition agents.
Convicted OF Charge.
Despite charges that the whole af-
fair was frame-up, engineered by
his arch political enemy and carried
out by federal officeholders who Sc
cured jobs through Finn, he was con-
victed. An appeal to the United
States circuit court was lost Stimuli.
taneously, new rule was adopted
here that all prisoners convicted IT
local federal court must serve sen
tences in the San Francisco jail
and Sheriff Finn runs the San Fran
cisco Jail.
McDonough. however. is not going
to serve year behind bars kept GS
his most hated political enemy with
out a bitter fight. Already the
echoes of fight he is making have
been heard in Washington, where
Attorney General Stone few days
ago asked for the resignation of
liams. San Francisco federal prose
cutor who convicted MCDonough.
Williams, like Sheriff Finn, also is
an old and bitter political enemy of
McDonough.
Opinion Is Divided.
Public opinion here is divided re-
garding McDonoughs guilt. Many
representative and highly respectable
business men assert he is innocent;
that despite long friendships and ur-
gent pleas during many months be-
fore his arrest, he always refused to
relieve their urgent liquor needs on
the ground that he would have moth
ing to do with the bootlegging busi-
Public opinion and getting the job
of one of his political enemies who
he alleges, framed him, is not going
to keep McDonough out of Jail, how
ever. And unless the one-time po-
litcal boss and underworld king of
San Francisco can save himself
through a Supreme Court appeal, tc
be filed next week. it looks like San
Francisco would shortly see him as
Sheriff Firms guest for an extended
stay.