"The System," As Uncovered by the San Francisco Graft ProsecutionHichborn, Franklin
History
"The System," As Uncovered by the San Francisco Graft Prosecution
Hichborn, Franklin
Political corruption -- California -- San Francisco; San Francisco (Calif.) -- Politics and government
[211] Heney, in instructing Burns as to his policy regarding Ruef,
took occasion to state to the detective his attitude toward
the broken boss. In an affidavit filed in the case of The
People vs. Calhoun et al., No. 823, Heney sets forth that he
told Burns: "Ruef was not a mere accessory or tool in the
commission of these briberies. He is a man of extraordinary
brain power, keen intelligence, fine education, with the
choice of good environment, great power of persuasion over
men, dominating personality, great shrewdness and cunning,
coupled with a greedy and avaricious disposition. He has not
been led into the commission of these crimes through weakness,
but on the contrary has aided in the initiation of them and
has joined hands with the most vicious and depraved elements
in the city to secure unlawful protection for them in
conducting their resorts of vice, and has joined hands with
the special privilege seeking classes to place improper
burdens upon the people of this city by granting franchises to
public service corporations which ought never to have been
granted, and by fixing rates which may be charged by them in
excess of the amounts which such rates ought to be, and thus
indirectly robbing the poor people of this city of a large
part of their meagre earnings, and that to let Ruef go free of
all punishment under such circumstances would be a crime
against society."
[212] Running through the affidavits which resulted from the
differences between the forces of the prosecution and the
defense concerning these negotiations, is a thread of
suggestion that individual members of the prosecution differed
as to the policy that should be followed toward Ruef. Burns,
the detective, leaned toward granting him complete immunity.
Heney was unalterably opposed to this course. Langdon, on the
whole, sided with Heney.
[213] See Heney's affidavit in the matter of The People vs. Patrick
Calhoun et al., No. 823.
[214] Nieto, according to Heney, had endeavored to make it appear
that race prejudice entered into the prosecution of Ruef.
Heney, in an affidavit filed in the case of The People vs.
Calhoun et al., No. 823, tells of Nieto's interference even
when the Oliver Grand Jury was being impaneled. Heney says:
"During the latter part of October or the first week in
November, 1906, while said Grand Jury was being impaneled, Dr.
Jacob Nieto introduced himself to me in the court room of
Department No. 10, where I had noticed that he was a constant
attendant and close observer of the proceedings connected with
the impaneling of the Grand Jury.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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