"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
[223] Ruef in this confession to Burns stated that he had received
$200,000 from General Tirey L. Ford, head of the United
Railroads law department. Of this amount, he said $50,000 he
had given to Schmitz and retained $50,000 for himself. Ruef,
five years later, in his story "The Road I Traveled,"
published in the San Francisco Bulletin, again stated that he
had received $200,000 from Ford, of which he gave to Schmitz
$50,000, to Gallagher his share for the Supervisors, and
retained $50,000 for himself. Gallagher received $85,000. This
leaves a balance of $15,000 which Mr. Ruef does not account
for.
[224] It is significant to note in this connection that Heney did
not call Ruef as a witness before the Grand Jury in the United
Railroads cases until after the Grand Jury had found
indictments against the officials of that corporation. In the
opinion of the Grand Jurors, the testimony, exclusive of that
of Ruef, justified these indictments.
[225] The immunity contract signed by Ruef and the District Attorney
will be found in full in the appendix.
[226] At the completion of the Ruef Jury, the Chronicle, issue of
May 15, 1907, said:
"The Ruef jury is complete and we are now in a way to learn
all the truth about the particular crime for which Ruef is
this time on trial, but which, compared with most other crimes
for which he has been indicted, is a mere peccadillo. That
Ruef got the money is proved, for he has confessed. His
defense, of course, will be that the French-Restaurant
proprietors voluntarily presented him with it. The state will
have to prove, in order to secure a conviction, that they did
not give the money voluntarily, but yielded it up under
threats which they believed it to be in his power to execute.
If the state fails to prove that Ruef will stand before the
community merely as a moral leper, loathsome to be sure, and
despicable almost beyond human conception, but yet not proved
guilty of that for which the law prescribes punishment in
state's prison. If proper proof cannot be made he must, of
course, be acquitted of this crime and at once put on trial
for another. Nothing is gained by society by the conviction
even of the most unmitigated scoundrel on insufficient
testimony. But when the proof is sufficient the salvation of
society demands punishment, and more particularly of
punishment of the rich criminal."
[227] Ruef's statement was in full as follows:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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