"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
[305] It was shown at the Ford trial that about $175,000 in addition
to the unaccounted-for $200,000 was received by the United
Railroads through the United States mint. Every dollar of this
$175,000 except $3,000 loaned to Ruef by Mullally, was taken
out by the treasurer of the company, and carried to the United
Railroads' office and there put in its safe and used as
needed, that it was taken in gold and was paid out to its
employees in gold. It was further shown that not one dollar of
currency was ever put in any of the safes at the United
Railroads' office by any person during that period of time
covered by Ford's withdrawal of money from the mint, and that
no currency was deposited to the credit of the company in any
of its bank accounts nor to the credit of Ford or Mullally or
Abbott, and that no currency was turned over to the treasurer
of the company during that time. Thus by a process of
exclusion this $200,000 was left in the hands of Ford
absolutely unaccounted for upon any theory consistent with an
honest use of it. Add these facts to the further facts that
Ruef was traced to Ford's office on two of the days on which
Ford got the money, and that Ruef on each occasion, within a
day or two, paid the same kind of money to Gallagher, that
currency was not generally in circulation at all in San
Francisco.
[306] The two men were at the time detailed to handle the money of
the relief fund. The mint officials could not accommodate Ford
with the currency he wanted. They gave him gold. The gold
which Ford secured at the mint was trucked across the hall to
relief headquarters, where it was exchanged for the currency.
Selig and Hawkins counted out the bills.
[307] See transcript of testimony, trial of The People vs. Tirey L.
Ford, No. 817, taken September 25, 1907, page 270.
[308] Mr. Mullally, assistant to Mr. Calhoun, and also Mr. Calhoun
were known to have enjoyed friendly relations with Mr. Ruef
during this period.
[309] The facts brought out at General Ford's trial are interesting
in connection with General Ford's interview in the San
Francisco Examiner of October 28, 1906, soon after the Graft
Prosecution opened. See Footnote 92.
Ruef, in "The Road I Traveled," printed in the San Francisco
Bulletin, states that he gave Schmitz $50,000 and kept $50,000
for himself out of the $200,000 which was given to him by
Tirey L. Ford from Patrick Calhoun to pay for the granting of
the trolley permit.
[310] This affidavit deals with the Graft Prosecution from its
beginning down to the spring of 1908. This document was filed
in the case of The People vs. Patrick Calhoun et als., No.
823.
[311] See Chapter XVI, page 211, and footnote 119, page 111.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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