"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
[317] Heney, in his affidavit, describes the disappointment of Ruef,
Ach and Nieto when the case was closed without Ruef being
called. Heney says: "I rested the case on behalf of the
prosecution in the first Ford trial in this department of this
Court on the 2nd day of October, 1907, and the attorneys for
the defendant asked for time to consider what they would do
about putting in evidence, and Court adjourned for the purpose
of giving them such time. I had noticed Henry Ach and Ruef
sitting together next to the aisle, which was directly in
front of where I sat, and could see that up to the time I
closed the case they were anxiously waiting for me to call
Ruef as a witness. When Court adjourned they remained sitting
and as I passed them Ach stopped me and said in substance,
'Why didn't you put Ruef on the stand as a witness? Are you
not going to dismiss these cases against him?' I replied in
substance, 'There are a lot more cases to be tried. There will
be plenty of opportunities to dismiss these cases if I want to
do it.' Ruef said, with one of his most winning smiles, in
substance, 'I guess he is going to put me on in rebuttal just
as he did in the Schmitz case.' I replied in substance, 'Oh, I
don't know about that, Ruef. I don't like to try all my cases
the same way.' I started to leave and Ach stopped me as I had
taken only a couple of steps, and said in substance, 'There
isn't any change in the situation, is there in regard to
Ruef?' I smilingly and meaningly replied, in substance, 'Not a
particle, Henry, since our last talk,' meaning thereby the
talk which Ach and myself had on or about the 19th or 20th day
of September, 1907, at night in my office in the presence of
Dr. Nieto, Dr. Kaplan, William J. Burns and Charles W. Cobb,
as hereinbefore set forth. As I made this statement I walked
on out of the courtroom and someone stopped me somewhere
between there and the entrance door of the building and Dr.
Nieto came up to me, all smiles, and said in substance, 'You
didn't put Ruef on the stand, did you?' I replied, 'No, I did
not, Doctor.' Dr. Nieto then said in substance, 'There isn't
any change in the situation, is there?' And I replied with a
smile in substance, 'None whatever since our last talk,
Doctor,' meaning the talk at my office just hereinbefore
referred to, at which Dr. Nieto, Dr. Kaplan and Ach were
present. The manner of Ach and the manner of Dr. Nieto when I
made this reply to each of them indicated plainly that each
understood exactly what I meant."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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