Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 July 1904 — BOODLE IT ST. LOUIS [ARTICLE]

BOODLE IT ST. LOUIS

There Was Lots of Easy Money for City Dads, According to the Ex-Dad Gutke. CONFESSES HIS SINS TO FOLK Tells of Wads That Were Divided Among the Boodiers How Prices Were Fixed. 8t Louis, Mo., June 29.—Charles ▲. Gutke, ex-member of tbe house of delegates, convicted on a charge of bribery and soon to be tried on another similar charge, has made u complete confession to Circuit Attorney Joseph W. Folk, in which he declares that ex-Delegate Charles F. Kelley told him he had received 350,600 for going to Europe when his presence in 8t Louis jeopardized men of prominence. Kelley is also resting under one conviction, and is soon to be tried in another case. West Right Into Business. When he came from the circuit attorney’s offlee, Gutke handed out for publication written extracts from his confession, of which the following is a part: “I became a member of the house of delegates in 1897 and at once became a member of the combine of that body, which was an organization composed of nineteen delegates for the purpose of selling legislation. Some of the Boodle Divided. “The first bill that came up after I had became a member of the combine was the ’Surburbau loop bill.’ The combine got $20,000 for their votes on this bill; on the Union Avenue bill we got $18,000; on the Central Traction bill we got $75,000; on the Third street line bill we got $15,000; on the light ing bill we got $47,500; on the Suburban bill we were to get $75,000, which is now in the safe deposit box in the Lincoln Trust company, beiug placed there with the agreement that it should be turned over to us when the bill had been passed. Plenty of Smaller Wads. “While these are some of the largest bribes secured during my term of office there were innumerable others ranging from SIO,OOO for switching bills to a few hundred dollars for some minor privilege.”