Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 November 1908 — HEAVY BLOW TO RUEF [ARTICLE]

HEAVY BLOW TO RUEF

Convicted Briber Confesses in Open Court and Creates a Great Sensation. HE IMPLIf ATES RUEFS COUNSEL Pw Was To Be Given SIO,OOO Not to Confess His Crime. r Dramatic Scene Made Tenser by the Confessor's Young Wife , Juryman Offered the Bribe.

San Francisco, Oct 30.—Standing In the shadow of the penitentiary, with sentence about to be pasted upon him, and having seen bl" beautiful young wife just led from the court room hysterically crying “No, No,” E. A. 8. Blake, a contractor convicted of attempting to bribe John M. Kelly to qualify on the jury to try Abraham Rues and vote for RueFs acquittal, made a full confession In court Ha told how, after he was arrested, Frank J. Murphy, RueFs associate counsel, came to him and promised him SIO,OOO if he could keep quiet, the amount in notes signed by Rues being delivered to a third party to be paid to Blake Immediately after he was sentenced. Besides this amount Blake declared that bls wife was to received SIOO a month while be was in the penitentiary. Blake Surprises His Counsel. Blake had been called on to rise for sentence and his young wife cried, “No, not that.” and began to sob hysterically. She was led from the room, and after motions for a new trial and arrest of judgment had been denied Blake said he hud a statement to make as a reason why sentence should not be pronounced. This came ns a complete surprise to his counsel, who were permitted to withdraw from the case. After being sworn and suiting that he had not been promised immunity Blake told of being offered SI,OOO by Attorneys A. S. Newburgh and F. J. Murphy, of Rnef’s counsel, to Influence J. M. Kelley, a prospective juror, to vote for the acquittal of Rues. Juror Accepted 31,000. He at first offered Kelly SSOO, which was refused, but the offer of , SI,OOO was accepted. It wgs then brought out that Newburgh had secured attorneys for Blake’s defense. Blake then told of the offer of SIO,OOO and provision for his wife while be was in prison if he ■would not make a confession. The story told by Blake created a sensation in court and the case was continued for two weeks. Rues and Counsel Dismayed. In the court room of Judge Law ler, just across the corridor, where the attorneys for both sides are now in the third month of the securing of a jury to try Rues and had just passed the twelfth man. the news of Blake’s confession caused consternation to the defense. Rues paled visibly, but otherwise showed no emotion and Immediately engaged in a wbisperdd conversation with his attorney*. A block away Frank I. Murphy and 'A. S. Newburgh were restlessly paring the corridor In front of Judge Mnrasky’s couri room nervously waiting to hear wbat happened in the Blake case, while their attorneys were arguing on the motion to set aside the Indictments against them, which was denied.