The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 18, 1899, Page 4

FRANCISCO CALL, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 1899, INCIDENTS OF THE DAY AT SACRAMENTO. CORKSCREW TRAIL OF HOWARD E. WRIGHT The Mythical $60,000 Ranch With Which| He Did Good Business. One of the Men He Tried to Bunko Tells of Wright's Dum my Telegram Operations. HE investigation of the business | career of Howard E. Wright re- veals the fact that he left a cork- the delectation of | blic was. one of the| less promisers in | secure the control of the m he came in evidence with en ¥y year: £ people who have | im shows that he | naculate clothes | d a conscience the ymething to about ‘to f property, al, which fon of a big usually :bts un- ugh in- in op- shape of $100 1 not care to | his manipula- tion of the inter- uch” as to y ever had Howard E. busi an in San npany” d some | cor is best illustrated | SOTTOW that I know afterr was due doing busin g ti 5s with before of the 8 sums of | hands and I always | time after unt some d into the busine ht as well as I do| { trust him in any position. a job to bunko me out of large value, to be able rtunate eno 1 his scheme and refused n. Harvey Is fellow was too y was doing a and then person of e large lines bring into the | great in- had | he 1d reby make it a arthermore that he perties in the country | rable time he would s share in the firm of | & Co. | ed with Wright's by 1er and te to be what he represented him be, accepted Wright 2 partner. The new partner | was a swell dresser, and in the ver- | of the street, a ‘con talker’ beat. Whatever other things » ‘did’ Harvey suc 3 v and most certainly cle k went on without ¢ the situation looked egan reducing drawing upon He always why he should amount without de- was an urg T the desired got it zs went on in this way for some | time and finally when the drafts of | Wright upon the resources of the insti- tution had developed the fact that the wrong man had been admitted to the firm, I asked Harvey one day why he, whom everybod »garded as an able and careful busine man, had per-, mitted such a gosling to get the best of | him Harvey’s reply was that he had | met with many hard propositions, but that Wright was the smoothest article it had ever been his bad luck to come | in close contact with. He was cer-| tainly correct in his deductions. | “‘About that time Harvey was putting | essure on Wright to induce him have y and h T nly to make good his overdrafts, 1 to produce the money due from him to be applied to the capital of the firm. Wright played the me game on Har- vey that he did on me. It was a good | one calculated to deceive almost | and body It ymy dispatch, and_my recollection | w the shape of a in that it was dated Nevada City. It| rth an offer” of $60,000 to Wright for a plece of valuable ranch. property | . in the section named. Wright in' the promotion of his scheme declared that it would be a shame to sell the property | for such a price and that he proposed to hold on and get a better figure. | “This is no fairy tale, for I saw that kind of a dispatch on Harvey's desk one day after he had been endeavoring to induce Wright to make good his ob- . ligations. At that time the dispatch as supposed to be authentic, and a man who was in a position to convert real estate into $60,000 at any time was supposed to be safe to wait upon. The finally came when we suspected | ight of deception, and we instituted a search for that sixty-thousand-dollar | ranch. You may be surprised to learn .that we were never able to determine upon what particular portion of God's on footstool that valuable property located. The reason was that that | sted only in the very. fertile | brain of Howard E., Wright. It was a good scheme and it worked nicely, “When Wright’s duplicity was finally | discovered, and it became evident that | he must get out of the firm with the | large claims against him still unsatis- | fied, he evolved another idea and put it ; into execution. This was nothing more | or less than to go around among the | | the best patrons of the concern, the men and women who had their money on deposit with it, and poison their minds against Harvey by asserting that he was a disreputable man, the keeper of mistresses; that he was becoming a drunkard and on occasions had been taken home on a shutter. All of which was false and for the purpeose of creat- ing.an impression that the business of concern was being neglected and that the interests of patrons were not being protected. Wright did this kind of work industriously, and the downfall of the house is pretty good evidence that he did his work well. It was due to the poisonous tongue of Wright that Harvey was arrested by one of the patrons of the institution on the charge of embezzlement. Wright finally went out of the busi- ness, giving notes to his partner for about $20,000 due. He refused to pay these notes on maturity and when the holder of them brought suit to collect he deliberately went into Insolvency and left Harvey and his numerous other creditors with absolutely no re- sources. “People who do not know him regard the fellow as a nice, harmless, happy- go-lucky chap; but it strikes me that he is about as clever a schemer as can be found in the community. He was incorporation of companies of that char- acter. Senator Nutt presented a measure which amends the Wright act to the ex- tent that it gives irrigation districts the right to suspend operations if the voters of the district so decide. Senator Maggard wants to cut off a clerk in the State Controller’s office, and he introduced a bill repealing the statute which provides for the clerk. Senator Langford thinks that the State Lunacy Commission is an _expensive lux- ury, and he presented a bill which wiil have the effect of abolishing it. Should the measure become a law it will leav: the government of the State Insane asy- lums, in the hands of the Boards of Trus- tees “appointed by the Governor to direct the affairs of the particular asylum to which they are appointed. Each has a board of five trustees now. but thelr du- ties and authority are subject to that of the State Lunacy Commission at pres- ent. . Senator Jones, from the prohibitioncoun- ties of Orange and Riverside, presented a measure providing for the submission to a vote of the people of the proposition to either license or prohkit the sale of in- toxicating liquors in cities of the fifth and sixia_class. By Its provisions the bill of Senator Jones declares that when a pe- tition signed by not than one-third of the electors of a city of the fifth or sixth class is presented to the Board of Trustees of such cities thirty days prior to a_general minicipal election, praying for the submission of the license or anti- license proposition, it shall be submitted to a vote of the people at the forthcoming city election. Of course. by the term anti- license is meant prohibition. ROUTINE BUSINESS IN ASSEMBLY DEMORALIZED CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA- MENTO, Jan, 17.—The charges The Call has made against Speaker Wright, and the committee that has been appointed to investigate them, make the sole topic of conversation on the floor of the Assem- bly. Routine business {s demoralized. Assem- blyman Dibble said to-day that regular business is three weeks behindhand, and that matters will be in a worse state be- fore this investigation is over. The Senatorial deadlock is another agent of dels Committee work Is interfered with by quiet little caucuses, and the files are not as well stuffed with bills as they should be because of incidental politics, The San Francisco charter was the spe- cial order following the reading of the journal this morning, but typographical errors were discovered in the _printed copy and it was sent back to the State Printing_Office for correction. It will be again taken up to-morrow morning. The Judiclary Committee rendered its gfi] with a $30,000 cut down on its little The various counties have been scoured for cases of aged people, and claims made that they were supported by some indi- vidual or other, from 1883 to 1865, at the expense of the county. The claim agents who have been hunt- ing up these touching instances of pov- erty have been drawing down from 2 to 50 per cent of the sums which they were enabled to secure for the counties upon filing the claims with the Board of Ex- aminers. It is impossible .to decide whether or not many of the claims which are con- stantly being filed are meritorious, since in many cases the aged people named therein are where the weary are presum- ably at rest. COUNTING THE VOTES IN JONES’ CONTEST CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA- MENTO, Jan. 17.—Registrar Biggy came up from San Francisco yesterday, and brought with him all the ballots cast in the Thirty-ninth Assembly District at the last election. It is upon these ballots that Leon Jones is basing his hope of winning the contest he has begun for the seat of Assembly- man Justus Wardell. As far as the re- count has progressed to-day not much has transpired that promises him success. Ten precincts were counted to-day by the Assembly Committee on Contested Electlons, and Jones has gained but three votes, all of which were awarded him by the committee because they were fmprop- erly thrown out by the election officers. Jones' gain of three, however, does not reduce Wardell's majority of ten, and he must gain eleven more votes in the eleven precincts that remain to be counted n order to win. It is expected by the com- mittee that the recount will be Anished by to-mouicw afternccn. ‘ase o1 Brophy vs. O'Brien of ihe Assembly District of San o is next on the committee's cal- eadar. —_— GROVE JOHNSON -WANTS TO HELP JAG HOUSES CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA- MENTO, Jan. 17.—Grove L. Johnson of Sacramento introduced In the Assembly this morning a bill that has for its ob- ject the protection by the State of the infamous so-called Homes for the Inebri- ates, Mr. Johnson proposes to place at the disposal of the managers of these insti- tutions the police officers of municipali- ties and all county peace officers, whose ort, and recommended the passage 1, which transfers $40,000 from the duties {t shall be to rake in every bibu- lous citizen with a bright red jag and by the rules laid down by the State for the conduct of asylums for the insane, but these rules may be amended from time to time to suit the needs of these institutions. There is a good-sized nigger in Johnson's little bill and it {s not that it will pass as formulated. THE FIGHT ON SAN FRANCISCO’S CHARTER CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA- MENTO, Jan. 17.—The fight that is to be made against San Francisco's charter did not open to-day in the Assembly, as was expected. Yesterday the consideration of the charter was made the special order for to-day after reading of the fournal. No opposition to it was expected, and tne news that Grove L. Johnson of Sacra- mento was to voice the objections of the railroad to it on the floor of the Assem- bly came as a surprise. The fact that Johnson was to interfere in the matter, in which he has no_direct interest, was already known to Hon. Charles L. Pat- ton and Hon. Henry L. Clement, and they hurried to this city this evening, prenared to_meet Johnson to-morrow morning. Johnson will base his fight on purely technical grounds. He and Assemblyman Dibble are about the only members on thfl( floor who are foolhardy enough to risk political effacement in openly op- posing it. Its consideration will require the great- est portion of to-morrow’s session. It must be read at length by the clerk, and as there are 73,000 words of printed matter in it, progress will necessarily be slow. Mr, likely The Emperor of Austria. He has no heir of his loins, for his only son, a man of striking promise, dled in 1889, as is belleved, by his own hand. He has no wife; for his Empress, in early life one of the most beautiful women, after wandeflnfi for years over Kurope in a restless effort to shake off the melancholy Srodu(‘efl by her son's death, was mur- ered on September 10 by an assassin of Anarchist opinions. The Emperor, there- fore, broods in melancholy retirement, listening always, one can imagine, to the sounds of another great storm now roll- !n% up against the fortunes of his race. he ultimate danger of the house of Hapsburg, and perhaps the ultimate secret of its strength, the hatred of race which its subjects bear to one another, has broken out afresh, and we have yet to see whether the Emperor can again quiet the rapidly rising waves. If his life is to be thoroughly consistent, he should on some great day be once more beaten to the ground, possibly 1?- a revolt of his German subjects, shoul then achieve some impossible success, possibly the throne of Constantinople, and thencefor- ward should glide on to the grave, a mighty monarch of whom history will say that his fallures and his successes remain equally inexplicable. To him, alone among all the sovereigns we can recall, the papers are fortunate, for the apart- ment in which the contest is supposed to progress is not a pleasant spot when crowded. The ventilation is bad, the off the same names they have been call- character to thrill the soul. There were no changes to record. There is a break predicted for to-mor- row, but there has been a break pre- dicted for every to-morrow and faith grows weak. there is to be an investigation this evening, and what may be the effect of it is impossible to surmise. The in- vestigation was almost started afternoon, but did nothing more than lay a foundation. The members want- ed it to be conducted on certain lines. *WANTS | CMAARLEY S M ORTRIDGE 0 KNOw/ "RMAT'S TRE- USE TO cAlL ThE RoLL” SENATOR LANGFORD VOTES MECHANICALLY. “LONG JOMN' | i l K ‘fi, AND PATTON, LIGHTS AND DHADES OF LEGISLATIVE LIFE clever enough to get into Le Roy G. Harvey & Co. for the sum of about $20,600, the debt of which he acknowl- edged by giving notes In that amount and to finally shirk all responsibility by going through insolvency before a judgment could be secured against him.” MANY UNIMPORTANT 5 BILLS IN THE SENATE CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA- MENTO, Jan. 17.—The Senate this morn- ing considered the rules. The proposi- tion that the San Francisco delegation should be recognized as a special commit- tee was rejected. Senator Dickinson of Marin County stated that if the San Francisco delega- tion was to be constituted a special com- mittee to-handle proposed legisiation af- fecting that city and county he would ask that Marin County delegation be made a special committee, with similar Jjurisdictfon. The speclal order was Senator Simp- son’s bill transferring $40,000 from the general fund to the State school book fund. Senator Smith of Xern County entered a vigorous protest agalnst any action on the bill until it was clearly understood. He thought there should be an investiga- tlon as to what was to be done with the money after it was transferred for the benefit of the Senators. Senator Simpson in making a reference of the Dbill to the Finance Committee stated that he thought that Senator Smith was displaying considerable spleen in discussing the measure. He said the bill was not an appropriation, but was slmEIy a return of money to the school book fund that had been asked for by the State Printer. It was an instance where the State Printer was right and in Sena- tor Simpson’s judgment the Senate should sustain him. Senator Smith. made vigorous denial of the charge that his action with regard to Simpson’s bill was influenced by per- sonal considerations. The bill involved a large sum of money, and as a business proposition Senator Smith thought that the Senate should be fully posted and in- formed as to the exact facts. The matter was finally disposed of for the time by its reference to the Finance rous objection Committee. Senator Bulla filed a Vlgfl because the Senators had not been pro- vided with files and copies of bills intro- duced. Senator Cutter recognized the ob- jection by introducing a resolution provid- ing for the purchase of five dozen Globe files, and the proposition was approved. A number of bills were introduced, but none of any great importance. Senator Stratton, by request, presented a bill to grov!de for the incorporation of mutual re insurance companies. It is sflxllur to the statute in osher States proviling for general fund to the State school book fund. The passage was also recommended | of bill 117, amending the law regulating the borrowing of money and the issuance of bonds by rallroad corporation As the law stands now $500 is the minimum amount in which a bond may be issued. Under the proposed amendment the limit is done away with, and bonds may be is- sued in any denomination. Bill 22, by Rickard of San Francisco, was reported back with a recommendation that it be withdrawn. It was so ordered. The bill provides for a tax on inheri- tances. The Ways and Means Committea rec- ommended the passage of Valentine's bill appropriating $150,000 for California’s ex- hrblt at the Paris Exposition in 1900. Senate bill 1 which is intended to amend the aw attache law out of existence, was taken ug and referred to the Comimttee on Attaches. It wiil be the gpecial order to-morrow morning, follow- ing the San Francisco charter. an eleven bills were introduced dur- ing the day, and adjournment was taken to the usual hour to-morrow morning. THE STATE SUPPORTS TOO MANY INDIGENTS SACRAMENTO, Jan. 17.—It has been discovered that several millions of dol- lars have been drawn from the State treasury through the cleverness of claim agents since 1883, The Legislature of that year passed a law the object of which was to provide for the support of aged gnd indigent persons, allowing each $100 per year. The measure, meeting with abuses, it was repealed in February, 1895, but that fact has not prevented thrifty claim agents from operating under cover of the old law and official reports on file in the office of the State Controller show that since June 30, 1884, the enormous sum of $2,991,827 29 has been drawn from the State treasury, high-water mark being reached in the year ending June 30, 1 $543,921 05 was paid out. The claims have come ostensibly from the chalrmen of the Boards of Supervisors: of the several counties, but as a matter of fact they have of late years been whend and filed almost exclusively by . H. Pyburn County Clerk ,of Monterey County, and J. E. Douglas, an accountant of San Ber- nardino. As the law was repealed in 1895, all the claims now being presented are for sup- port given prior to that time, many run- ning back as far as the year when the law was passed—1883. The extent of the sums involved may be understood when it is stated that the Board of Examiners took a $12,000 -slice off a rather immodest claim from Santa Cruz County, claiming that it was to that extent illegal inasmuch as there were no vouchers, The county never made any complaint, however, and lpx'odm:ed no vouchers. Fresno.had $:000 ogped off for similar reasons, and Alameda County some years ago, it is said, had to put 3 drag him to the ‘““home,” which is to have a lien upon his estate for the cost of his maintenance and all costs of arrest. In order to create business for the.own- ers of homes to draw upon Mr. Johnson creates a class to be known as “inebri- ates.” Any man who shall be an habit- ual drunkard or who drinks to the extent that his business interes suffer or his life be shortened is made an inebriate and may be arrested on sight. State licenses shall be issued to any of these institutions upon application and agreement to abide | | strange destiny has been given that he should never succeed, yet never suffer from failure, that ashes should always be presented to his lips, and that they should nourish him better than bread.—The Spectator. —— e David M. Wilson, who dled in Philadel- phia recently, followed th@ curious fad of shaking hands with every Mayor of the city on the day of his inauguration, a practice which he indulged in for almost seventy years without a break. CONFIDE. IN EACHOTHER . HERRYTACH T AND 5AM RAINEY teewy e i i e ASELAABLYMAN DIBBLE OBJECTS. Attorneys were present with sugges- tions, and, while these were being con- sidered, the room became crowded and | adjournment was taken to the Senate | chamber, where the committee received Mr. Wright, heard from him that he was not ready to take the stand, and ‘:hen everything went over until even- ng. The committee met first in room 73. It is a little room, a table occupying most of it and a majority of the spec- tators had to stand. The only candi- | date for the Senatorship present was | U. 8. Grant. He was accompanied by | Milton Green and represented by At- | toriey Bacon. Cosper was chairman | and Meade came in just long enough to | say that he would not serve, could not | be made to serve, and he dldn't serve. | There were a good many words ex- | changed before a plan of : procedure had been agreed upon. 1 could note many signs of enthusi- ‘ asm on the part of the committee. That it is made up of intelligent men there | is no reason to question, but it faced | difficult and delicate problems. It had been charged with the mission of as- certaining if the accusation made in The Call against Speaker Wright was based on fact and had been empowered | | to ascertain the whole truth concern- |ing legislative corruption. There was every probability that the reputation of associates would be struck. down; that a scandal already admitted to ex- | 1st would be dragged into fiercer light, be it could not be regarded as a pleas- ing duty. I felt like congratulating Meade that his other work was pressing enough to justify him in declining to serve. 3% As this is written the evening session of the committee takes place in the Capitol. I was there for a time. There far. mit lawyers to direct. The members hardly fail to be so, since the witnesses are known and are ready. While the ‘Wright matter is the only one under consideration now tion placed upon the authority of the committee, and it may have to deal with more than this one episode. Speaker Wright was to have been the first witness, but was excused in the evening as he had been in the after- noon on the plea that his attorneys were not'ready. The observer, devoid of prejudice, could not but feel sorry for this man. There awaits him an ordeal from which there appears no chance of his emerging with a shred of character left. The allegations are so specific and so circumstantially tained, that they seem to constitute an unassailable indictment. Wright when addressing the commlittee spoke in a voice indicative of suppressed excite- ment, and no wonder. The strain un- must have been terrific. W. 8. Leake was the first witness. He calmly told the story of Wright’s hav- ing received money from Grant, and cited as his authorities Wright him- self and Milton Green. The story was as it had appeared in The Call, except that Mr. Leake, in his narration, went farther back, and step by step por- trayed the events leading up to the de- nouement which had startled the peo- ple of California. He was permitted to 80.on without much questioning for awhile, but at last was forced to answer as to the identity of others than Wright whom he believed to be implicated or who nhad been mentioned by Wright as being implicated. Against some of | these, as he explained to the committee, and however essential this task might | individually have expressed the inten- | tion of being thorough, and they could | sus- | der which he has been laboring for days | CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA-| MENTO, Jan. 17.—People who can learn of the Senatorial contest by reading the chairs inadequate, and the pleasure_ of listening to a lot of members calling ing for days, and which they avow they will call to the end of time, is not of & At this writing, to guess is futile, for this | | | | | | would not hesitate | 1s, WRIGHT WAS UNDONE BY DOUBLE DEALING The Story of His Baseness Told in All [ts Details. No Chance of His Emerging From the Ordeal With a Shred of Character Left After the Committee Closes Its Work. BY HENRY JAMES. he had no evidence, and had no reason to doubt their integrity and regretted that their names should have been de- manded. On this point, however, the committee was inexorable. Mr. Leake | asked time to consult his attorney, who advised that there was no escape, as refusal would be contempt and pun- ishable as in any court. The crowd in attendance pald the keenest attention. Indeed, this was ob- ligatory, as both the witness and mem- bers of the committee spoke in low tones. But the interest throughout was intense, and there were murmurs which | expressed surpr set forth the me the Assembly, When the scathing language he had used in speaking of Burns was quoted, the people fairly gasped, for his act of going into the Burns camp had been the actual means of bringing about a when the testimony hods of the Speaker of revelation.as to his deal with the Grant forces. He had reviled Burns, had made | affiliations with a rival, had promised not to vote for Burns and had- told freely of the pro: ., vet had-gone over to Burns, tremulous, shamefaced, but still he had gone. The indignation excited by this double-dealing had been his undoing. The second witness was Milton Green At this moment he is still on the stand As to the fact that Wright had received $1650, he corroborated the previous wit- ness fully, and this, as I understand it, is the meat of the contention. Mr. Green followed the custom of speaking in a low voice, and those who wished to hear pressed close into the corner where the committee sat. He said that | $900 of this sum had been for election | expenses, and the rest a flat loan. What followed will be found in the news col- umns. The facts are simple, and the right to draw conclusions rests with any person. What is to be the immediate effect of the investigation is a surmise:” ¥ am not informed as to whether ‘a man guilty of the practices charged against Wright will have th lege of con- tinuing in office, pre: over a body of men who have much to do with di- recting the destiny of the State, and most of whom are honest and honorable men. But that there will be a change visible in the vote to-morrow seems lkely. It is not a reasonable propo- sitifon that all this stir will merely die away as a ripple on the surface, for the ‘Assembly Has' been moved to its depths. - . 2 Burns men areé rejoicing, but without grounds for it. They have acquired a new zest for the pipe dream in which they have been indulging. The show- ing that Grant’'s manager paid money, and as he declares, without the knowl- edge of Grant, will naturally affect the prospects of the San Diegan, but it will not enhance those of the Mexican. As between the two men, with every secret of the campaign laid bare, I choose Grant. Such congratulations as may be in- dulged in may be divided among the men whose names have not been used as a shield for Burns' vote, who have not, perhaps, made a great showing of strength, and who have been walting all these days for something to happen. I think it is about to happen. to Motives and Marriages. The motives for which women marry are as numerous as the sands of the sea, or—as the women. Our easy assumption is that each one of every engaged couple is “in love” with the “other one.” That the parties are drawn together by some mysterious psychic attraction, more or less strong. In truth, this inner per- sonal attraction is not always present, either in both parties to an engagement or even with one of the pair. Accident, propinquity, trifling circumstances, social or family pressure, some slight airy noth- ing . decides the question between mar- riage or no marriage for the woman so slight, that it is as if women were alway waiting on the brink of this new exper: ence, and a very light touch caused them to fall into, or wanc it, °r into, or drift Into r several tempera- Wt according to th s.—Harper's F is no occasfon that I can see for criti- | cising the course of the committee thus | It has indicated that it intends to pursue its own course and not per- | there is no limita- | H et * X Consuit Hud- * son Dactors RE YOU TROUBLED WITH PAINS IN i ? Pt s st tes sy Alls Youl * x e the small of the back? Are you troubled with pains on each de of backbone to lower “flfikmk: i 9 s st £33 33 2333 Alls You 1 points of shoulder blade? Are you troubled with pains in head? Left side or right side? Do ¥ou have shoating pains? Have yon dizziness in the head? Dark flecky appearing before your gaze? Palpitation of heart? If you stoop over what do vou notice? Have you a curious weak feeling? Have you ases on the stomach? Does the head swim? an you rest well at night? Do you wish to be cured? DO YOU WISH TO BE CURED ? 20 YOU WISH TO.BE CURED ? DO YOU WISH TO BE CURED ? DO YOU WISH TO BE CURED ? Consult Hudson Doctors Free. If you wish to be cured you should lear about the great Hudyan. Hudvan is & remedy treatment for men. Hudyan cures dliseases an disabilities of men. Hudyan cures Nervous Weaknees, Nervous Debllity, Nervous Exhaus- tion. Circulars Free! No one has Hudyen but the Fudson doctors. BLOOD POISON. BLOOD POISON. I in the first, secondary or tertiary state, you should use the $0-DATY CLRE Y Write for 80-day Cure Circulnrs or CONSULT THE KUDSON DOCTORS FRER. fludson Medical Institute, Juncton Stocktn, Market a ELs S,