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Al Capone — Part 36
Page 52
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s [a =
within afew weeks he 26
* 40 ris -newspaper ‘attacks
‘he Underworld and upon city
unty officials, Then the Min-
Bag law, passed by the state .
jn 1925, was invoked
: Guilford and his partner,~
Year, co-publishers of the Sat-
Press, The case against them
osecuted by Floyd Olson.
press gag law was pecullar
nesota alone. It permitted
vunty or state officials to sup-
without trial by jury, pepers
published matter of a “mall.
scandatous, or defamatory”
Process of suppression was
lows: The county attorney
aly go before a court, make
‘sation against a paper, and
e judge ‘ssue an injunction
ing publication, The judge
auld decide whether the ac
was justified and the mat-
ted in the paper actually
‘us, scandalous, or defama-
Olson appeared in court
Near the injunction against
issuance of the Saturday
as granted. The case was
to the Minnesota Supreme
afch upheld the lower court,
at the paper was a nuisance
law valid.
time the case was attract-
jon-wide attention, The
Newspaper Publishers’ as-
took St up, supplying $5,000
through contributions to-
JRDAY PRESS”
bein
ess of Dec. 14, 1935,
ablisher.
Within a short Ume Ritten worked
‘out an crrangement with Alderman
= Giebenhain of the Tenth
‘ward, a Jabor representative, and
J. Russell Sheffield, Eighth ward,to
‘accept money which would later be
divided among the trie. Certain
other aldermen, including John P.
Eckberg, a labor party politician
from the Twelfth ward; Fred Maur-
x, another Jabor man from the
‘Third ward, and E. J. Sweeney and
W. H, Hendell intermittently took
Part in the boodling.
ms
All went well with the ring until
Sohn Woodward and Werner H,
Ruff offered Ritten $1,000 to get
enough votes in the council Jicense
committee to enable them to obtain
8 license for a cabaret to be named
The Stables, which they proposed
to open. Ritien informed Wood-
ward, who offered the bribe, that {t
would cost at least $1,500, This
incident occurred in the summer of
2928,
Ritten's confession, given on Feb.
15, 1929, follows: :
* “The following day Woodward
came into my office with the money,
but a few days later he asked for it
again, stating he needed it for other
purposes. I returned tt to him. A
few days later he returned and
handed me back the money,
“The license was acted upon fa-
vorably both in the Ioense commit-
tee and by the council. George
Sheffield received $500, Giebenhain
got $500, and I kept $500 for myself.
“A few days after my return from
New Orleans in December, 1928,
Giebenhain called me by phone and
told me by all means to get in touch
with Ruff. I told him 1 would if I
could, Ruff had given Woodward
the $1,500 paid us. The next day
1 arranged for a meeting with him
at the home of a friend in north
Minneapolis and begged Ruff not
to mention my name in connection
with the cabaret license. I admit:
ted to him I had received the money
from Woodward, and declared to
Ruff that I would make everything
right with him after the investiga-
tion had blown over if he would
remain silent. I told him I would
do anything in the world to keep
my name out of the papers in con-
nection with this matter.
“He promised faithfully that he
would say nothing. This meeting
was in the afternoon. The next day
I called Frank Brunskit: (then the
chief investigator for County Attor-
ney Floyd Olson, having been re-
moved by Mayor George Leach from
the post of chief of police} because
he was a very good friend of mine,
and asked him to see me.
“He came to the office early in
the afternoon, I told him about
my meeting with Ruff. He told me
before the grand jury
d try to get immunity, on advice
Cary.
The confession continues:
“A few days later Cary arranged
for a: meeting between myself,
County Attorney Floyd B, Olson,
and himself in a room at the Minne-
apolis Athletic club. At that time
I told the county attorney every-
thing I knew, except the payments
to Woodward. The next conference
was in the office of the county at-
torney on the morning of the day
I appeared’ before the grand jury.
I was alone with the county attor-
ney part of the time. I had got
there early to avold being seen. The
county attorney told me he would
get me into the grand jury room
as 500n as the jury convened.
“After I had been in-the county
attorney's office for a short time
Cary came in with a document
signed by Judge Bardwell granting
me complete immunity, Cary told
me I was ‘absolutely clean’ on ev-
erything up to the time I went into
the grand jury room,
“Before entering the grand jury
room I was told by the county at-
torney to answer all questions that
he or any member of the grand jury
asked me, which I did. After I had
completed my testimony the county
attorney stated that I had made a
good impression, in his opinion, on
the jury members. I remained in
the county attorney’s office until the
grand jury adjourned, and then he
assisted me in getting out without
anybody noticing me.”
From the testimony given by Rit-
ten to that grand jury indictments
were returned against Aldermen
Eckberg, Giebenhain, Maurer, Shef-
field, Sweeney and Rendell. A group
8
qory- “He then te *
“+ Morrly Stsenstadt, eaner and
dyer, convicted of giving bribe,
paid $1,500; James E For, off
broker, pleaded guilty to givlng——-
‘vribe; paid $750.
= nab ~
Charges Dismissed. Consent
of State
J. Russell Sheffield, “silk stock-
ing" Eighth ward, indicted for re
ceiving bribe; Don Green, agent
for fire apparatus manufacturing
company, indicted for giving bribe:
Irsae} Ridker, real estate broker,
indicted {or giving bribe; E. P.
Brown, business man, indicted for
giving bribe; Henry M. Basker
ville, business man, indicted tor
giving bribe; Emil Sheffe, garage
Proprietor, indicted tor giving
bribe.
Not Indicted
Louis N, Ritten, “silk stocking”
Second ward; John H. Woodward,
cabaret proprietor.
A glance at the table shows that
only Jabor representatives were
given prison sentences. Ritten, the
self-confessed leader of the graft
ting, came free untouched and today
is a grain merchant in Minneapolis,
Fox, the oil broker, resisted ex:
tradition from St, Louis, Mo., for
nearly 8 year. Then he threatened
in speeches made to newspaper re
porters to “biow the roof off the
county building in Minneapolis if
not granted Immunity.” After sev
era] conferences with County Attor
ney Olson the defendant picaded
guilty and was fined $750.
Yet it wes this incident which
made it possible for Floyd Olson to
run for governor in 1930. He was
elected by a plurality given him by
the labor voters.
der in Minneapolis” will appear
in an early issue.”
‘When I feel run down’ headachy, half
sick—when the children get irritable,
cranky—then I know it’s a sign of con-
stipation, 1 get out our family box of
FEEN - A- MINT, the chewing-gom lax-
ative. There used to be a time when we
took old-fashioned, barsh,
“ail-at- once” cathartics, bat
that’s all over now. We just
chew FEEN-A-MINT for
three minutes before going
National Aroaeor Night,
TUNE IN sire smash bie eh
Ray Perkina, Arnold Johnaon, and
dcaten Btare~ Colombia, Network,
SP. M., C. 8. T., Every Bundy,
| forme
‘all-at-once’ catharties’”
“No more half-sick feeling
no more harsh
tobed—(that’s why it’s called “the three
minute way”)—snd it goes to work easily,
pleasantly, and gradually. There are no
cramps, no nausca, no bad sfter-effecta,
Our family wouldn't be without it for
anything. Costs only 15¢ and 25¢ a box,
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