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Al Capone — Part 36

62 pages · May 23, 2026 · Broad topic: Organized Crime · Topic: Al Capone · 62 pages OCR'd
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ament began its case in the m Kronick, (4] Charles Wolk, ( CAuociated Press photo) Guilford had mentioned were ped, Guilford himself, accor Oh was unexpectedly perous. He changed his home 4 shabby rooming house to @ in one of the best hotels, he hes" considerable sums” of aod sported many new 1 & few weeks he re- sd to his newspaper attacks the underworld and upon city ounis officials. Then the Min- 2 G87 Iw, parsed by the state * was invoked ast Guilford and his partner, 1. Near, se publishers of the Sy y Press The cage ag uns! them prose: od by Floyd Cis he press eng law was pecuiiar nnesoia alone, It permi nt © state ofBclals to sup néalous. er defamatory” in 1934. Note the policema ward the cost of carrying the fight to the United States Supreme court. Tr Cwicaco TRIBUNE individually engaged counsel for Near. In an epochal decision on June 1, 1901, the federal Supreme court ruled the Minnesota gag Jaw was 1 because it inter. e liberty of the press as guaranteed by the fourteenth amendment to the federal constitu tion, In this battle Near and Guil: ford won, and the Saturday Press continued to be published ‘While these matters were in the rts, Hei Cou Floyd Olson was busy building a political organization. Defeated tn 1924, when he ran for governor on & platform which was almest wholly communistic, Olson was out to gain the support of labor in the three ge cities in his state—Minneapo- Ms, St Paul, end Duluth, Hi unity came In 392%, when boodiers in the Minneapolis city council became panicky. The boodlers had been operating on a small scale, the ring consisting of half = doren aldermen. Leader of the ring was Alderman Le’ Ritten of the " silk stock ing” Second werd in Minneapolis, He was a former president of the elty council and a prominent grain merchant in the town. Soon after lered the council, according 's own confession, he begun accepting bribes. Then he became and of a committee which controled purchases, Within a short time Ritten worked out an arrangement with Alderman Frank E, Giebenhain of the Tenth ward, a labor representative, and J. Russell Sheffield, Eighth ward, to ept h would later be divided among the trio, Certain other aldermen, including John P, Eekbery, a twvor party politician from the Twelfth ward; Fred Maur- er, ancther lubor mun from the ‘Third ward, an¢ E. J. Sweeney and W. HM. Rendell intermittensiy. tor part in the bo» Gov, Hoyd B. Olson of Minnesota, who as @ county aHorney in Min- neapolis is shown to have failed in his du members of the criminal that during thet afternoon Ruff had been in conference with Melvin Pas- solt and Joseph A. Poirer in the county attorney's office, and he be- lieved Ruff had told them every. thing regarding our meeting “T asked Frank what he would do It he were in my boots, He de: clared I should get a good attorney T asked him whom he would recont mend and he said, ‘Get Archie M, Cary. [Cary is known in Minne- apolis as the lewyer who appears for the syndicate hoodlums and other criminals who are able to pay large fees.) “Brunskill called Mr. Cary from my office and arranged for a gon- ference, at the same time telling Mr. Cary that ‘Lou is a very good friend ” ‘That evening Ritten went to Cary’s home for a preliminary con- ference and Cary telephoned Brun- skill to come to the home also. Rit ten’s confession continues: “I told Frank I was worried to death and didn't know what to do or where to turn, er words to that Brunskill declared that he hod got him trouble” we The following day at anoth ference Cary demanded a retaining fee of $5,000, which Ritten produces Ri tells al Woodward demanded money to get ont of town. saying @ grand Jury subpena had been issued for his appearance. In 1 Ritten gave Woodward $3,300 to get out of town, Then he was told that Ruff wes about to go be fore the grand jury. He then ¢ cided to go bef and try to get immunity, on advieo Phe wentossi m sont ne “A few days taler Cary arrange for ® meeting between mysell County Attorney Floyd B. Olso and himself in 9 tusm at the Mini ¢ It thing T koew, except the pay meats to Woodward. ‘The next conference of prosecuting certain ment. Tribune photo.) of business men also were indicted, these defendants being named as givers of bribes, the aldermen being charged with thelr acceptance But Olson's part in granting Rit. ten immunity from prosecution never before has been made pubi That confession was obtained two Minnearolis newspaper men who followed Ritten when the latter fied to California. When the ed with the document their editors chose to print only certain excerpts therefrom, During the trials which followed the public was kept In the dark about the Ritter. incident cutor Olson was praised az » publie servant, zealous to uphold the law. Strangely enough the “ common peo ple "—the laboring classes of Minne- apotis, St. Paul and, in fact, all innesota rallied around him. Just what Olson did for the Jabor- Ing men of Minneapolis is shown in the foliowing table, which lists the defendants ms to punishments or lack of punishments; retu Prose Prinon Sentencer John P. Eckberg, Iubor alder man, Twelfth ward, 19 years, ac cepting bribe; Frank E. Gieben- hain, labor alderman, Tenth ward, 10 years, accepting bribe; Fred Maurer, Jubor alderman, Third ward, 2 years, accepting bribe; E. J. Sweeney, labor alderman, Third ward, 2 years, accepung Fines Morris Eisenstadt, cleaner and dyer, convicted of giving bribe, paid $1,500; James E. Fox, olf broker. pleaded guilty to giving bride. paid $7 Charges Dismissed. Consent of State Russ 1b Shefhel "1% stock ing” Eighth ward, mdicted for re- ceiving bribe; Don Green, agent for fire apparatus manufact company. indicted for giving br filieted fer giving bribe Brown, business man riving bribe; Henry poad
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