Show MILLIONAIRE FOUND IN GRAFT A DRAGNET President of Great Pittsburg P Indus Industry Industry Industry try Is Indicted by Grand Jury for Buying City Councilmen P D April 6 The climax in the Pittsburg graft ex cx exposure i i came as promised late today with the presentment by the I grand jury of a lengthy report in which is recommended ed the indictment of Prank Frank N Hoffstot president of the Pressed Steel Car company one of I the most prominent business men in the country He is worth several millions of dollars Simultaneously in open court came a plea of Emil Winter president of the Savings Trust company that he had no defense to tomake tomake tomake make to the charge that he gave a bribe to former fonner Councilman Morris Einstein The following in abbreviated form are some of ot the most startling findings In the grand jUl Jury presentment made public tonight 1 That Frank N Hoffstot president of pi the Pressed Steel Car company compan and president of ot the German National bank of Allegheny and prominently identified fled fied with other banks paid to Charles Stewart a former fonner select councilman the sum of 2 That the money was a bribe used in influencing the votes of ot councilmen to pass an ordinance naming three banks in which Hoffstot was interested as official depositories of the mil ml millions lions 3 That the arrangement for the pay payment payment payment ment of money mone to Stewart was made In the spring of ot 1908 and the late James JamesW W iv Friend at that time an official of the Pressed Steel Car company was an associate in the transaction 4 That the original plan that Friend had was waa to obtain the services of ot William A Blakely then a practicing attorney here but now the tho district at attorney attorney torney in charge of the graft prosecutions prose prosecutions cu as a stakeholder of or the bribe money until the ordinance had passed 6 That Attorney Blakely declined to act in the capacity named and warned I all parties of ot the criminality of or the proposition and of the liability to pros prosecution prosecution It if it went further C That subsequent to Mr refusal Friend and Hoffstot completed an arrangement with Stew Stow Stewart Stewart art whereby Hoffstot would pay or cause to be paid to Stewart the sum named Money Paid In New York 7 That the transaction was arranged to be made In New York City and took place there in June 1908 1905 in order If possible to avoid criminal liability In Allegheny county 8 That Hoffstot also solicited and secured from one James N Young cash cashier cas casler ier ler of the Second National bank of Pittsburg to be paid Stewart to insure the selection of the Second National as aa one of the favored city de do depositories 9 That Stewart did demand and front from Jha tho now deceased Friend who was wn not ant notIng Ing as agent for the Second National bank a bribe for Stewarts vote in fa favor favor a avor vor of ot the bank ordinance 10 That in accordance with the tIle find findIngs findIngs Ings lags it be recommended that indict indictments Indictments ments charging conspiracy and bribery be returned The Tho banks named as ultimate principals principals principals pals to profit by b the bribes alleged to have been paid by Hoffstot to Stewart are The Tho Farmers Deposit National bank the Second National bank of or Pittsburg and the German National bank of ot Allegheny In addition to these three the Columbia National bank banle of Pittsburg the German National bank banI of Pittsburg and the Savings Trust company compan of Allegheny were werf named as city depositories In the ordinance passed July 9 1908 over oyer the i mayors veto j Judge Leaves Bench i The plea of ot nolle made by Emil Winter of the Sav Say Savi Savings SayIngs i Ings Trust company made today oda was no less a sensation than the report from the grand Jury He lIe was charged I with the payment of a bribe to Morris Einstein a former select coun councilman councilman councilman cilman When Winter appeared in incourt incourt InCourt court Judge II R I S Fraser who is pre presiding presiding presiding siding in the graft cases asked to be excused from hearing the plea Judge Fraser explained on account of ot his long and intimate friendship with Mr Winter he wished to have nothing to do with the case Winter Inter was as then taken before Judges Thomas D Carna ban han and 1 J M lI Swearing and entered I Ithe the formal plea Sentence was post postponed postponed postponed Frank N Hoffstot as president of the Pressed Steel Car company compan one of ot the largest Industries of Its kind in the country recently figured prominently prominently prominently in the public eye ee while a strike was wa on at his plant in McKees Rocks During the long months suspension there were many riots many persons were killed and the state troops were called out The reference to the alleged plan to Continued on Page Two i FOUND IN GRAFT DRAGNET Continued From Page One have Attorney Blakely act as a stock Is as brief in the full fun report of the grand jury as It Is In abstract given above and the district attorney tonight would not comment for publication upon it The court ordered indictments drawn against Hoffstot in accordance with the grand Jurys presentment Hoffstot Must Appear The presentment reads that Hoffstot shall be ordered to appear as a witness and in case he does not do so immedi immediately Immediately immediately the district attorney of Allegheny Alleghe J county proceed forthwith to extradite him The presentment concluded with an order that the investigation continue along the th lines already pursued which Is s taken to mean more men higher up upare upare upare are yet to be named Just before President Winters ap aD appearance In Judge Frazers court James rames Anderson the general bookkeeper of I Ithe the he Savings Bank Trust company of Allegheny had also pleaded nolle to a charge of falsIfyIng the books of the bank In connection with the payment of to o Einstein The pleas of Winter and Anderson came opportunely for the dis district attorney said otherwise they were to o have been indicted today Anderson who for 20 years has ban been private secretary to President Winter was vas charged with having cut from the banks ledger several pages on which were special accounts of Emil Win Winter Winter Winter ter and Mrs Winter The district at attorney attorney torney orney said the missing pages were later Inter found by State Bank Examiner Shafer and McBurnie who were pres ent before re the grand Jury as witnesses last week Anderson waived a hear hearing hearing hearing ing on the charges The foundation at ef f the Hoffstot for fortune fortune fortune tune was laid when the leather Indus Industry industry try was one of the chief trades In Pittsburg District Attorney Blakely was once his personal counsel His present lawyer Is W D Robers who said tonight he had no comment to tomake tomake tomake make on the issue Bishop Cortlandt Whitehead of ot the Pittsburg diocese of the Protestant episcopal church has appointed Sun Sunday Sunday Sunday day next as a day to be observed by Episcopalians throughout Allegheny county count with special prayers and ser sermons sermons mons on civic righteousness corporate repentance and confession intemperance ance and political chicanery Kraft graft and fraud on any topic indeed which bears on the present deplorable rable situa situation situation tion in Pittsburg The bishop has sent long notices to this effect to all the clergy of ot the dio diocese dIocese diocese cese and suggested a n series of ot special prayers which he has prepared Por Portions Portions lons of the tho petition are aro areO 0 O Lord Tord the great and dreadful God who covenant and mercy with them that love Thee and to them that keenest Thy commandments we come cometo cometo cometo to Thee confessing our own wn sins and shortcomings and those of ot the people amongst whom we dwell We b have ve in indeed Indeed indeed deed sinned and done wickedly ny But 0 O Lord our God let Thine an anger ang anger ger g r be turned away from this city and people Turn our hearts unto Thee in lri true true ruo repentance and amendment of ot life Prosper every Interest Int rest commercial intellectual moral and aad r wUl Dl J 1 0 d n and guide all who fill the municipal municipal pal offices and give them strength to prosecute the laws Impartially and fearlessly Save this whole community from political corruption greed Intemperance Intemperance intemperance perance lawlessness the violation of the Lords day da the violation of the sanctity of marriage and every raise false way Winter and Hoffstot complete a quartet quartet quartet tet of bank presidents who have been named in the graft scandals William Ramsey who was the head of the Ger German German German man National of Pittsburg at the time the graft crusade crus de started Is now In the West Western Western ern em penitentiary for the tho part he took in inthe inthe the tho bribing of councilmen and anti E H Jennings president of the Columbia na national national national has pleaded no defense to a similar charge and made a full confession Robert Wilson of Scranton who made the original disclosures in the graft crusade has accepted the position of spa sp cial county detective He will have charge of ot the detective work In n preparing the graft cases for trial Humorous Mr Hoffstot New York ork April G GFrank Prank N Hoffstot When Informed at bis his New York resi residence dence tonight that a presentment oderIng oder der oderIng Ing his Indictment on charges of conspiracy con conspiracy and bribery had b ond d been en returned in hi Pittsburg said with quaint humor I 1 al always always always ways leave business behind me m at the tho theoffice theoffice office and now that I am tun at homa home I cannot discuss this matter Tomorrow when I I go down town and look things over o er I may have something to say but until then theta the you ant u t excuse me met mel t l r x r Mr Hoffstot Is perhaps best known k wn as president resident and director of the Pressed Steel teel Car company But in addition he heis heIs heIs is president and a director of the Canada Car company limited of the Chicago Calumet River railway and of the West Western Western Western ern Steel Car Cat Foundry company He also Is secretary and treasurer of the South Shore railroad |