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Show SMS PKECIII IS OHLYJARCE ill Counsel for Ruef Expresses Belief Be-lief that Job Was "Framed" to Fool Public. SAN FE ANCISCO, tTan. 21. "It was a tragedy; now it is a farce." This was tho opinion, tersely expressed today by Earl J3. Rogers of Los Angeles, of counsel coun-sel for Patrick Calhoun of the present status of the San Francisco bribery-graft bribery-graft cases and tho prosecutiou 's change of attitude towards Abraham Ruef. Rogers camo from Los Angeles last night and was present in court this morning when Luther Brown, associated with the defense in tho United Railroad cases, was arraigued before Judge Ihinne, on the charge of subornation of perjury, growing out of the alleged attempt to kidnap Fremont Older, managing man-aging editor of the Bulletin. Brown's pleading was continued until February Febru-ary 3. Mr, Rogers not only questioned the sincerity of tho prosecution in turning upon Iiucf, after promising .him immunity, im-munity, but doclared it to bo his opinion that tho "whole matter was framed up to fool the public" "The apparent sudden change of at-titudo at-titudo on tho part of the district attorney's at-torney's office toward Ruef was no surprise sur-prise to us," said Rogers, "ncithor was the disclosure of an immunity contract any news to us. "Wo had loug been aware of the existence ex-istence of this contract, knew who liRd it and were well informed as to its provisions. What wc did not know, however, was the fact that Judge Dunne and Judge Lawlor had been consulted in the matter." "That Rogers and tho defeuso in the Calhoun cases knew about the immunity contract and just what Ruef would testify tes-tify to if placed on the stand is true, " declared District Attorney William H. Langdon, when informed of Rogors's statement. "That very fact is just what got Ruef into trouble that tho other side not only knew about theso matters, but I know positively that they had been given information about other things. "Rogers told tho truth when he said he was fully informed upon what had transpired and was transpiring. The prosecution became well aware of that. To that Ruef can lav all his trouble in which ho now tindB himself and all the consequences that follow. "As to the statement that, the prosecution prose-cution is not in earnest about prosecuting prosecut-ing Ruef to the full extout," continued the district attorney, "that is too absurd ab-surd to merit any roply from me. That will be fully answered by Ruof's trials." |
