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Show STATE SCORES IN PROSECUTION San Francisco, June 7. The state' scored heavily In Its prosecution of members of the San Francl6co police force for alleged complicity with the operations of the notorious "forty! thieves" bunco gang when Frank 1 Esola, a former detective, was found guilty iate last night. The Jury was, out four hours. Esola was Indicted on the specific! charge of having connived with Michael Galloo. now a convict, ln robbing a farmer of $900. With seven other pollceniin, the rest of whom are Hwaitlng trial on conspiracy charges, ho va accused by four confessed bunco men with complicity in swindling swindl-ing operations said to have yielded the bunco ring more than $300,000 since 1905, from which lime, the confidence men declared, they had worked under police protection. 1 Gallo's charges were materially I" strengthened by the corroborai Ivo testimony of former Assemblyman Dlsmo Denegrl, a druggist, who testified tes-tified to havlnG paid Esola money for a buncoman in another instance and to have delivered messages from Gallo to Esola regarding the former's arcment to pay the police a tribute of 26 per cent cn all swindling operations. op-erations. This testimony marked the turning point of the case. Superior Judge Dunne, before whom Esola was W- tried, previously having barred the testimony of Galto's three accomplices regarding Ebola's supposed complicity complic-ity in other swindling operations. Esola who served sixteen years with the San Francisco polico department, and who Is a brother of Fred E.-.ola.i former candidate for chief of police. 1 1 tbo only one of the eight Indicted men tried on a grand larceny chari;-. conspiracy indictments having been; returned against the others. The remaining seven will be tried togeti-er. The trial probably will be! begun neit week. |
