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About The morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1899-1930 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 1908)
IIEIIEY IS STILL A UVE 11 Dastardly Act Will Not Delay Ruef Trial. DETAILS OF ASSAULT injured Man Resting Easy at Hospital, Hat Good Chance For Recovery. BLOOD POISON ONLY FEAR It It Believed That Hul Deiiberate . If Planned Atuck en Heney Lift Much Exercised Over Prosecu tor's Exposure of Ilia Ptit Life. 1 ; SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 14, ',2M K It Tht fivt surgeons at- ' i finding Heney after consults-; I'tioa tonight stated that the pa-; 'tlant waa rcating easy and that his; 'pulse, tempera tura and respiration; ; jwert practically normal The bul ; let waa located in the muaclci of ; ;the neck. The bone waa not that ' 'tered. and the doctora say they Tnill rmmnvm the nlaca of lead to- 2 morrow morning. ' I office, It U reported that he 1 in a highly nervous condition. Henry mi.l faintly received many mrxnagr of nymnaihy and ehrer today. Tlicy came from all sections of the UnitcJ State and wine from Europe. One telegram which drew a Miiile from the pain drawn face of the prosecu tor .was from Rooevrlt to Mrs. Henry. TRIAL WILL PROCEED. Calmed by- the auraitre that Heney, who was hot yetcrday hi Judge Lawlor'a courtroom while In the performance of hit duty, will re cover from In wodnd unleta some unforteen condition developed, pub lic opinion at turned today toward the formulation of a concrete exprcs iion of determination to continue with the trial pending indictments for alleged municipal corruption in the proecution of which lleney U the dominant character, Several leading attorney! of thit city have volunteered to take up Heney'a work at a matter of public duly and carry It to a conclusion. LAWLOR HAD PREMONITION. It developed today that Judge Lawlor had a premonition that tome untoward incident might mar the rial and that he wat contemplating the niacins of Ruef under special surveillance until next Monday or or rferlne- him into the custody of the iheriff and that the actual purpose of the conference in hit chamber with Heney. Ach and Dorier a few minute before the shooting wat to ifi(nrm Ruef counsel of ht inten tion, Lawlor suggested that Ruef't sureties select some man aat'ufactory to the court to be in constant at tendance uDon Ruef and to be re sponsible for hi appearance; hut at the same time it was to te under stood that thia did not relieve his bondsmen of any responsibility. Law lor then asked the attorneys to look in the law on the Question and submit their opinions to him on Monday. A few minutes later the tragedy was enacted. , Morris Haas Shoots Himself With Pistol He Had Concealed in Shoe When Arrested. SUICIDE OCCURRED AT 8:40 P. M. . .' , . .... .... . . Haas Went to Bed With His Shoes on Friday Night and Again Last Night Asserting That he Preferred to Sleep That Way WAS SEARCHED BY DETECTIVE AND POLICE Haas' Clothes Were Searched After Suicide And a Cartridge of the Same Calibre a Derringer With Which he Shot Himself Found-Differs From Calibre of Pistol Used in Assault-Is To Be Thoroughly Investigated - t VK SI FilE Monster Mass testing of Citizens Held. SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 14 The trial of Ruef, which was interrupted by yesterday's shooting will be re sumed on Monday. It has been de cided that the incident in the court room did not prejudice the rights of the defendant, the jury not having been present. An intimation was made today that the defense will ask change of venue, basing the pica upon the inflamed condition of the nubile mfhd. but it Is believed that auch a request will not be considered bv Judue Lawlor. At a conference today between Judge Lawlor, Chief of Police Biggy and Uuderiheriff Charles Haggerty, preliminary steps were taken to secure the court from further disorder and violence and to nUm,arA the riirhts of Ruef. The vli-inltv of the courtroom will be pa trolled and a large force of police will be held in reserve. Suspicious characters will not be allowed in the rmirtrnnm where a large force of elain clothes men will be stationed to watch unobtrusively In order to keep the Jury In ignorance that pre cautions have been taken and not to leooardixe the result of the trial. Th r,lnn nrovide further that in tin event of any disturbance the defend ant may be taken from the courtroom ouicklv and ouietly. It is intimated hat Judge Lawlor will exercise hi prerogative and continue to keep Ruef in custody during the trial. The Assassin. The official interrogation of Haas took place in the court room a few moments after the wounded prosecu tor had been removed bo a hospital Thr nrknner was seated on the .edge of a table and at times his wandering gaze fell on the pools of blood on the floor, where Heney had reclined. There were present as interro gators: Chief of Police uiggy, ,api. Duke and Detective Burns. In his answers Haas seemed at tlmcswandering and somewhat in coherent Time and time again his mind reverted to the exposure brought about by the prosecution and while he several times expressed regret at what had occurred, at other points in the inquisition he spoke ot the shooting as a matter decided upon and to be accepted as a matter of course. Where Bullet Struck Mr. Heney was shot in the right sid of the head. The bullet entered hlf an inch in front of the right ear, ranaed downward and is lodged somewhere in the muscles on tne left side of the neck. In the oplnioon of the doctors, his constitution is .,,r,,.;,,t1v Rfrnnff to add to - his ptM.''"J chance of recovery. .. r Haas, who did the shoooting, was last night confined in the county jail at Ingleside. Abraham Kuef, order ed Into custody by Judge Lawlor im mediately after the shooting, is aho a temporary prisoner in the jail, hay ing been locked up in, the fear that he might be made the victim of re SAN FRANCISCO. Nov. 14. Morrla Haas, who vesterdav attempted the assassination of Francis I . - ' ' 4 , - Heney, tonight committed suicide by shooting himself through the middle of the forehead, using a pistol he had concealed in hie ahoe. Haas went to bed at 8 o'clock in the county jail and covered his face with a blanket At 8:40 a ahot waa heard and when the guards entered It was found that he had rolled out of bed and was lying dead on the floor, with a bullet hole in hit forehead, a .41 calibre single ahot Derringer waa grasped in hit hand. His left trouser leg waa pulled up, and an examination ahowed a mark on the leg where the weapon had rested while concealed in his left shoe, Haas wore gaiters with elastic sides which made this possible. After he had ahot Heney yesterday Haaa waa aearched by Captain Duke, Detective Burns and a police offi cer. After ha waa taken to the count tail he waa aearched aeain. but at neither time were his shoes exam ined. Haaa went to bed last night with his shoes on and again tonight and when asked why he did thia he said he would rather sleep with them on. His wife called on him today, but two officers were present at tne in terview and they aay she could not possibly have slipped the weapon to him.- District Attorney Lanedon. Detective Burns, and Rudolph Spreckels on arrival at the county jail after the suicide of Haaa aearched his clothing and in one of the pockets of his trousers found a cartridge of the ! same calibre aa the Derringer with which he ahot himself. The weapon Haas used on Heney was a .38 calibre ! and the cartridges found In his pocket could not have been used In that. Burns said that Haas was thoroughly searched when taken in the courtroom and also when received at the county jail and that the cartridge and I Derringer could not have been on his person. It is Burns opinion that the pistol was passed to Haaa since hia arrest ' -. , . Two stories are told of an Interview between Haas and his wife, one that Haas talked to her through) I the cell door and the other that they went into another room. A rigid investigation is to be made. Precautions have been taken to pro-lnewed violence from "some excited tect Ruef while he is confined in the county jail. Morris Haas, who , at tempted to kill Heney is kept in the county jail under guard No one is allowed access to him except repre sentatives of the district attorney's and unexpected Quarter The police are convinced that Haas bad planned carefully the attack on Heney's life. Haas held the weapon within a ,few inches of Heney's head when he fired and it is the danger of blood poison resulting from powder burns or other matter m the wound that is most feared. Prior to his committal o San Quentln prison in 1888 Haas was irlven employment as a traveling aalesman by Schlcssinger & Green, wholesale cigar dealers of this city. On his first trip he was given ac counts aggregating $3,000 for collec tion and the testimony showed that he turned in but two fictitious orders. The collection of $275 in San Ber nardino, Ca! for which no account ing was ever made, led to a warrant for his arrest on a charge of embez zlement. Haas had disappeared be fore the embezzlement became known and wa9 arrested nearly a year'later in Philadelphia. While he at first contended that he was entitled to the use of his collections in order to Cover expenses, he pleaded guilty in the superior court and was sentenced to two years in the penitentiary. Call for Justice. Prominent citizens and attorneys of the city gathered last night at a meeting where spirited addresses were delivered calling upon the pub lic to protect the cause of just.ee. The outcome was a call for a mass meeting to be held to-night in Dreamland Pavilion. The call is as follows: "To the Citizens of San Francisco: Francis J. Heney has fallen by the hand of an assassin, shot from be hind while fighting at his post in the cause of justice for the people of this city.. He would be the first man to appeal to the call of the citizens to preserve order and proceed only by the processes of law, to look not for vengence, but to demand swift jus tice through the courts. We make thhe same appeal. ; " "The prosecution will proceed. We are assured that the trial of Abraham Ruef will continue tomorrow and Monday morning without interrup tion. j ;'The Citizens League of Justice calls upon the citizens of San Fran cisco to lend their aid to the cause of justice and to that end a mass meeting of citizens is hereby called for Saturday evening, November 14. 'at Dreamland Rink,, at 8 o'clock. We call upon every citizen to be pre sent. (Signed) ' The Citizens League of Justice. ! 'Hiram Johnson and Matt I. Sulli van, two of the attorneys who spoke .' at '-.the . gathering ' last, niirht, an nounced that they had offered their services to the district attorney as substitutes for 'Mr. Heney. While moderation was counseled by all the speakers, there were, at the outset unmistaken expressions of hostility to .the courts and predictions that Haas ould not lack aid in his de fense. Former Mayor James D. Phelan charged directly that the crime must have been inspired. Rudolph Spreckels, the millionaire banker, who financed the prosecution of the supervisors and Ruef, and who has been in frequent attendance at the trials, said: . ' "It is time that drastic measures were used to suppress the reign of lawlessness. Was Deed Inspired ? Morris Haas, the man who shot Henev.is a native of Wurtemb'urg, Germany, and has resided here since 1876. He is 48 years of age and for nearly JO years, or ever since his re lease from the penitentiary, where he served a two-year sentnece for em bezzlement of his employer's funds, he has been engaged in the retail liquor business.' In the course of a lengthy statement made to the police after his arrest, the prisoner declared: "Heney pronounced his own death sentence that moment he denounced me in the court." This, as far as appears from the facts now made public, appears to be the attitude of Haas. He ailudrs constantly to the shame and disgrace he has experienced since Heney, sev eral weeks ago, confronted him as be sat in the jury box before a crowded court room with a photo graph of himself in convict's stripes. He has expressed a desire to be shot or hanged for what he has done; he has accounted for his movements of yesterday in a more or less straight forward manner an he has stead fastly declared that no one except himself, knew of his preconceived determination to slay the man who had exposed his sins of the past. No effort was made in the statement as made public to associate any other person with Haas attempt, but it is believed that the prisoner, in the se clusion of the county jail, was during the early hours of the morning, sub jected to a more rigorous examina tion. ... - , Details of Tragedy. Frequently since the earthquake and fire of 1906 have the people of San Francisco been startled by revel ations and developments in the tan gled maze of the prosecutions for bribery and corruption that followed the sudden ovethrow of Abraham Ruef and the boodling supervisors of the Mayor Schmitz regime, put never has the city been more pro foundly stirred than by the attempted assassination late yesterday alter- noon of Francis J. Heney, the special assistant of the district attorney's of fice, who was shot and seriously wounded in the court room by Mor ris Haas, an ex-convict, resident in this city, whose past record Heney exoosed a few weeks ago after Haas had qualified as a juror to pass upon the guilt or innocence of Ruef, now in the midst of his third trial for bribery. Early today Mr. Heney was sleep ing soundly in the Lane hospital, where he was taken after preliminary treatment had been given in the city hospital. The last statement issued bv his physicians declare that the patient "Has a good chance to re cover." . . The gravest danger appears to be from bloodpoisoning and today an effort will be made to locate the bul let and the exact course of the wound. Haas first described his movements yesterday. He told of a trip to the auditor where he received and cashed a warrant which he received as a juror, next going to see a friend. He next went to a saloon on Fillamore street, where he had two glasses of beer and then went to a nickelodeon where he remained to see several sets of moving pictures. He then went home remaining there until half an hour before the shooting, when he walked to the tcourtroom. ... Haas was questioned closely about his possession of the revolver with which the shooting was done and of a number of extra cartridges found in his pocket He said that he had owned the revolver since 1901; that it had been in his pocket since Thurs day and that he had carried it since 1901. Concerning his attempt upon the life of Mr. Heney Haas continually made reference to the disgrace of his w the orosecution and his answers conveyed the idea that he I brooded over the public references to his past life .to a considerable de gree. Some of the replies were as follows: "What was your reason for shoot ing Mr. Heney?" he was asked. "Just for humanity's sake." "Why did you not shoot Ruef for humanity's sake?" (Continued on page 6) ip PTino 10 ullmil RESOLUTIONS PASSED Between Eiiht ani Tea Thoas and Peopta Attend. Lead ing Citizens SpesSc MODERATION IS COUNSELLED Detail of Police Officers on Hand to Preserve OrderTelegrams From President Roosevelt to Mrs. Heney and Rudolph Spreckels Are Read. SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 14. A monster mass meeting was held to night and between eight and ten thou sand people participated. The meet- inz was presided over by Mayor Taylor and speeches were made by a number of leading citizens counsel ing moderation and the observance of legal methods and asking that full support be given the prosecution in the conduct of the graft cases. Reso lutions were passed as follows: "That here and now -we declare our unwavering allegiance to the law and that if the criminal law be found to be so framed as to permit of the escape of any civic malefactors we shall see to it that the law is amend ed: that if a lax administration of the criminal law be due to misinterpreta-, tion by the judges, we shall see to it that men will be placed upon the bench capable of construing the law. Be it further resolved, that we call upon the supervisp'rs to provide ade quate funds for the district attorney s office to secure the detection, prose cution and conviction of criminals high or low, and the full protection of officers in the discharge of their duties.'.. - "Be it further resolved, that we de mand the ruth from our public press and shall see to it tha our people are informed of facts that tl.cy -y judge of those who by lymg and misrepresentation are perverting public opinions.' , "Be it further resolved, that we solemnly assert our utmost confi dence in the law-abiding character of our people; that we herein declare our gratitude for the inestimable service rendered us by the office of district attorney in the restoration of reputable and responsible govern ment; that we stand firm in our de termination to endorse and V to aid that office to ihe end that all per sons accused of crime shall be fair ly tried and that their guilt or inno cence may be finally established m accordance with the provisions of the law. . "To these ends we pledge our selves, that our beloved city may be purged of boodlers and grafters aivl be a better home for ourselves and our children. "Be it further resolved, that we send word to our wounded cham pion that his labors for us are ap (Continued on page 6)