Kenzie sighed in complete joy. “Heaven help us all.”
Regarding the Historical Facts
The San Francisco earthquake and subsequent fires of 1906 are believed to have ended the lives of over three thousand people. Damage to the city structures, utilities, and roads topped over $350 million and destroyed 80 percent of the city. The fires were more destructive by far and left over twenty-five thousand people homeless. San Francisco wasn’t the only city damaged by the earthquake. San Jose, Salinas, and Santa Rosa, to name a few, also suffered greatly. As related in this story, insurance companies were unable to meet the demand of claims, and many insured people never recouped their losses.
Even before the fires were completely out, there was a push to rid San Francisco of its Chinese population. The desire to take over valuable downtown properties owned by the Chinese was met with approval by most, but the Chinese Americans fought back. The Empress of China voiced her disapproval of what was happening to the Chinese in San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., found it necessary to step in to stop the relocation of Chinatown. Wealthy Chinese businessman Look Tin Eli knew that Chinatown could be a tremendous boon to the city and came up with the idea to re-create it with a strong Chinese theme that would appeal to tourists. The Chinatown of today was the result.
Through the aftershocks and cleanup, San Franciscans were resilient and determined to bring their city back to life. Millions of dollars in aid and donations poured in from around the world, and by 1915, San Francisco had not only rebuilt to its original grandeur and beauty, but went beyond that to invite the world to see what they had accomplished by hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
Many of the people mentioned in minor roles in the Golden Gate Secrets series were real. Big name businessmen like Spreckels, Stanford, Crocker, and others were the very heart and financial soul of San Francisco. Newspaper men like Fremont Older were determined to see the truth come out about the city’s corrupt leaders, even though at one point he was kidnapped and threatened with murder. Then, as now, political arenas were rife with corruption, and Abraham Ruef, Mayor Eugene Schmitz, and so many others manipulated the system in whatever manner needed to accomplish what they desired. As Solomon said, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9 NIV).
In October of 1906, District Attorney William Langdon asked a grand jury to bring indictments against Ruef and the other grafters. He appointed Francis J. Heney as his assistant district attorney. During this time, Mayor Schmitz went to Europe, leaving Acting Mayor James L. Gallagher to run the city in his absence. Schmitz went to Europe in an attempt to get foreign insurance companies to pay fire settlements. He was unsuccessful, and in fact many insurance companies fell into ruin in the aftermath of the San Francisco disaster. Laws were later passed to make sure insurance companies had proper collateral to back claims, but millions of dollars went unpaid to those who’d lost everything after the earthquake and fire.
Seeing their days were numbered, Acting Mayor Gallagher suspended DA Langdon, claiming “neglect of duty,” and appointed Abraham Ruef as district attorney—the very man at the top of the list of grafters. The public outcry turned even more people against Ruef and the city government. However, Ruef and his cronies were unconcerned, at least for a while. Ruef quickly stepped into action to dismiss Francis J. Heney. Heney countered, saying he did not recognize Ruef as district attorney, and refused to step down. The following day, October 26, at five o’clock in the morning, Judge Seawell signed an order temporarily restraining Ruef from taking his place as district attorney, and the games continued.
Both sides argued that the other had taken bribes and manipulated the system for their own gain. Court appearances and arguments played out in the newspapers, as they are wont to do today. San Franciscans watched this battle while struggling to rebuild and recover from the devastation that had taken place only six months earlier. People were outraged that their mayor was off traipsing about Europe while so much was left undone at home.
By November, Mayor Schmitz, “Boss” Abe Ruef, and Police Chief Jeremiah Dinan were indicted by the grand jury for bribery and extortion. Abraham Ruef countered that he had never taken bribe money, but rather received “legal fees” for counsel. Mayor Schmitz returned to San Francisco from his unsuccessful European trip to find himself, along with Ruef, charged with five counts of extortion. Schmitz was also accused of using San Francisco relief funds to pay for his European holiday.
In February 1907, Abe Ruef pleaded not guilty to graft charges. The trial was set for March 5, 1907. Of course, given the circus that seemed to follow Ruef, there were complications and accusations enough to go around. Judges were accused of drunken misconduct, witnesses were concerned for their well-being as threats against their lives were delivered, and Ruef even disappeared completely for a time but was eventually found and jailed.
Finally, things started coming together. Officials admitted to taking bribes, and eventually Ruef was charged with more than sixty-five counts of graft. Ruef sent word that he “might confess if granted immunity,” but the district attorney refused. Various public businessmen who had paid hefty bribes over the years for Ruef’s favors were soon indicted for graft and bribing public officials. Ruef eventually pleaded guilty in return for limited immunity. Mayor Schmitz was then tried and convicted of extortion, but his conviction was overturned on a technicality. Ruef failed to abide by the terms of his plea and was found guilty. He was sentenced in December 1908 to 14 years in San Quentin State Prison.
In 1912, a judge dismissed the charges against the former Mayor Schmitz after Ruef refused to testify against him. Schmitz tried twice again to run for mayor but was soundly defeated. However, he eventually won election to the city’s Board of Supervisors and served several years.
Ruef served four years and seven months of his fourteen-year prison sentence, and when he was paroled, he opened a new business as an “idea broker.” But the idea failed, and when he died in 1936, Abraham Ruef was bankrupt.
Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of over one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling HEIRS OF MONTANA and ALASKAN QUEST series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Visit Tracie’s website at www.traciepeterson.com.
Books by Tracie Peterson
www.traciepeterson.com
GOLDEN GATE SECRETS
In Places Hidden • In Dreams Forgotten
In Times Gone By
HEART OF THE FRONTIER
Treasured Grace • Beloved Hope
Cherished Mercy
THE HEART OF ALASKA***
In the Shadow of Denali
Out of the Ashes
SAPPHIRE BRIDES
A Treasure Concealed
A Beauty Refined • A Love Transformed
BRIDES OF SEATTLE
Steadfast Heart
Refining Fire • Love Everlasting
LONE STAR BRIDES
A Sensible Arrangement
A Moment in Time • A Matter of Heart
Lone Star Brides (3 in 1)
LAND OF SHINING WATER
The Icecutter’s Daughter
The Quarryman’s Bride • The Miner’s Lady
LAND OF THE LONE STAR
Chasing the Sun
Touching the Sky • Taming the Wind
BRIDAL VEIL ISLAND*
To Have and To Hold
To Love and Cherish • To Honor and Trust
STRIKING A MATCH
Embers of Love
Hearts Aglow • Hope Rekindled
SONG OF ALASKA
Dawn’s Prelude
Morning’s Refrain • Twilight’s Serenade
ALASKAN QUEST
Summer of the Midnight Sun
Under the Northern Lights
Whispers of Winter
Alaskan Quest (3 in 1)
BRIDES OF
GALLATIN COUNTY
A Promise to Believe In
A Love to Last Forever
A Dream to Call My Own
THE BROADMOOR LEGACY*
A Daughter’s Inheritance
An Unexpected Love
A Surrendered Heart
BELLS OF LOWELL*
Daughter of the Loom
A Fragile Design • These Tangled Threads
LIGHTS OF LOWELL*
A Tapestry of Hope • A Love Woven True • The Pattern of Her Heart
DESERT ROSES
Shadows of the Canyon
Across the Years • Beneath a Harvest Sky
HEIRS OF MONTANA
Land of My Heart • The Coming Storm
To Dream Anew • The Hope Within
LADIES OF LIBERTY
A Lady of High Regard • A Lady of Hidden Intent • A Lady of Secret Devotion
RIBBONS OF STEEL**
Distant Dreams • A Hope Beyond
A Promise for Tomorrow
RIBBONS WEST**
Westward the Dream
Separate Roads • Ties That Bind
WESTWARD CHRONICLES
A Shelter of Hope
Hidden in a Whisper • A Veiled Reflection
YUKON QUEST
Treasures of the North
Ashes and Ice • Rivers of Gold
All Things Hidden***
Beyond the Silence***
House of Secrets
A Slender Thread
What She Left for Me
Where My Heart Belongs
*with Judith Miller **with Judith Pella ***with Kimberley Woodhouse
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Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
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Twitter: @Bethany House
In Times Gone by Page 27
