The Placer herald., 1856-06-07
Report of the Grand jury for the County
of San Francisco,


June.
These men are acting under oath, and fiust
be better able to Judge of those matters
which are now attracting the attention Of the
entire State, than us for which reasons we
make such extracts as, reflect their opinions,
and the facts bearing upon the case.
The report is worthy of attention, consid-
ering the scource from which it eminates:
The Grand jury have endeavored to make
thorough Investigations of the county dis
bursements, and have examined as faithfully
as the means within their reach would ena-
bic them. We find that warrants for most
outrageous contaucts hare, WiM indecent haste
been issued and hurried through by the late
Board of Supervisors. Warrants hare been
drawn withoW authority of lar, and IN some
instances, to accommodate the market price Of
ca'rants two dollars for one hare been issued.
These examinations hare shomn a rdstetut
disregard of the county funds.
We find that Greenwich street hospital
purchased by the Supervisors last year, was
offered to one Committee of the Board for
the sum of eighteen thousand dollars (slS,-
000) and afterwards purchased by another
Committee of the same Board for twenty
five thousand dollars, (S25, 900, )and addition
al appropriations of eight thousand dollars
were then made for REPAIRS furniture &c,
part of which has never been furnished, nor
has the building been used by the County
up to the present time. The real value Of the
building was not, ,at the time ofpurchase, equal
to one third the amount purported to have
been paid for it.-We find that warrants
have been issued to large amount by the
late County Auditor, upon bills that were
not audited by the Board of Supervisors,
We find perfect and mHbul a5andon has
been exercised in expenditure storing doubt-
tM intcgrity on the part Of those to whom
this part Of the pcople's affairs Aore been en-
trusted. Some Of the county officers hare
been IN the habit Of drowing ecorrants for
their own and the salaries of their deputies
~ithoM any action Of the Board Of Superri-
sors. No county or city, however great its
wealth or revenue, can ever overcome the
burthen of debt thus piling up upon US. 1t
is useless to struggle against it. and IN view
of these facts, we deem it our duty to ask
of the Court and District Attorney to take
such legal action as will prevent the payment
of warrants drawn Oh the treasury not con-
formabe with law.
The excitement of the past Month.
The events of the past month, which have
taken place in our midst productive of so
much excited feeling in our community, can
not be passed over by this Grand Jury with
out comment or remark.
However, no good purpose can be Subserv
ed by another rciteration of the details and
causes that have so deeply affected the peo-
pie of this city; they are familiar to us all
and while we are constrained to confess that
from experience and belief, apart from our
investigations as Grand Jurors, together with
the additional developments deduced from
our inquestS, we regret to say, that with few
honorable exceptions, the administration of
the laws had been in the hands Of corrupt
and Inefficient men, The secret rights Of the
people hare been outrogcd. Life and property
hare not hail the security of wU rcquiated
Under color of lar, the rilest criminols hare
ESCAPED punishment: when all other modes
tailed, By technical defects in prosecution, or
disagreement Of juries. Nevertheless in view
Of the scacred oaths we have taken before
the honorable Court. as we'll as the danger
Gus principle and precedent, of allowing
any body of men to WELD unchecked power
however respectable and intelligent that body
may be, whilst we deplore that the aggra
vation existed which in their wisdom has led
many to affirm the necessity of a revolution
we are compelled to condemn the course
which large and respectable portion OF our
fellow-citizens have approved, and we sincere
" hope that our fellow citizens will as speedi-
ly as possible restore to the community a
condition of society rel wing upon the laws
alone for protection and redress: and that,
in future, the administration of ustice
NAV be so conducted as to obviate for ever
50 painful a necessity as has, i'll the judg-
ment Of many good citizens, been considered
unavoidable.
MURDER BY TIE lNDIANs.-On Tuesday
the 3d inst, Pheneas A. Longley, toll keeper
at the Whskey bar bridge, over the Ameri-
can River, in this county, was brutaly mur-
dered by party Of Indians. The circum-
stances are as follows: About l o'clock
A. NJ. noises were heard 10y the people on
the Ell Dorado side of the river but it did
not excite suspicious of anything wrong, but
in the morning at daylight the first passer
over the bridge, discovered the wounded