Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-09-04
PRECINCT.
q. B. R. H.
Patterson. Hubbard .
THE GRAND JURY.
Fourteen Distinct Indictments
Against Henry Edelmam.

Fourteen Distinct Indictments
Against Henry Edelman.
At 4:30 O'Clock yesterday the Grand
Jury filed into Judge Cheaey's court to
make partial report. As soon as a
witness on the stand in the Scott case
was relieved, an adjournment of that
case was had, and the Grand Jury took
the chairs made vacant by the trial Jury.
There were fifteen of this body present,
and the foreman, Major Furrey, startled
all beholders by laying in the hands of
the Court q package of indictments,
enough to fill a basket. The first was
duly labeled 587, bench warrant,
ordered to issue for the arrest
of the culprit, and the bail fixed at 81 900.
The next was duly numbered 5SS, and
the same programme gone through with;
and SO on, until about half dozen were
doled out in this retail manner. Then
the Judge seemed to think of Byron's
recording angels, who, after the battle of
Waterloo, toiled till blind with sweat and
besmeared with dust and blood, got tired
of their task and flung their pens down
in divine disgust. So the Court then
ordered the rest of the indictments
to- be numbered seriatim, and
| take the same course as their
|
the numbers should run from 5S7 to 800
inclusive, and thereby the reporters
learned that there were fourteen Of them
in all. The aggregate bail was $14, 900.
| The Court asked the foreman if the
Grand Jury were nearly done their
work, and Major Furrey replied that day
by day the body thought they saw the
end, but the next day dawned only to
reveal new rottenness, and they had to
toll at their thankless task of cleansing
the Augeau stables of official corrup-
tion. He did not say that the
Grand Jury had about dozen other in
dictments almost ready to report, but if
he had he might have been as near the
truth as erring human judgment often
gets. More may come in today, but they
may be held back day in obtaining bet
ter evidence. In this sad business, no
one knows what day may bring forth.
This batch of indictments naturally set
the reporters wild with excitement, but
it soon transpired that they were all
against one unfortunate individual, and
that he was already under bonds
on other indictments. All specu-
iatlon was at an end in
arrested on all fourteen indictments. He
spent the evening in endeavoring to
secure the necessary bonds, but as the
citizens had mostly gone home, he failed.
His friends say he will give
bail and be released today. 1t will
probably turn out that these indictments
are all for forging the names of absent
jurors on the backs of county warrants,
for sums ranging from $40, or thereabouts,
up to $75. 1t is not likely that any one
is for a larger sum. Henry Edel-
man was already under four similar
indictments, the bail on which was fixed
at Sc, 500, which he gave. This makes in
all lS indictments against the young man
on which the aggregate bail Is $2O,5O0.
Here is specimen of how the frauds in
the Auditors Office were perpetrated. A
man came in from the Azusa few days
ago and told it. He was drawn as term
trial juror, some 18 months ago, and
when he came in he told Judge Cheney
that his wife was very sick, and he was
excused for two weeks. At the end of
that time he returned and told the
Court his wife was still ill,
and was excused. He asked the
clerk if there were any fees coming
to him, and that person said
that there were not. The answer was
probably correct, as the man had been
excused. But if there had been, the
amount would be no more than two days.
fees and mileage, say So or 81. But war
rant was found bearing this mans name
and indorsed with his name on the back,
on which $3.50 had been paid. He did
not draw the money nor indoree the war
rant. Who did, and how did he get hold
of it?
AS the HERALD stated weeks ago, there
is a mine of just such discoveries
probably awaiting the eyes of careful
searcher. The poll-tax~ receipts may
furnish still another mine similarly rich
in rascality. It ought to be gone over
for years back in order to see what there
is there.
At l o'clock last night Edelman was