Los Angeles herald., 1891-10-28
JUDGE WADEpC BENCH
1t Starts the Court House
Furniture Investigation.
Matters the Grand Jury is Now
Looking Into.
Some Gossip About the Alleged
Swindies on Furniture.
The Same Thing Over Again at the
Whittier Reform School "A Con-
tract Which Has Been Greatly
ChaDged-What Ex-
perts Say.

According to the best possible in
formation obtainable the grand jury is
still at work on the alleged steals in the
furnishing of the new court house of
Los Angeles county and the Whittier
reform school, and when that body
makes its final report to Judge Smith in
department one of the superior court,
some intensely readable matter may be
looked for in the columns of the daily
press. Involving, as it does, personages
of such high standing in the common
wealth, the matter is being handled
with great caution, and the grand jury
will not be liable to find any true bills
unless there is prima facie evidence of
guilt, and, according to the present ap-
pearance of the case, such a condition of
affairs exists.
Everyone who has visited the court
house and. the new state reform school
since their completion has noticed the
elegant, not to say the extravagant
way in which they have been furnished.
The side board and leather-upholstered
chair at the Whittier school, with which
DR.. Lindley expects to reform the incor-
rigible minors of the state and lead
them into the straight and narrow way,
are old incidents and have been men
toned in these columns. But the way
in which the court house has been fur
nished is perhaps not as well under
stood by the readers of the HERALD out
side of the legal fraternity.
Some time ago, when the court house
was first occupied, Judge Wade made
a kick because he had not been given
a court room with the other judges.
Four rooms had been elaborately
fitted up on the third floor of
the building and furniture was
ordered for fifth-to be occupied by
Judge Mckinley. Judge Wade was fur-
nished room on the seventh floor, and
at his own request was granted permits
sion by the supervisors to design and or
der his own furniture. Plans were made
for bench, canopy, clerks desk,
loungers' tables, ETC., and these were
submitted to furniture manufacturer
for bid.
The offer of the manufacturer came in
the way of revelation, and started the
talk about steal in the furnishing of
the court house.
Judge Wade, in the presence of a
number of witnesses, publicly stated
the price he could obtain his furniture
for and also the price paid by the county
for similar and even less elaborate furni-
ture in the other court rooms.
The difference was startling.
On one item above-the bench and
canopy-the contractors figures were
about four times as large as those for
which the same furniture was offered
Judge Wade.
When the contract for furnishing the
court house was let, there were num-
ber of bidders. The Los Angeles Furni-
ture company offered to furnish the
building for about $1,000 less than anyone
else, and they got the contract, which,
however, has been changed, modified
and added to on numerous occasions
since. The furniture was to be all of
oak, handsomely carved and of the most
elaborate designs.
In regard toathe furnishing of the
Whittier reform school, as has been be-
fore stated in these columns, State Con-
troller Colgan was summoned by the
Los Angeles grand jury with ducet
tecum attachment, to appear with all
had in favor of the Los Angeles Furni-
ture company for payment for furniture
supplied that building. Mr.. Colgan
came to Los Angeles with the docu-
ments required, testified and returned
to Sacramento. The grand jury took
his figures and then employed experts
to estimate the value of the furniture
and what it could be replaced for.