St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-01-30
The Grand Jury Pounce5 Upon
About Everything That
is in Sight.
It Seems to Think Dlogenes
Could Have Found Not
One Honest Man.
City Officials and County
Officers Roasted to a Dark
Seal Brown.
In the Jury's Wrath Even the
CITY Hall Peanut Stand
IS Included

Inc sweeping ana raSplng report vi
the grand Jury made yesterday was
subject of general comment about the
city. From the composition of the jury,
it had been the general opinion that just
such report would be made, and that
the pious hands of the jury would go
aloft with the ejaculation: 'Great
Lord! What are we coming to-" The
jury found fault with about everything
in existence except the weather and the
condition of the money market, and
these probably were omitted only be-
cause the body was weary. The report
starts out with the case of Jay 2. Davis,
and makes the following recommends
lions:
That, in the investigation of the case
of The State Of Minnesota against j. L.
Davis, they have discovered the follow
duty to report to the court, and make
the following recommendations:
FirSt-That, under the system of iSSu-
ing jury orders by the clerk of the
court, deputy clerk, without collision,
could issue orders to fictitious parties i'll
large numbers; that he had access to
and could abstract jury order books,
could destroy stub books of jury orders
and jury yenire, and could falsify the
records, and this without the knowledge
or detection of the clerk of the court or
of any of his other SubordinateS; that i'll
the office of the clerk there was no syS-
TEN or check by which frauds of this
character would be discovered.
Second-That in auditing of jury Or
ders by the auditor of the county there
was no proper system or check to pre-
vent the presentation and auditing of
fraudulent orders, and that the numbers
stamped upon the orders in the Office of
the county clerk were not recorded in
the Office of the auditor. SO that orders
many numbers in advance of the cur
rent numbers were admitted without
question; also that these orders were
audited in large numbers when pre-
scented by ignorant and irresponsible
employees of the county. without in
quiry as to how these persons came
into possession of them, and without
investigation as to whether the parties
to whom they were payable had served
on the juries.
Third-That in the payment of jury
orders by the treasurer of the county
there was no proper system or check to
prevent fraudulent orders from being
paid; that orders were paid without re-
gard to the numbers stamped upon the
same, though differing widely from the
current numbers, and that jury
orders in large numbers were
paid when presented by irresponsible
and ignorant employees of the county
without inquiry as to how these persons
came into possession of them or why
they presented and collected them, and
without examination or inquiry as to the
genuineness of the Endorsements upon
them and without investigation as to
whether the parties purporting to in
dorse the same had served upon the
juries.
The grand jury respectfully recon-
mend that the system OF issuing, audit
ing and paying jury orders should be so
changed as to provide proper safeguards
and checks. SO that orders cannot be
issued by one deputy alone. and cannot
be audited or paid except upon proper
proof that the same are genuine. and
that the amounts are paid to the parties
entitled to receive them.
They further recommend that a
thorough examination by qualified ex-
pert be made of the books of the county
clerk, the auditor and the treasurer, for
the purpose of aScertaining the full
amount of money that has been wrong
fully taken from the county treasury,
and that when so ascertained the proper
steps should be taken to collect from
the clerk of court. from the county au-
ditor, or from the county treasurer, the
amount so taken, or SO much thereof as
is not returned to the county treasurer
on behalf of the said j. P. Davis, in
dicted for having fraudulently issued
and collected the same.
The jury then directs its thunder
against the peanut stand in the court
house-in the same criticising strain
and fires a volley at obscene pictures
posted on the dead walls about town,
complimenting Mayor Smith, at the
! same time, for his efforts in abating
this nuisance.