The herald., 1894-03-09
THE GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS,
AL Cobler Said to Be the Man
Indicted.
Queer Transactions in the County
Assessors Office.
The sherir's once Has Not Yet Lo.
Gated the Indicted Man, aud 1t
Is Claimed Hs Has Gone
Into Hiding.

A great deal OF curiosity was mani
tested on the streets yesterday in regard
to the indictments returned on Wednes
day afternoon by the grand jury.
1t was ascertained beyond a doubt
yesterday that the HERALD's informa
tion that the Elk indictments returned
were against one and the same individual
was correct.
The secrets of grand juries, no matter
how carefully guarded, leak out.
1t has been the good fortune of th Q
HERALD to obtain advance information
several times in regard to grand jury
business. and this case WAS no exceI
ton.
The reason for not using the name OF
the indicted man yesterday was the
desire not to hamper the ends of justice
in any way, but it was secertained yes
terday that he is supposed to have al
ready levanted, and that the officers
will have some difficulty in finding him.
The indictments, it is stated on good
authority, are against ex Deputy Asses
cor AL Cobler.
1t has been an open secret around the
court house for some time that there
was something very crooked in his &C
counts, and that he has been under in
vestigation by the grand jury.
The indictments against Cobler are
directed to several transactions in
money paid by citizens supposedly to
the assessor, but which was not turned
in, although received by him.
= Al IL
tion to one such instance, in which As
SCISSOR Gray personally paid up little
discrepancy of $I93.62, in which Mr..
Cobler figured, and since that time he
has paid yet again for him.
The first instance mentioned was
where receipt numbered 1886, fer
$193. 62, was held by w. A. Montague &
Co., wholesale merchants on Los Ange-
les street, and which was paid by them
April l, 1898. An examination of the
books ehowed that the stub of receipt
No. 1886 was made out in the name of
Fred Kellogg for 80 cents. The deputy
who signed the receipt was Al Cobler.
1t is said that the indictments against
Cobler deal with transactions similar to
the one just mentioned.
Those who seem to know say that the
six indictments all pertain to one parti-
cular line OF ofenees, being separate
counts, as it were, and that the grand
jury has succeeded in getting some very
plain cases against the accused.
Cobler has been very we'll known in
local politics for several years past. He
has always taken a very active part in
the campaigns, and was particularly
active in the organization OF political
clubs.
He was in Assessor Gray's Office from
the time he went into Office until a
short time ago, and had ample oppor-
tunity to engineer the offenses with
which he is charged.
There is not much doubt that be is
not at present in the city. The officers
were furnished with warrants very
shortly after the indictments were re-
turned, and although two days have
since elapsed they have not yet succeed
ed in locating him.
He had quite a number of riends in
the city who, it is believed, have put
him in possession of the action of the
grand jury and given him time to se-
crete himself or get over the border, il
he had any intention of running away
from the charges which have been made
against him.
One person who was questioned yes
terday about the matter said that the
amount of the shortage of the indicted
man may turn out much larger than is
at present supposed. The amount has
not yet gone beyond $1,000, but what ad-
ditional Investigations may show cannot
yet be stated.
Some of the information upon which
the present grand jury has been work
ing was accumulated during the life OF
the last grand jury which. as every body
still remembers, was knocked out by
Judge Shaw before it had finished its
labors.
The briskness with which the grand
jury has started to work with the indict-
ment mill was favorRbly commented
upon yesterday, and it is understood
that there is likelihood that it will
grind again shortly. and that the body
is very business-like.