The herald., 1895-12-28
Grand Jury's Report as to the
Clerks Office
WILL 1T COVER EVERYTHING
One Man Who Thinks That the Issue
Is Being Eodged
Says If Full Facts Are Not Reported by the
Grand Jurors They win Come
Through Another Source

AS the first of January draws nigh the
apprehension over what the grand jury
will and " hat it will not do with regard TO
frauds and thievery in the county govern
ment increases. Within the last few day &
new element has appeared at the court
house that has, until very recently, been
under cover. This new factor may yet
cut quite figure in developments regard
ing official crookedness, should the grand
jury overlook some very important details
which can at once be obtained by the grand
jurors if they wish them.
The man has appeared at last who is
prepared to show just exactly how COM
plete exposure can be made of the rotten
ness in the county clerks office for six
years prior to the LIST day of January of
this year.
This man is reliable and the statement
that he has maize bears every evidence II
truth. He is a man who ought to know
whereof he speaks, for he has been i'll the
courthouse for years.
The gentleman was seen yesterday and
to a representative of THE HERALD he
said:
mo sir, if the grand jury does not give TO
the public a full and complete account OF
the crookedness that has been going
years it will not he for the reason that the
full facts could not be obtained for them.
A IL of this Information is right at hand and
can be had il it is wanted.
II would like to see the grand jury make
full report on it, but should the gentle
men overlook the subject 1 will see to 1t
myself that the public gets the full history
of the stealing that has been going on in
the clerks office.
| "OnIy surface facts have thus far been
made public and it is getting late. If the
| grand jury is going to do anything more in
regard TO the matter 1t is about time that 1t
| got a move on itself. l tell you that more
than one man has been party to the
crookedness in the clerks Office, and if
! only one man is made to bear the direct
burden and shame of all the dishonor
| attaching to thief it will not be right.
There are others who are just as bad as
| Frank Lowery, and II they are not shown
up along with him it will be rank dis
elimination.
"Just at present l suppose that Mr..
| Lowery deems it to his interest not to give
out the information he has in his possession,
but my impression is that before he grows
many days older he will regret that he did
not come at once to the front and make a
clean breast of all the facts he had that
could possibly be used to protect the
[ peoples money ia the future, and to bring
criminals who have betrayed public trust
to justice.
"However, there are others who have
practically the same information that
Lowery has, and they are willing to testify
| when they are called on. But some way or
another il seems to me as though the di-
recting mind of the grand jury was not
! over-anxious to go to the bottom OF this
examination Of the affairs of the clerk q
office. Somebody seems to be able TO keep
the Jurors away from the important facts
| xx-l,c ohnuId hppNn1a apnuaintaCI
with.
MIR. Newlin, the present county clerk,
makes loud protestationS that when he
went into office he knew nothing about the
| defalcations, and ailirins that the Informal
ton he got from the grand jury was the
| first intimation he had of the robbery. Mir.
Newlin can tell that story to the marines.
Possibly they would believe it, but for my
| part do not.
II appreciate the fact that Mr.. Newlin is
/ in very unpleasant position, but l do not
| think that he can eXtrcate himself by
making such foolish statements as that.
| MIR. Newlin is a man of BUSINESS, and
will give the people businesslike admin
istration of the clerks office. When he
tells us, as he has, that he practically re.
ceiveo no records of the cash receipts of
the clerks office when Mr.. Ward turned it
over to him, he perhaps tells the truth.
But that of itself ought to have created a
suspicion in his mind that there was some;
| thing rotten somewhere.
| ''But he tries to have us believe that he
thought nothing of the matter, although
there were at the time numerous rumors
ailoat to the effect that the books of the
clerks office were not all right.
''Of course it is unpleasant to have it
said that one public official attempted to
cover up the deiEquencies' and shortages
of his predecessor. If MIR. Newlin was so
DESTROYS of showing the public that this