The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1895-01-22
WILL Be 4 HOT WAVE
The Fires Are Burning for
the Wicked.
BUCKLEY MAY TAKE A RUN.
Startling Testimony Secured About
Election Frauds.
LIVELY WORK FOR THE GRAND JURY.
The Blind Boss Was in the City and
Held Consultations With AttOr.
neys and Friends.

| Chris Buckley and his willy lieutenant
Maurice Schmitt will be called upon to-
morrow to tell the Grand jury what they
know about tampering with election re-
| turns at midnight.
1t is known that subpenas have been
issued through the secretary of the Grand
Jury for Buckley and Schmitt. At the
| District Attorneys office yesterday none
| of the deputies admitted any knowledge of
the proposed wholesale investigation of
| fraud in the Twenty Assembly Dis
| trict. But the Grand Jury will proceed
with the inquisition just the same, pro-
| vided the manipulators and those who are
! familiar with the crooked work can be
| found.
1t is believed that the iniquities to be
! exposed in various precincts of the
Twenty eighth Assembly District will
throw the Baldwin Hotel suffers exploits
far in the shade for wicked operations.
The cases pending are not mere matters of
stuffing precinct registers. They are clear
cases of stealing-theft of votes, burglari-
Gus assaults on the ballot-boxes in that
district.
During the past few days there has been
lively exodus of election manipulators
from the regions of Tar Flat and the terri
tory Immediately adjacent. Scores of
| faces well, i'll and Familiarity known around
the saloons and corner groceries have gone
out of sight, for time at least. Perhaps
some of them are rusticating on Chris
Buckley's Livermore ranch. The grand
jurors are careful not to give Boss Buckley
official warning of their intentions, for they
consider him as wary as any man that ever
pulled an invisible wire, and it might oc-
cur to his sensitive intellect that his testi-
mony before the Grand Jury would be
merely the prelude to an Indictment
against himself. The fact that he was in
the city yesterday in consultation with
political allies and his attorneys had the
effect of disarming suspicion among peo-
pie, leaving with them the impression that
he was in perfect security and not at all
wanted by the Grand Jury. But among
others who are credited with considerable
astuteness, Mr.. Buckeyes presence in GER
tain of his haunts yesterday left an entirely
different impression. These suspicious in
dividuals even went so far as to hint that
the blind boss might be preparing for a
journey far away for the good of his health,
and the health of several others who know
as much as he.
One thing is certain. There are several
members of the Grand Jury who are de-
termined tie learn all they can about the
altering of votes and returns in several
precincts of the Twenty eighth Assembly
District. Their curiosity is particularly
directed to the Seventh Precinct, where
Buckley and Schmitt paused at midnight
on the second day of the count. Why
Maurice Schmitt should go inside of the
booth and remain an hour and half, and
what business he had there at ALL while
Buckley detained Reardon, one of the in
spectors, at the hack in which he and
Schmitt had ridden to the booth, are mat
tiers which the grand jurors consider
worthy of investigation. 1t is no longer
matter of conjecture that gross fraud was
perpetrated in the Seventh Precinct of the
Twenty eighth District as well as in sew
eral others of the precincts. Sufficient
evidence to warrant criminal prosecution
has been secured and will be made use of
at the proper time, which will be very
soon.
w. n. Gagan, foreman of the present
Grand Jury, now devotes his days and
portion of the nights to the work of in
vestigating the election frauds. 1t is gen.
orally considered unfortunate that Joseph
Britton is not actively at work with the
Grand Jury, of which he is a member. Mr..
Rritton s time is now pretty much taken
up with the Board of Freeholders, and he
was excused by the Grand Jury in order to
work on the new charter.
The present week is expected to unfold
some startling disclosures that will result
In dozen or more indictments and
arrests.