The morning call., 1895-02-27
DEFRAUDING THE
UNITED STATES.
THE FEDERAL GRAND JURY INDICTS
A NOTARY AND AN OLD
SOLDIER.
CROOKED PENSION CLAIMS.
BLANK CERTIFICATES SIGNED.
OTHER NoTARIES ARE IN
DANGER.

| There was considerable excitement
around the United States Grand Jury room
in the Appraisers building yesterday. 1t
was the first session of the jury and they
found enough work on hand to keep them
employed from 2 until long after P. NJ.
The Government is after the notary pub
lies of San Francisco, and as result of
the jury's investigation John P. Poole, at
torney-at-law, notary public and commits
sioner of deeds, and Henry Boyakin,a farm
er near Cloverdale, were indicted. They
are accused of attempting to defraud the
United States Government by means OF
| fraudulent pension certificates.
The charge is openly made that Poole
and other notaries have been attesting pen
| sion claims in blank and thus violating the
| law. 1t was probably the fact that there
was no direct evidence of 4. III. Mcdonald
| having appeared personally before the
notary that hung the jury, when the prls-
oner was on trial before Judge Murphy on
a charge of perjury.
| In any event the Government is satisfied
| that number of notaries have been vio-
lating their oaths, and several more of
them will be indicted before the Grand
Jury adjourns.
The plan is very simple one. An old
| soldier pretends to be half deaf or blind.
| He may not be totally incapacitated. but
nevertheless his intirmities, according to
| him, were all acquired while he was in the
! army. He accordingly applies for PEN
sion and hunts up his witnesses. The lat
| ter are scattered all over the State, and the
| expense of getting them signed before a
notary in the various towns in which they
are located would cost too much
Accordingly the applicant goes to a
notary public in San Francisco and secures
Ho,, xNf Nlyc ho Coll
sworn affidavit attached:
On the .... day of. ....................
A. D. one thousand eight hundred and ninety.
Pubic in and for the City and County OF San Fran
CISCO State of California, residing therein, duly
commissioned and qualified, personally appeared
known to me to be the individual described in,
cuted the annexed instrument, and ac-
knowledgeG TO me that he executed the same.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have here
unto set my hand and affixed my Official Seal, at
| my Office, in said City and County of San Fran
| cisco, the day and year last above written.
Notary Public.
In and for the City and County OF San Francisco,
| State of California.
| This state of affairs caused an investi-
cation and the result was test case be-
| fore the United States Grand Jury. The
matter was thoroughly inquired into
yesterday and the Indictment of John P.
| Poole and Henry Boyakin followed. The
| Government expects a conviction and if
one is secured the other cases will be prose-
cuted.
| In the meantime fraudulent pension
| claims will be investigated and ~indict-
/ ments found, but no action will be taken
until these test cases are determined
| The witnesses examined in the Poole
Boyakin case yesterday were w. w.
Charles, G. Ratio, II. Beiser, John
| Murphy and Eliza Boyakin. These are
testified to having signed the blank aft
| davits.
Ratio said he knew Boyakin, but could
| not swear whether he had been in the
army or not. Nevertheless his affidavit
set forth that he knew Boyakin when he
was soldier at Fort Leayenworth, Kan,
and that he was then gradually becoming
| deaf. In 1887, according to him, Boyakin
| came to San Francisco and the two men
met again. 1t was then that Boyakin was
applying for a pension aud he induced
Ratio to sign the affidavit.
| John p. Poole. the man indicted for at
| tempting to defraud the Government, is an
attorney-at-law and one of the best-known
notary publics in San Francisco. He is
also commissioner of deeds. His office
| is at 1913 Montgomery street. He first
| came into prominence in this city during
| Governor II. H. Haight's administration
| when he was appointed secretary of the
Swamp and Overlooked Land Commission.
| That was when the Golden State was poor
and money had to be raised, so that the
| swamp and overlooked lands were put UP
| to the highest bidder.
| When the commission finished its work
Poole secured position under County
| Clerk Harvey as clerk in one of the Supe-
rior Courts While holding that office he
was admitted to the bar and when Harvey s
| term expired Poole went to Nevada and be-
gan practicing as an attorney. Later he
came to San Francisco and was appointed
a notary public and commissioner OF deeds.
| Since that time he has acquired small
fortune. He purchased land near old st.
| Mary's College, and when the electric road
was constructed the property increased in
value. Mr.. Poole built himself home on
the corner of Laidley and Paramount
avenue, where he now resides with his wife
Whipping is still used to punish Grim
! inals in Montreal. The other day one
! Alphonse Lausendeau received TWENTY-FIVE