The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-13
Employed an Expert to Secure
Papers Kept From Him by
His Partners.
FoILED BY AN ALERT OFFICER
Sensational Result of a Quarrel
Between Members Of
Corporation.

SANTA CRUZ. CAL, July 1.-THE So
cial and religious attractions of Santa
Cruz Sabbath were given the spice of q
procedure in Justices court against J. f.
Cunningham and Jules Ny this morning.
1t was no common misdemeanor, but an
offense against property--an attempt to
crack safe in broad daylight for legitl-
mate purpose. Whether or not safe can
be legally cracked is question of law that
will be considered first by Justice Gardner
and probably afterward by Judge Logan
OF the Superior Court. That the safe was
MOI opened was due to the watchfulness of
the officer. who permitted only an attempt
before he placed the parties under arrest,
and directed them to appear before the
Justice.
The Grover-Cunningham Mill and Lum-
Der Company, whose safe Mr.. Cunning
ham sought to open, is corporation
formed of the S. f. Grover Company and
the J. +. Cunningham Company. both
formerly engaged in the lumber and mill
business. AT the formation of the present
corporation 1000 shares OF stock were is
sued, of which the Grover Company re-
ceived 495 and the Cunningham Company
an equal number. The ten remaining
shares were equally divided between J. +.
Cunningham. J. w. Cunningham, 7. v.
Mathews, s. F. Grover and D. w. Grover,
who formed the board of directors.
at the June meeting of the board the
dissatisfaction that has existed between
the Cunninghams and Mathews on the
one side and the Growers on the other re-
suited in the former, who formed the ma
jority of the board, discharging d. w.
Grover from his position as assistant man.
ager and Secretary Williams from his po-
sition as bookkeeper.
The Growers then sought legal advice,
and took the ground that this combina-
tion of corporations was not O legal cor
poration, and, while the Cunningham
faction proceeded TO change the locks on
the doors of the buildings and quietly bar
the Growers out on occasion, the Growers
resorted TO a scheme that greatly puzzled
the Cunningt ans. The handsome safe,
into the door of which Jules Nv, the
expert safe man drilled hole this morn
ing, is the alleged personal property of
the Growers, and they placed the books
and accounts of the corporation within
its iron and steel walls aud changed the
combination.
j. f. Cunningham was not to be baked
by such trivial thing as safe locked with
a combination whi,h he did not know
He sent to San Francisco for Expert Jules
Ny. Ny arrived last night, and at 7
o'clock this morning, while the town
was quiet and peaceful. before the pleas
ure-seekers and church-goers had begun
to fill the streets. Mr.. Cunningham con-
Quoted the expert to the office of the
Grover Cunningham corporation and di-
rected him to proceed to open the safe.
Constable Joe Harveston was also there,
with instructions from the Growers to pre-
vent the opening of the safe. Harveston
warned them not to proceed, if that was
their intention, but they needed him not.
Ny, under direction of Mr.. Cunningham,
proceeded to the drilling of hole in the
safe door, The officer stopped the work
by the majesty OF the law, and the parties
repaired to Justice Gardner's court. There
Mr.. Cunningham and Mr.. Ny were charged
with an offense against property, and the
hearing OF the case was postponed until
July 20. In the mean time the safe must
remain unmoiested by either person.
District Attorney Lindsay has been attor-
ney for the Growers, but his official posi-
ton rendered it necessary that ether cour-
sci appear for the civil interest of the case,
and Judge ]. H. Skirm was made attorney
of record, while Senator Bart Burke APP
peared for the Cunning ans. The de-
PENDANTS were allowed to go on their own
recogniZance, as the case will be conducted
only as civil action.
-
Wafnut Creek AAicide.