The San Francisco call., 1896-11-28
The Grand Jury Asks the
Directors About the
Mission High.
Pointed Questions Asked About
the Purchase of the Guerrero
Street Lot.
Long and Loud Tslk in the Jury
Roo m About Indictm ants and
Injunctions.

for that property?"
The foregoing was one of the first ques-
tions which the Grand Jury yesterday
afternoon propounded to Henry T. Scott,
president of the Board of Education.
Mr.. Scott replied: "If 1 particularly
wanted tat property for building pur-
poses would pay it. Since the valuation
had been appraised by experts at $1,000
would give the $25O0 extra to get just what
/ wanted"
Grand Juror James C. Nealon was the
chief questioner. He wanted to know if
Mr.. Scott had heard of the public tumult
and the newspaper roasts about the con-
duct of the Board of Education in this
property purchasing transaction.
Scott dazed the jury by asking questions
himself in rapid-fre style. He sailed in
after this fashion,:
"Why, you have been roasted by the
press. haven't you. Nealon2 You were
Asse ssor and didn't the newspapers charge
that you had not assessed the Union Iron
Works at the true value? Didn't you come
down to the works and assess US 2"
Then every body in the Grand Jury room
excepting the Assistant District Attorney
Mr.. Peixotto, asked questions. Frederick
Hobbs and Harry W. Goodall were excep
tionally active.
The site about which so many questions
were asked in such short space of time is
at the corner OF Guerrero and Eighteenth
streets. 1t is owned jointly by the Jewish
Cemetery Association and the Bloch es-
tate.
Mr.. Lawton, the real estate man, has
been conducting negotiations on the part
of the Board of Education for the pur-
chase of the land. Its proposed TO erect
the Mission High School on the site.
Other lots were considered. One at Fol-
som and Twentieth streets obtained some
favor. A tract of land on Valencia street
was regarded as desirable, but inquiry
brought out the information that that
tract was not for sale. The original figure
for the accepted site was SOC, 600. but before
the terms of transfer had been adjusted
the Mission Defense Club and another as
sociation IN the region where there is no
| fog let out the news that the board wanted
| the Guerrero-street property.
On receipt of this news the owners
promptly advanced the price from $4,000
to $50, ,0O0. A. 2. Van Duzer, who was anx-
ious that the purchase should be consum-
mated, begged the board TO hold the ques-
ton open; promising to get the price re-
duced to $50. .000 He got it down to $52.
500. and at the figure eleven of the twelve
School Directors voted to buy.
School Directors Scott, Knox, McElroy,
Hawley, Comte, Henderson, Murdoch
Soper, Carew and Barrett and Secretary
|
what they knew about the values of real
estate and the methods of preparing plans
for new buildings.
The School Directors were asked if they
did not know that the law required that
plans should be open to competition.
Mention was made of q communication
from Editor CulDertson on that subject.
Directors Carew and Murdoch were so
long in the jury-room that outsiders fan
cied that the Jury had found a lead. 1t
transpired that The time was taken up in
testing the knowledge of witnesses con-
cerning the value of real estate in San
Francisco. Incidentally it was disclosed
that the Grand Jury has had experts fig
uring on the value of this accepted site OF
land. Um bsen and Shainwald have been
asked what the property is worth. The
former held it to be worth $50. 900.
The School Directors acknowledge that
they were punched for S2500, but fall back
OH the general proposition that board or
public body can never make as good a
bargain as an individual may bring about.
Sellers, it is said, viii take advantage of
public necessities. According to the
story told to the Grand Jury the size OF OF
this Rarticular lot OF land Is 1874 by 39S
feet. Nj has depth OF 220 feet in the
rear. The site is an ideal one. After de-
ducting the price of the land and the
architects commission there will be left
$i37, 900 for the building from the allotted
sum of $500, 600.
The Grand Jury seemed to think that
undue haste had been shown in the ac-
ceptance of plans. The witnesses, on COM
ing out of the jury-room, said Undue
haste was the chief charge against the
board. Nealon fired that suggestion at
them several times, and wanted to know
point blank if they had not been guilty OF
''undue haste"
, There was quite tempest in the jury
/ room. Men at work on the dome of the
, New City Hall paused to listen to the
speeches. The reaching qualities of Nea-
Ions educated lungs were tested. Some
of the jurors wanted indictments at first;
then they wanted an injunction. At Z
o'clock, after the Jury had been in session
, for five solid hours, most of the jurors
wanted an adjournment.
The case was then put over until next
Tuesday evening. In the meantime ii
will be seen what can be done. More ex.
, perts will place a valuation on the land.
The frienns of other sites will rally and
seek to defeat the purchase. TIE transac-
tion is still open, as the examination oi
title is still pending. This afternoon at s
o'clock the Board of Education will hold
a special meeting.
When the jury adjourned the foreman
Frederick Hobbs, said nothing had been
: done. He observed that the price of the
I Guerrero-street land had gone up from
! $50, 900 to $52 500, but fancied that the ad-
vance was due 10 the general prosperity
( following McKinley's election. A further
rise than that was not obtained from the
: foreman.
/, The Grand Jury committee on Health
/, Department, almshouse, hospitals and
City Prison had report ready for sub
8 mission yesterday, but the pressure o.
School Department business excluded
consideration of the report. This com
!. mittee is COMPOSED of A. E. Drucker, Viii
o liam f. Mau and Richard Pecht. Rumo
{ goes that the hospital management ha
4 received the attention of the committee
|
A Successful Concert.