The record-union., 1896-04-25
A MISTAKEN GRAND JURY,

The Grand Jury must have been very
shortsighted in its peering into official
matters. It growls bitterly because
certain accusations that a previous
grand inquest had presented against
certain officials have not been rich in
the fruitage that was expected, name
ly. convictions. The jury goes on to
say:
We do not know why the accusations
returned have not as a rule borne fruit,
as was honestly intended.
And again it says, referring to
juries:
They make recommendations and find
indictments and accusations, and when
ever their recommendations or charges
refer to malfeasance in office, Doodle or
gross mismanagement,l little or nothing
is ever done.
So far as this applies to the large
batch Of accusations found by the
former jury, this Grand Jury thus con-
fesseS its incompetency and it's ignor-
ance. If 1t does not know why the ac-
cusations have not borne fruit" then it
is ignorant Of that which is Of open rec
ord in the Courthouse, and which
everybody else in the county knows.
For 1t is a matter of common knowl-
edge that the first Of the accusations
brought to trial resulted in a collapse
| so painful and sickening that it dis
gusted the whole community. Super
visor Curtis was brought to trial under
1t and acquitted almost instantly when
the facts were laid before the tribunal,
and even the prosecution admitted that
other convictions could not be had un-
der the law as defined by Judge Catlin
There was not truth enough in the
charge against Curtis to hinge the fit
tering dream Of suspicion on.
The Grand Jury could easily have as
the District Attorney based on charges
In the knocked-out accusations and
have been fully heard before Judge
Hunt Of San Francisco, and that the
public Is now awaiting his decision.
All the accusations were thrown out of
court as untenable. but two being re-
stored, and are now on appeal. Some of
them on their face were found to be sill
| iy, impossible of truth and ridiculous, as
| impossible of truth and ridiculous, as
for instance where one Supervisor was
| cad of fasac rlf
ord shows that he voted and spoke
| against the act complained of.
| So that it is not true that the accu-
sations have been smothered and have
not borne fruit, and it cannot be true
that the Grand Jury did not know this
| to be a fact. We have endeavored to
ascertain where, in what cases and
courts, indictments against officials for
| malfeasance for boodling or gross
mismanagementh have been resulted in
nothing being done" The court rec
ords do not disclose to us that the courts
have suppressed or smothered such
cases. II the Grand Jury, however,
knew of such instances, under oath it
owed 1t to the people to name them
outright and not deal in generalities
AS simple fact, in the matter of
the late accusations against the Su-
pervisors and others by a Grand
Jury and referred to in the present re-
port, we find that the accused had
been pushing the cases all along, anx-
iously and annoyingly persistent to
have them disposed of, and this is no.
torious in the community. The Rec
ord Union" is not engaged in defending
anyone accused, nor in giving deceit
full color to any fact. It does believe in
fair play, however. and in the truth of
the records in these cases, and 1t
knows what 1t has asserted herein to
be notoriouslx Sommon knowledge. 1t