The San Francisco call., 1897-02-06
NOW FOR COYOTE
SCALP SCANDAL
An Unexpected Sensation
Sprung Before a Senate
Committee.
Bookkeeper McCalvy May Lose
HIS Head for Peculiar
Manipulations.
Fuyilist "Y ung Du chy" and a Bakers.
f,ld Attorney Figure as Legis-
lative Lobbyists.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, Feb. 5.-An en-
tirely unexpected sensation developed at
the meeting of the Senate Finance Com
mittee to-day in connection with the bill
appropriating $2S7. 900 for the payment of
coyote claims from Kern County, which
involved one of the Gle rks in the Office OF
Secretary of State Brown, and at the same
time revived the scandal in connection
with these claims that was put ublished In
The CALL shortly after the end of the last
session of the Legislature.
1t was then told on facts obtained from
Governor Budd how coyote scalps that
were brought into Bakersfield were
manipulated so as to be used over and
over again to obtain receilt Is for them and
so loot the State treasury. Scalps were
brought in and were supposed to be
thrown into stove and thus destroyed
after the scalp-taker had been given his
receipt. Instead, however, of being cast
into flames there was an arrangement by
which they fell behind partition back of
the stove and were thus available for re-
peaters.
During the present session there have
been two discreet lobbyists on the scene
seeking to gain support for these claims.
One of them is Fred Halstead, former
pugilist better known as "Young
Dutchy," and an attorney from Bakers
field.
Everything was going along nicely for
them, and there seemed every prospect
that the bill would receive the unanimous
approval of the Finance Committee, when
an apparently casual inquiry started n
line of inquiry that changed the calm
tmosphere of the committee-r into
a storm OF serious aspect.
Then this story &as brought to the
knowledge of the committee: 1t was
known that the claim was to be brought
before the present Legislature, and short
time after the session began George A.
McCalvy, bookkeeper in the Office of the
Secretary of State, obtained short leave
of absence and hied himself away to Bak-
ersfield. He was aware of the nature of
the pending coyote-scslp claims and
thought he saw chance to turn the tide
of affairs in his favor; but. as events
proved, he misjudged the tide or the
turn.
AS the story is told, he left here happy
and expectanJ in the prospect of bringing
back not less than $500, all for his own
profit. lie had numerous conferences with
the coyote bounty claimants. but was un-
able to convince them that his services in
their behalf we're worth more than $3.50.
Senator Smi tn, who is one of the mem
bers of the Finance Committee and who
represents both Kern and San Luis Obispo
counties, admitted that he had knowledge
of the state of affairs. He had been in
formed by kilograms OF the fact that some
one from the Secretary of States office
was in Bakersfield trying to negotiate his
services. He said he knew the name of
the individual, but declined at this stage
to disclose his name.
The matter had now a most serious
phase, in view OF the fact that the ac-
cused person was employed in the office
of the Secretary of State and that the
latter was member of the State Board of
Examiners, which has to pass on all