The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-28
Many Forgeries in Its
Petition.
NO PRIMARIES WERE HELD
PHELAN'S PLAN OF APPOINTING
DELEGATES FOLLOWED.
Attorney Garret McEnerney Calls w
P. Grace Mountebank and all
Enemy to Society-A
Warm Time.

The Supreme Court did not listen yes
terday to the argument that was TO have
been made on the writ of mandate grant
ed by that body on Wednesday to w. Z
Grace, of the sos called United Labor
party, against Registrar Biggy. Instead
the court called in Commissioner Chip
man to listen to testimony that indicated
fraud and forgery on a big scale on the
part of the managers of Grace's alleged
political body.
Garrett McEnerney, for the respondent
said in his opening statement that he
proposed to prove that most of the names
on Grace's petition were either forged or
otherwise fraudulent; that the party it
self was no more than piece club and
trap through which Grace seeks to get
money by false pretense from the candi-
dates for indOrsing their nominations,
and that the money so secured he intend
ed to use for his own private purposes.
He called him mountebank and an enc
Though W. H. H Hart for the petit
toner, argued that as Registrar Biggy' S
duties were purely ministerial, he had no
right TO go behind the face of the petit
ton to look for fraud, Chief Justice Beat
~ ordered that testimony be taken by
the Commissioner.
Registrar Biggy was the first witness
TO take the stand. He testified that Grace
had presented his petition for filing on
the evening Of the 18th inst, and that he
the same evening, and that he had also
submitted them to the chairman OF the
Grand Jury. AT that time" said Mr..
Biggy, Il was working on two petitions,
both purport1ng to be of the United Labor
party. l set my deputies to work on the
Grace petition, and we found many errors
and apparent forgeries. l so informed
Mr.. Grace on the evening of the 10Th. In
1900 names we found 800 that were not on
the register and rs that We're forged We
found only 467 in the whole lot that were
genuine.
Chairman Grace followed Mr.. Buggy to
the stand Grace said he was carpen-
ter, but that it had been SO long since he
had worked that he had forgotten the
date. Iapses of memory characterized
could not remember the date of the con-
vention, which he thought his party had
held, but thought that it was some time
last month. Nor could he recall the
names of any of the fifty or sixty mem
bers he thought were present. When
asked how his delegates had been selected
of Phelan and his committee of one hun
dred jobchasers and had appointed them
You held no primaries?" said Mr.. Nc
Enerney, in surprise. No" was. the re-
ply, I'VE followed the example of Mayor
Phelans committee and appointed our
own men whom We knew would stand in
Grace acknowledged that during the
election OF 1895 he had pursued the same
plan he is working now, and at that
time the Republican committee had prom
ised him $3.50, which he never received.
Mr.. McEnerney attempted to pin him down
TO a statement of how much he had been
promised on the present election and fin
ally elected the admission that about $500
had been promised But" said Grace
I'D take fifty per cent If they would paw
it to me down"
Commissioner Chapman announced that
he had heard enough Of that sort of evil
dence to acquaint him with the nature of
Grace's party, and one of Grace's solicit
tors, Frank Buckley, was placed on the
portant. He swore he had forged. at the
request of Grace, a number of the sigma
lures that appeared as bona fide on the
petition and he read the names he had
so forged. Commissioner Chapman shut
out further testimony along that line by
continuing the matter to 10 o'clock this
morning, when other witnesses to testify
to forgerfes will be introduced.