The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-04
GROVE |. JOHNSON
And The SMITH BILL
The Nest Outrageous PROPOSE
ton Ever Presented to a
Legislative Body.

CALL HEADQUARTERS, SACRA-
MENTO, Feb. 3.-Grove L. Johnson has
fathered a bill which he introduced in
the Assembly whereby ten thousand
dollars of the money of the taxpayers
of California would be diverted into
the pockets of persons who are no more
entitled to it than the scarlet women of
Babylon were entitled to wear the robes
of a virgin.
The Call this morning exclusively re-
lated the story of Johnson's introduce
ton of the bill, but further investiga-
ton shows that the claim against the
State to which Grove L. Johnson has
given the use of his name in order to
bring it before the Legislature is one of
the most outrageous propositions that
was ever presented to a legislative
body.
On Saturday night, May II, 1891,
Robert Allen, a pioneer and saloon
keeper, was knocked down by a blow
from a blacksmith's hammer as he
was nearing his home. He was robbed
Of several hundred dollars which he
had with him. The blow killed him.
Subsequently three men, Harry Cor
don, Robert Mushett alias Brady"
and Edward McCaig alias Casey"
were arrested They confessed their
knowledge of the crime. Gordon adj
mitted that he and a man named Ha-
ley, with whom he had become ac-
Quainted in a lower K street dive, kept
by ]. D. Smith, had concocted the rob
berry, and that Brady had procured the
hammer for them. Investigation de-
Veloped that William Furlong, who was
then a night bartender for Robert AL
len. was an intimate friend of ]. D.
Smith. Night after night, after the
closing OF Aliens saloon, Furlong
would visit Smith and post him as to
how Allen handled his money, stating
that generally on a Saturday night
Allen would take the money to his
home, wrapped in a cigar case.
1t developed that this Smith, seeing
that Haley was a. suitable tool, had told
Haley that he could put him on to a
lay" where $500 or 500 could be made,
out that II required two men to do the
job; that Haley then took Gordon in on
the proposition and that the trio,
Haley, Gordon and Smith, talked over
the job that Smith then told them
about Robert Allen and how easy il
would be to do the old man in some
dark spot and get the money. 1t was
Lurther shown that Smith wanted $3.50
Tor himself for giving Haley and Cor
don the tip, and also that Bartender
Furlong wanted 500 out of it for put
ting Smith on. to the job. Other cir
cumstances corroborated the testimony
OF the men who were charged with the
robbery and Smith was arrested and
tried. On his first trial Grove l..
Johnson defended him. The jury dis
agreed.
The first trial exhausted all the
money that Smith possessed, and Grove
L. johnson, who had, been his attorney.
deserted him
w. c. Van Fleet, then Superior Judge.
afterward an Associate Justice of the
supreme Court, appointed the man who
mad deserted his client and left him de-
pendent upon the mercy of the court
and the legal fraternity, to act as
SMITHS attorney. Grove /. Johnson
made all manner of excuses to the
court, and Alvin Bruner was appointed
to defend him.
on the second tria Smith was found
guilty and sentenced to life imprison-
ment- HIS case was appealed to the Su-
preme Court, but not until after
Smiths death at the County Hospital
of consumption did the Supreme Court
enter a judgment reversing the lower
court. The people of Sacramento feel
that there is not the slightest shadow
of doubt that ]. D. Smith was ac-
countable for the murder of Robert AL
len.
But now comes Grove L. johnson
who, as lawyer, had deserted his eli
ent and left him at the bar of Justice
accused of crime which, if he were
convicted, carried him either to the GAL
lows or the penitentiarv for the term
Of his life, posing as the father of q
bill to give $4,000 of the peoples money
to the heirs of the accused murderer
Admitting that every dollar the State
would in justice pay to those heirs
was for their sole benefit. what founda-
ton of reason or justice exists for a
claim of this character? 1t is univer
sally admitted that there is none. Yet
Grove i. Johnson proposes that this
money belonging to the taxpayers
shall be appropriated to pay a claim
which before any court or board of ar
bitrators would be looked upon as far
cicak Mr.. Johnson says the press
abuses him unjustly. When Mr.. john
son stands as the sponsor of the al
legged claim of the heirs of j. D. Smith
against the State can he consistently
ask for journalistic approval of his
act, when he does so as a public SER
want?