The times., 1899-12-05

l..
to whether the grand jury OF the United
States Court would take up the charges
of conspiracy against we'll known parties
for defrauding the Government out of large
sums of money in conjunction with Oberlin
NJ Carter, were effaced this morning when
Judge Emery Speer, of the United States
District Court. delivered his charge to that
body. The judge said:
Because of the fact that it is the pur-
pose of the Government to submit to your
consideration indictments against persons
charged with conspiracy to defraud the
public treasury of large amounts in the
harbor Improvements along the coast the
court, in the exercise of its authority. has
summoned you from some of the best
counties of the interior where the cti-
zens are presumed to have no personal
knowledge of the matters which you are
( to investigate. OF course no reflection
was intended by this necessary action upon
any locality 1t was taken to conform as
nearly as practicable, to the universal
practice of courts in securing unpreiudiCed
and impartial jurors. The State law pro-
yides for change of venue in such cases.
| The United States law provides that the
| court may direct that the jurors shall be
summoned from other portions of the dis
trct."
It is a fact that not member of the
Federal grand jury resides in Savannah or
| in Chatham county Even had Judge Speer
! not been so pointed in his remarks it would
| have become evident from the witnesses
that have entered the grand jury room to-
day that the alleged Carter stealings were
under investigation again.
The first witness to disappear behind the
doors of the grand jury room was Mr..
Johnson, Government clerk, of Wash
ington. He carried with him a large bun
die of records that had been used in the
/ Carter court martial two years ago Paper
after paper was identified by him, judg-
! ing from the length Of time he remained
in the room with the jury. Other signifi-
cant witnesses were Major John Tweedale.
who is now in the Regular Army, but who
was chief Of records in the Engineers
Department in Washington when Carter
was here. Major F. Y. Abbott. who was in
charge Of the Charleston district, the
neighboring district to Savannah, was an
other witness. Major William Black, of
the Engineer Corps, u. S. A. made his
appearance during the afternoon. Eugene
Hughes, Of Syracuse, n Y, who is suppCs-
ed to know about the transactions between
Captain Carter and the Atlantic Contract
| ing Company, was also on hand. He has
not testified.
Men who have claimed that they were
tricked into going into contracts through
the connivance Of Carter and the atlantic
/ Contracting Company, or VINO have said
they cOHidenot secure contracts, because OF
the alleged conspiracy between the com
pany and the Government agents were nu-
merous. Prominent among them was for
mer Mayor W H. Vanable, of Atlanta,
who was refused specifications for river
and harbOr work, but who got a contract
for stone work on Fort Screven, Tybee
Island, and lost 100000 trying 10 live up
to the specifications. Contractor A. J.
Twiggs, OF Augusta, who swore in the
court martial that he had the screws put
so tight on him that he had to throw up
his contract is another witness who is to
go before the grand jury. W. H. Patter-
son. of Atlanta another contractor who
had trouble getting specifications. is also
{ here.
One OF the most interesting witnesses
was Charles f. Graham, proprietor Of the
| Pulaski House, where ii is believed one OF
I the conspiracies was hatched. 1t was in
/ one of the rooms OF this house that it is
/ claimed B. d. Green and John Gaynor met
/ others for business conferences.
The number of local witnesses is large.
They include J. W. o. Sterley, chief clerk
to Carter. who gave damaging testimony
against him in the court-martial; James
/ l. Gallaher, an Inspector, who has said 10
his friends that representatives of Colonel
Gaynor went to his home and tried to per
suade him not to give testimony; stephen
/ r. Harris, assistant freight agent of the
/ Plant railroad system, who testified in
/ suit against the Gaynors that rock which
had been rejected, and the contractor from
/ whom it had been secured refused pay
ment therefor, had lately been used in the
/ river work. There are many other Wit
( nesses TO go before the grand jury to
build up a capital case against parties 9th
/ er than Green and Gaynor. If it were only
the intention of the court to proceed
against these two it is the belief that the
work would have been finished today. So
/ extensive is the investigation TO be, how
/ ever. that the district attorney has asked
] for the services of the grand jury for
weeks.
Oberin Carters friends are not letting
the sitting of the court go by default His
/ attorney, A J. Rose, of New York. was
among the first to arrive at the courtroom
| this morning and he is keeping a careful
! eye on all the proceedings.