The San Francisco call., 1899-10-13
CONLON MAKES
A BAD BREAK
ON THE STAND
Desks Purchased but
Not Delivered.
BUG IN A $4,000 CONTRACT
GRAND JURY AFTER CORRUPT
SCHOOL DIRECTORS.
DR.. Gedge and His Partner Went Be-
fore the Inquisitors to Protest
Their Innocence Without
Being Summoned.
BUG IN A $4,000 CONTRACT
GRAND JURY AFTER CORRUPT
SCHOOL DIRECTORS.

The Grand Jury is determined to get at
the bottom of the Board of Education
scandal, if such a thing is possible, and
If present indications count for anything
it is more than likely that indictments
Will be round against at least TWO mem
bers of that body for accepting brlbes
from firms furnishing supplies to the
School Department. The energy displayed
by the members of the Grand Jury IN
investigating the charges OF corruption
that have been made against Gedge and
Conlon has started shivers OF apprehen-
sion chasing up and down the spinal col
umns OF that unsavory pair, while Di-
rector kemp's disgust at the manner in
which he was bunkoed out of what he
considered his share of the Doodle" has
been succeeded by fear that he may
also be indicted.
Yesterday these three worthless rushed
panic-stricken before the Grand Jury,
each for himself, 10 testify to his indi-
vidual honesty. In their anxiety, however,
they Overreached themselves. They had
not been subpenaed, and If they were in
nocent they could have trusted their fate
safely in the hands of the Grand Jury;
but reason was blinded by the knowledge
of their dangerous position, and they tried
a plan that may, after all, prove their un-
doing.
Their actions while waiting in the ante
room for an opportunity TO be heard were
suspicious to the last degree. They sat
in one corner Of the room for more than
an hour comforting in whispers-that is,
Gedge and COnlOn did. Kemp was there
part Of the time, but his nerves were on
edge, and frequent visits to nearby dis
pensarieS of "gTOcers' were necessary to
keep up his tagging courage. But Kemp
never got s chance to protest his pureneSS
of heart and purpose before the tnquis-
itoTs, for by the time that body had fin
ished with the other two It was p. m,
and an adjournment was taken.
Conlon was the first to be called: He
entered the Grand Jury room with his
little story of how he had been vilihed
and abused on the tip of his tongue, but
he had not been under fire five minutes
before the lynaGS nf his dafenSe
apparent to the most obtuse juryman in
the room-and the Grand Jury is COM
posed of an exceptionally intelligent
body Of men. Conlon's discontinue was
caused by his reference to the purchase
from c. f. Weber &. Co. of a $4,000 lot
Of desks for the School Department
What has become Of $4,000 worth Of these
desks is one of the things that the Grand
jury Is desirOus Of knowing. Kemp was
not know. He could not tell whether the
desks had ever been received, or If re-
ceived how distributed, Notwithstanding
the fact that he IS and was at the time
the purchase was made chairman of the
committee on supplies. In fact, so far as
his knowledge went the desks are as COM
pletely lost as though they had never
existed.
DR.. Gedge was next given a chance to
clear himself and went to the task with
an assurance worthy OF better cause.
He protested SOlemnly that he had never
received $1,000 nor any other sum as a
bribe, and sought to convince the jurors
Of the absurdity of such an assumption
by quoting the price paid for the station
cry supplies which would preclude the
possibility Of the successful bidder pay
ing such a large commission. He did
not attempt to explain where the $4,000
worth Of desks had gone, however Dur
ing the course of his testimony Gedge at
tributed his accusation to the animosity
Of George Walker, the man to whom he
confessed the acceptance Of a $1,000 bribe.
In addition to the two directors several
other witnesses were examined, but their
diet appeared to testify to the good char
acter Of DR.. Gedge, although he had not
been subpeuaed as a witness. J. Curtis,
representing the firm of Payot, Upham &
Co, and c. NJ. Virgins, representing the
firm Of the Whitaker & Ray Company,
testified in regard TO certain supplies fur
nished the department.
The Grand Jury Will hold a special ses-
sion this afternoon and evening to fur
ther investigate the School Department
scandal