The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-06
AS SOON AS THEY WANT 1T.
INDICTED CONSTRUCTORS MAY BE
TRIED AT ONCE.

Getting It-Scarccly Likely They
VIII Ask It-FedernI Grand Jury
Continued Its SessiOns-COntrac-
tors From Various Parts of the
Country and Sub-Trensury Clerk
Examined-Over 1000 Checks, Rep
resentinE Millions of Money,
Brought to savannah.
There is more than possibility that
those who are Indicted by the grand jury
now investigating charges against them
in the Federal District Court will be
tried at the present session. 1t is current
~ understood on the best available au-
thority that should they ask trial at the
present session, it will be granted without
delay.
IL is scarcely to be apprehended, though,
that the indicted defendants will desire
a trial on such short notice. Although
some of them must have apprehended for
some time at least that they would have
to vindicate their innocence of
the crimes charged against them
at the bar of justice. they
VIII hardly be ready to vindicate them
selves at the present time, and will prob
ably ask a postponement of the hearing
until some time during the opening months
of next year. If they are assured of their
innocence, as they claim to be- however,
and anxious to show just how innocent
they are, they viii certainly be granted
an opportunity, with as little delay as is
possible and consistent with the clrcum-
stances of the cases under consideration.
This fact can be stated beyond peradven-
ture or doubt.
A petit jury can be summoned with but
little trouble. and will be when the de-
PENDANTS profess their anxiety to be tried
at the present session. There will be no
delay
The second and third sessions of the
grand jury of the Federal District Court
took place on yesterday morning and af-
ternoon. There were no announced devel-
opments of the proceedings, but from the
exterior of the jury room there wassinfor-
nation enough to command and control
the close attention of the public
The grand jury met at O'Clock and con-
tinued Its morning session until l. At that
hour an adjournment was taken until
O'Clock During the iterim the grand
jury dispersed and its members were alb
sorbed In their own business for two
hours at least.
At the morning session four witnesses
were introduced. These were Messrs. A.
J. Twiggs, Francis Kahn W. II. Venable
and w. II. Patterson. The two gentlemen
last ndHlSu are from Atlanta. Inc OBJECT
OF their testimony was to show the diff
Guilty of getting specifications and plans of
the work and of finding out the essential
particulars involved in making a bid for
any of the contracts that We're offered.
They showed, too, the nature and quality
of the compliance with Specifications that
was required of them, in order that it
might be contrasted with that required of
the contractors who secured the greater
part Of the work
The evidence by Mr. Twiggs who was
one of the contractors for the work on
the Savannah river between Savannah
and Augusta corroborated that of Messrs.
Venable and Patterson, and showed not
only the difficulty of making bids and get
ting specifications, but the further diff
Guilty OF completing the required work in
accordance with the wishes of The con-
tractors. MIR. Twggs said he could do
absolutely nothing that would come up to
the Specifications required in the bids, and
that he was constantly called to account
for the quality of work he was convinced
was far better than work that was being
done on the harbors of Savannah and of
Brunswick
The fourth witness at the morning ses-
sion was Mr.. Francis Kahn, who is an
employe of the sub-treasury department
in New York in charge of the division Of
the officewhich pays the checks that come
through the clearing house. Mr. Kahn
had In his possession and brought with
him TO Savannah, more than 5000 checks,
which showed The entire financial history
of the contracts of Capt Carter with the
Atlantic Contracting Company. In speak
ing about the matter yesterday, Mr. Kain
said he found II difficult 10 understand the
reason for the requirement that he should
bring to Savannah this large number of
checks as only about 1870 of them appeared
to have a material connection with the
r,ff lla nT,r tfanf
81 had been charged were forged by NJ A.
Connally, or some one else connected with
the engineer office. The remaining num-
Der so far as Mr.. Kahn could see, had no
bearing on the case, and simply showed
the amount of money that had been re-
ceived by the Atlantic Contracting Com
pany. The comparatively small number of
checks that he deemed material, however,
embraced in their entirely sums exceeding
81 10000, and the entire number of checks
that Mr.. Kain brought to Savannah null
tipiied this figure two or three times, at
least.
Some of the checks brought to the city
and submitted to the grand jury by Mr..
Kahn were the same that were brought
here and offered in evidence by Mr.. Con-
rad n. Jordan, the sub-treasurer of the
United States, In the courtmartial con-
vened to try the case of Capt Carter, The
difference is that in that case less than 200
IN the case now pending there are more
than 5000. These show every transaction,
and the manner in which the money decid-
ed by Capt. Carter to be due the Atlantic
Contracting Company, was paid to Capt.
B. d. Greene. its treasurer, in New York.
In the afternoon the principal witness
was Mr.. Eugene Hughes, a Syracuse con-
tractor, who had been on many OF the
bonds of the Atlantic Contracting Com
pany. From what Mr.. Hughes said on
the subject 1t is improbable that his evil
dence had much to do with the case, and
quite likely THAI he discussed purely rou-
tine matters. Mr.. Hughes merely show
ed the number of the bonds on which
he had appeared and the manner in which
his signature had been secured.
Among the witnesses yet to be pre-
scented to the grand jury is Will
liam NJ. Council, now resi-
dent OF Boston, but formerly a foreman
In one Of the camps conducted by the At
lantic Contracting Company. Mr. Connel
oonfesses his ignorance of the reason why
he is called aud says he IS at loss 20