The San Francisco call., 1901-12-19
FAILS TO PROBE
MURDER MYSTERY
Nevada County's Grand
Jury Returns No
Indictments.
Is Not Quite Certain That
Joseph Grif1ths Died a
Violent Death.
Special Dispatch to The Gail.

GRASS VALLEY, Dec. lS.-NeVaua
Countys Grand Jury has been unable to
fathom the Griffiths murder mystery; in
fact, if portion of its report is permitted
to stand alone the jury is not even pre-
pared to say that murder was committed.
After more than week spent in investi-
cation the Grand Jury ended its labors
to-day without having brought in a true
bill against any one in connection with
the crime.
Gritfitns body was found at the bottom
of an abandoned mine shaft months after
he had disappeared from his home in this
city. The shaft was few feet back or
the house of Charles Allen, and the dis
covery of the body was due to informa-
ton given for monetary consideration
by relative of Allen. About the time
or the hndIng OF the remains AAenS wife
disappeared. She was captured a few
days ago in San Jose, and SAID in inter
views in that city that her husband and
Grifhths had been rivals for the love OF
another woman and that she had feared
trouble between the two men. Sheriff
Getchell, while in San Jose to bring Mrs.
Allen back to this city, declared that the
two sons of Allen had given testimony
strongly duplicating their father.
If there was not sufficient evidence
upon which to base an indictment upon
murder charge, it was believed that the
Grand Jury would at least cause several
persons to answer for perjury and for
Withholding testimony at the time of the
Grifiths inquest. This the investigating
body has not done, and it has passed up
to the Governor of the State the task of
unraveltng the mystery.
Despite the fact that Grifiths body
was found hidden under a pile of refuse
al the bottom of mine shaft, and that
during the autopsy bullet was found IN
the body, the jury's report contains this
remarkable paragraph:
We are unable to find true bill, for the
reason that it is impossible to determine a
fact that a crime has been committed.
oil IN ', ,ic
dictory statement is made:
Nevertheless under the suspicious circum-
stances surrounding the disappearance of Grif-
fiths and the finding Of the body, we the
Grand Jury believe that murder has been
committed, and therefore recommend that the
Governor of this State and the Supervisors of
Nevada County offer appropriate rewards for
the arrest and conviction of the murderers of
said Griffths.
q : !. / !. !. d
proper officers and the legal officers were in
attendance when the meeting called to
order For a majority to leave the hall with
the records, go to another place and hold an
independent meeting at which the books
mutilated is clearly violation of the rights
of the other members of the committee who
opposed such a radical proceeding These
rights will be maintained at any cost. We
contend that the law is on side, and for
that reason We will take the matter into court
speedily as possible 1 was not in SYM
pathy with the movement to secure a warrant
for Aubertines arrest for unlawful conversion
of property and the failure of Ryan and Lane
to secure warrant did not surprise me-. There
is another way for the dissenting members of
the committee to secure their rights and it will
be adopted to-day.
Mayor-Elect Is Satisfied.
Mayor-elect Schmitz expresses himself
as being well pleased with the coup d'etat
of Tuesday evening and with the remain
ing members of the committee he laughs
at the efforts of the Buckley faction to
regain their alleged rights. In speaking
of the affair last night he said:
l heard several days ago that Buckley in
tended to capture the committee and make the
Union Labor party tail to his awakened po-
litical aspirations 1 went TO the meeting
Tuesday evening with one purpose in my mind,
namely, to reconcile the warning factions, if
that were possible. Chairman Delaney's rul-
ings convinced me that there was no hope of
bringing about the desired reconciliation and
when he decided a certain motion carried when
in fact seventeen voted against it to seven in
favor L decided to take hand in the proceed
ings. then requested all who favored fair
play and harmony to follow me and we ad-
journed to another hall across the street and
reorganzed the committee That's the story
in nutshell.
have no fear of the results of the suit to
be filed by the dissatisfied minority, or rather,
the Buckley contlngent IN the committee.
no quorum with which to transact business
The contention that our act was illegal can
not in my judgment be sustained in court. 1t
will be hard to overcome the principle tha.
the majority rules at all times in all assem-
blies Had the Buckley contingent quorum
lsft after the majority adjourned to another
place the legal aspect of the situation might
be different. AS it is we are on the right side,
Union Labor party is assured
The refusal of the Mayor-elect to pledge
himself to appoint certain members of
the Buckley wing to fat offices on the
various commissions is primarily respon-
sible for the troubles in the committee
Delaney, the deposed chairman, has been
making strong fight for place on the
Board of Fire Commissioners, but Mayor
elect Schmitz refused to make any prom
ises to that end, and this accounts for
Delaney's attitude toward the Parry con-
tingent. 1t is said seventeen applications
for six offices have been filed with the
Mayor-eleet, most of these being by mem
bers OF the executive committee of tn
Union Labor party. Schmitz has posi-
lively announced that he will favor all
parties in making appointments, and that
no party will be in position to say that
1t owns him absolutely when it comes to
filing the vacancies on the municipal
boards after he assumes the discharge Of
his official functions.
District Club Indorses Parry.
AT a special meeting of the Twenty
eighth District Union Labor Club held
headquarters. 14215 First street the fol-
lowing resolutions were adopted:
Whereas, There being some misunderstand
County Committee. which we regret and dee 5ne
plore; and whereas, J. S. Parry and the com
faithfully and honestly for the success of the
Union Labor party, and desire harmony
the committee will return to the original com
mittee and peace be restored; and be it
Ih6f psc non thf hor , Of the
indorse and recognize J. S. Parry as the chair
man Of the County Committee of the Union
Instructions; and further be 1t
Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions
press.