The San Francisco call., 1904-12-24


the Grand Jury. The commission then
put the matter over indefinitely.
by the time the Grand Jury is
through with its investigation of the
police conditions that have prevailed
in Chinatown il will make, the recon-
mendation that a large part of the
force be made up of new policemen"
said District Attorney Byington yes
| terday. 1t was a very significant re-
mark and indicates that in his judg-
ment the inquisitorial body is on the
trail of a good case.
( The District Attorney was in attend
ance on the Grand Jury yesterday aft
ernoon, but he was no less wary Of the
press representatives than the jurors
themselves. He had heard the general
discussion of the work of the police
committee, but refused to divulge any
thing
He expressed the opinion, however,
that it would be some time before the
Grand Jury would take definite action
concerning the police scandal. and that
the public would have to wait patiently
for considerable period for informa-
tion as to what was being done in the
|
! the impression that no strong case has
| yet been made out, and particularly
| that the statements of Sergeant Ellis
were not Of the clinching character re-
ported.
| Captain John Seymour, formerly at
the head of the city's detective force,
was mentioned yesterday as a personal
/ friend to whom Ellis had confided that
Af
not to molest the gambling games in
Chinatown. The captain is not involved
/ in the affair.
SEYMOUR DENIES 1T.
Sergeant Ellis has made no state
ment whatever TO me-" declared Sey-
mour. He came to me for advice
when Commissioner Hutton preferred
the charges of neglect of duty against
\ him and all. / had to say to him was
to tell the truth. He did not tell me
that Chief Whitman gave him secret
orders regarding the games in China
town nor anything else that would
/ tend to incriminate any one. From ex-
perience have learned that this thing
of standing pat and of helping anybody
out of trouble is bad policy AS 1
would tell any other friend who ap-
pealed to me for my opinion and ad-
vice 1 told Ellis to tell the truth"
Did Sergeant Ellis indicate to you
that he had been Withholding the
truth?" Captain Seymour was asked.
He did not"
But your advice to him makes it
appear that you thought he had some
thing to tell and had been withholding
| it?"
You can assume what you like
| Ellis never said a word TO me OF what
had been going on in Chinatown. He
did not mention the name of Chief
Whitman, Abe Ruef, Mayor Schmitz,
! Detective Jerry Dinan or any one else.
He simply came to me and said he
was in trouble and wanted me to tell
/ him what was best to do. 1 did not
want TO know of what he might tell,
| for l did not wish to mix up in the
matter, and he did not offer TO tell me
anything. We have been friends for
many years and 1 simply gave him the
/ best advice 1 could-to tell the truth" ;"
Again you indicate that you be-
lieved that he had not yet told all and
your advice indicates that you were
urging him to make a clean breast of
the situation in Chinatown"
Il did not know a thing about it.
hadn't the remotest idea whether he
was in possession of damaging facts or
not He said he was in trouble and 1
advised him to do as 1 have already
stated"
do you know what Ellis has told
the grand jurors?"
II do not. L believe he has told them
something that is important. but just
what it is 1 haven't the remotest idea.
l don't care who is hurt, so long as my
friend Ellis tells the truth. The whole
matter is of no interest to me. You
can say without equivocation that Ellis
never divulged any incriminating facts
to me and that the report to the effect
| that he told me Chief Whitman gave
him secret orders is utterly without
/ foundation"
At the afternoon session of the Grand
Jury yesterday the police scandal was
! rot taken up formally. There was
/ general discussion of the investigation
! that is being conducted by the police
/. committee and the members of it were
given every encouragement to go ahead
with their labors. Strict secrecy was
observed as 20 what occurred.
/ POLICE COMMITTEE MEETS.
| The police committee of the Grand
| Jury was in session four hours last
night and a number Of policemen who
have been members of the Chinatown
souad at various times were called to
testify, but there were no important
developments. A. NJ. Davis. one Of
the members of the committee, left
early and the report was that he had
become disgusted with the investiga-
| ton. Messrs. Bowes and Andrews
emphatically denied the rumor and