Evening star., 1905-10-01
GRAFT At milwaukee
More Indictments Returned
by the Grand Jury.
A SCATHING REPORT
PROTECTION OF GAM
BLING HOUSES.
Most Surprising State of Affairs Dis
closed-Bribery an Every .
Day Affair.
A SCATHING REPORT

MILWAUKEE. Wis, September S0.-The
grand jury of Milwaukee county. which
has been In session since June D. barring
three weeks vacation, completed its inyes-
tigation of alleged graft and corruption In
county affairs at 10 O'Clock tonight and re-
ported to Judge Brace in the municipal
court. The number of indictments returned
In the final sitting was fourteen. involving
four persons. as follows:
Cornelius l.. Corcorau. president of the
common council. ten counts
Fred C. Schultz. newspaper reporter. one
indictment. bribery.
Frank C. Klode, president of local fur
niture company one indictment.
William Murphy, former alderman two
indictments.
McGovern capiases are being made out
and will be served il possible tonight
The total number of indictments returned
since the jury convened, lncluding To-
nights batch. will approximate nearly
$50 and will affect about forty indiYid-
uals.
Vice and Crime Fostered.
In its report on the Iabors of the sum
mer the grand jury took occasion to say
that their investigation had developed a
most surprising state OF affairs-"viee
and crime regularly organized and fos-
tered"
I'VE doubt" continues the report, IF
one citizen in 1000 knows the corrupt
ways In which the affairs OF this com
munity have been conducted. The effort
to expose these conditions has been OPP
posed by the systematic resistance of
powerful influences apparently syndt-
Gated to conceal the truth and encourage
crime. We have been hampered by the
efforts of witnesses to conceal the facts.
and in many of these instances 1t has
been apparent that the witness was testi-
flying falsely. Our observance regarding
the vice and crime of perjury Is such
that we must characterize II as nothing
short of outrageous"
The report states that the administration
of the sheriffs Office during the last six
years has been investigated and that 1t has
been found that after that Office was placed
on a salary basis system of fee taking
grew up at variance with the meaning OF
the statute. 1t recommends that this fee
taking be still further scrutinfZed,i ana that
the county board take steps TO stop this
form Of grating.
Bribery an Everyday Affair.
Many ways In which the sheriff office
profits from these fees are mentioned.
Bribery. the report says, is an everyday
affair County officers should be invesu-
gated The county clerk receives fees, but
the practice should be stopped at once.
1 The recent raid upon gambling houses
and prosecution Of the keepers and inmates
thereof by the district attorneys office dis
closes that in the city Of Milwaukee there
have been for years at least eight fuiiy
equipped wide-open gambling houses The
investigation discloses the report says, that
eight gambling houses raided were per-
mitted in the, very heart of the city ana
without interference to conduct cQmrnon
games OF faro, roulette, crap and poker,
while other gamblers who sought to start
such games in their places Of business were
promptly raided by the police. D.
The jurys report says that since the
starting of the investigation of affairs in
county and city in 1908 there has been a
noticeable decline In grating and other
corruption. The jury recommends that
grand iuries be summoned periodically to
Investigate affairs in county and city.