The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1905-12-22
Grand Jury.

E. r. Kinney, of Lansing, was before
the grand jury, Friday, testifying with
regard to the contract for electrical fix
lures for the court house. He is at the
head of Capital Electric Co., which
did the wiring, but did not secure the
fixture contract and it is said Kinney
claims he was not given an opportunity
to bid. In an interview by Lansing
Republican reporter he also said:
Mr.. Kinney will not divulge what he
told the grand jury, but says that
while his firm did all the wiring for
the building, it was not given an op-
portunity to bid upon installing the
electrical fixtures, that job being given
to aChicago firm and the work being
performed by an Owosso man.
Mr.. Kinney said today that Shiawas-
see county paid about SO, 300 for fixtures
and incandescent lamps for fitting up
about 1856 lights, while Ingham county
paid only 81, 150 or one third as much,
for fitting up 5S5 lights. The fixtures
| for the Shiawassee county building are
partly combination and trimmed with
glassware costing 80 cents per dozen
while the fixtures in the Ingham build
ing are trimmed entirely with cut glass
ware, costing $3.50 per dozen, which
more than offsets the difference be-
tween the combination and electric fix
lures in the two buildings
Mr.. Kinney declares that he could
have installed the fixtures in the Shia-
wassee building even cheaper than he
did those in the Ingham county build
ing, had he been given an opportunity
| to do so.
When asked what he thought the
probable outcome of the grand jury
investigation would be, Mr.. Kinney
stated emphatically that he did not
believe it would amount to much. ~
Judge Weist was asked for some in
structions by the grand jury and Tues
day morning he complied with the rea
quest with some very plain statements,
among them the fact that supervisor
may be indicted for voting to spend
more money than the law specifies even
though there was no criminal intent. He
warned the jurors that they should get
their law from the court, their evidence
from the witnesses and that they should
not let newspaper articles affect their
action
Some Owosso people would like to
have the grand jury investigate the
closing of the Laverock Screen Door
Co.'S. factory in this city, and the disse-
luton of the company, claiming tits an
illegal action by trust
Contractor A. W. Hickman, of Kala-
mazoo, spent four hours before the
grand jury Saturday and was followed
by Sheriff Warren Jarrad.
The examination of the Sheriff's ac-
counts was taken up Wednesday and
the dockets of the justices of Owosso
and Corunna taken into the juryroom
for inspection. Justice Neil r. Walsh
testified Thursday afternoon.
1t is understood that the dockets and
the Sheriff's records do not agree, but
the number of cases in which this oc-
ours and facts relating thereto are few
and may be the result of errors on the
part of Justices.
A. J. Van Epps, who installed the
electric lights in the court house was on
the stand Tuesday. He worked for
the Brown Co., of Chicago, who had
the contract.
All of the Testimony taken up to
Tuesday is being traisf ibed for the
jury's use by Owen II athe stenog-
rapher and it is NOT the pa,,n2y action
toward indictmepSas do IN, " until
the testimony ifs re1Esr's, ssid NSpry-
probably weel- l--Icwyy, yy,scr sSr. -
1t is expected ,., a. NN' AXE
recess iroih island, inl Cor usrs ~
nesday. Christmas ~ wM
Supervisor cohtlnent' Nd AA
the ST. Louis 'ereu oi' '''1 ~-.v<rsss>'
Mrs. Kent &C