The San Francisco call., 1907-03-21
GRAND JURY's PROBE
WILL CO DEEPLY into
THE TELEPHONE bR|bE
Corporation Officials Higher
Than Halsey Are to
Be Indicted
ZIMMER A WITNESS
Former Auditor Testifies as
to $4,000 Check to
Pay Boodlers

Deeper into the infamy of the two
local telephone companies will go the
probe of Heney and the Grand Jury
today. When the Assistant District
Attorney said yesterday that the jury's
work has Just been begun he had III
mind the accusations which were to be
brought against the capitalists con-
trolling the public service corporations
of this city This will be telephone
day before the jury, which will meet
at 10 o'clock for an all-day session
Henry T. Scott and Louis Glass, pres
ident and general manager, respect
lively, of the Pacific States Telephone
and Telegraph Company, are under In
Vestigation, as well as was their out
side agent" Theodore V. Halsey, now
under arrest In Manila. The testimony
already given before the jury by b. j.
thinner, former auditor, has involved
the high officials
thinner was auditor of the Pacific
states Company when Halsey paid to
ten Supervisors $4,000 for votes ex-
cluding the Home Telephone Company
from the local field. The check was
audited by thinner. He told the Grand
Jury this. and he said also that he had
been directed to audit the Halsey check
Dy the manager of the company, who
is Louis Glass. 1t is preposterous to
assume that a corporation employe
could pay out the sum of $4,000 with
out the sanction of the officers of the
concern. thinner frankly told the
Grand Jury everything he knew of the
deal in votes
SHERwIN UNWILLING
His successor. T. s. Sherwin, present
auditor of the company. was not a
frank witness. He temporized and re-
treated behind a lame memory when
pressed by the jury for facts which
would fnoriminate his superiors. But
the jury is not through with him yet
and he will have future opportunity to
set himself Alright IL he see ft.
Indictments were voted yesterday
against three men-Halsey, Ruef and
prominent telephone official who be-
came intimately connected with the
moneyed Supervisors and who Will be-
come notorious shortly. The indict-
ment against him probably will be re-
turned today when he is located. Miss
Nellie Smith. the absent-minded stem
ographer in the office of Thomas, ,Gerstle
e. Frick. local promoters OF the Home
Telephone. has not yet been indicted.
though the barrenness of her testi-
mony may arouse the prosecution to
indict her for perjury.
The fight trust magnates-Graney,
Levy, Britt and Coffroth--are still in
the free field and do not yet wear the
halter OF indictment. but 1t is known
that they supplied Doodle for eighteen
Supervisors and their case is yet to
be considered.
NIPPERT IN JEOPARDY
Paul M. Nippert. manager of the
surety company which went on the
bonds of Ruef and Schmitz, may yet
face trouble of a serious nature In
view of the part he has played in the
graft cases. He fled an affidavit in
Judge Dunne's court during the Ruef
proceedings to the effect that Dunno
had in Big Meadows expressed him
self in terms denouncing Ruef and
Schmitz as grafters, when in reality
only Nippert. of a group of several men
at hotel, had referred to the push"
as he called the grafters. Dunno and
DR.. Robert Petak declared that to be
the true fact of the Big Meadow con
ference" fatty contradicting Nippert In
counter affidavits. The affidavit affair
may be Investigated by the jury. In
the meantime Nippert is mentioned as a
possible Police Commissioner.