The San Francisco call., 1907-03-27
Ach Demands Extension Of Abe Ruef's Visiting List
GRAND JURY INQUIRIES
into HOME COMPANY's
CASH TRANSACT IONS
Continued from Page /, Coils. and 9

Council. before which body he acted in
the companys behalf as a promoter.
j. S. Reardon, chief clerk of the Gem
trail Bank of Oakland, and L. G. Burpee.
cashier of the First National Bank OF
the same city, were the witnesses from
whom the most important details of the
Home Telephone Company's financial
affairs on that side of the bay were
gained. Reardon stated that the EN-
pire Construction Company carried a
heavy account at the Central Bank,
from which all checking was done for
payroll purposes. This account, he
said. often amounted to several hun
dred thousand dollars, but he refused
to give any, definite figures without
consulting the banks books in which
the account was carried. The account
was opened early in 1906. and checks
on it were signed by Van Lew as treas
urer.
Assistant District Attorney Heney
asked several questions tending to
show the status of this account at diff
ferent dates. but Reardon was unable
to give definite answers without ref
erence to deposit stubs and was dis
missed with an order to appear again
this Afternoon with such stubs as
would enable him to give these facts,
and also with an abstract showing the
fluctuations in the account from the
time it was originally placed in the
bank
1t was through the testimony of Van
Liew and Reardon that the manner Of
the payment of the amount turned
over by the Home Telephone Company
TO the city of San Francisco and to the
relief fund for its franchise was
brought out. The money was sent
from Los Angeles and deposited in the
Central Bank of Oakland, from which
IL was checked out when the franchise
was awarded. One check of $4,000
was made payable to the city and
county of San Francisco and the other
of $4,000 for the relief fund to Su-
with his personal signature, making
ii payable to the officers of the relief
fund.
Burpee's testimony was similar to
Reardon's. He said that a large ac
count was carried in the First Ma
tional Bank and that the Home Tele-
phone Company did a great deal of its
business through the medium of this
account
Nellie Smith. the stenographer whose
testimony has been of almost incal-
culable value TO the prosecution. was
the last witness to be questioned dur
ing the afternoon. Again she was ac-
companied TO the Grand Jury room by
Special Agent Burns, but was on the
stand but a brief time. She was asked
one or two questions concerning the
part played in the graft
transactions by A X. DetwiIer, and
of his conn nection with the telephone
deal, established more substantially
the thread OF the evidence already
amassed against him.
That the investigation had turned
toward the gaining Of an intimate
knowledge of every minor detail of the
graft transactions was evidenced by
the presence in the anteroom of the
Grand Jury chamber of several wit
nesses who were not called to the stand
but who were instructed to return at
2 o'clock this afternoon. T. S. Park
hurst of Oakland, purchasing agent of
the Empire Construction Company, was
one of these He will be called upon
to show the inroads made on the ac-
carried in the Oakland banks
the legitimate sources for con-
struction work and the purchase of
supplies, and the figures given by him
will be compared with those given by
the bank officials.
George Beanston of the bookkeep-
ing department of the Pacific States
Telephone and Telegraph Company,
Percy Morgan, who holds a consider
able interest in the same company, and
John A Mallon, statistician for the
Pacific States Company, were the other
witnesses dismissed until this after
noon. Mallon is not only supposed to
have a thorough knowledge of the
working details Of the company's man
agement, but he was also right hand
man under the late President John 1.
Sabin, who preceded Henry T. Scott.
The Grand Jury ADJOURNED at
o'clock and will resume it's work again