Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-03
WOOLWINE SEES
TRAP IN OFFER
OF FREDERICkS
BRANDS DISTRICT ATTORNEY
AS INSINCERE
PROSECUTOR LAYS EVIDENCE
BEFORE GRAND JURY
Declares He "WiI Not Serve Under
Weakling," and in Singing Re-
buke Tells Fredericks to
Do His Duty

A FTER devoting several
Il hours to telling the grand
"A jury what he knows about
graft in Los Angeles, City Prose
cutor Thomas L. Woolwine late
yesterday answered District At
torney ]. d. Fredericks' second
communication, in which Fred
ericks asked Woolwine to recon
slider his determination not to
comply with the district attor-
ney's demand that Woolwine
take charge Of the graft investi-
cation before the grand jury.
Mr.. Woolwine Indignantly de-
clined Capt. Fredericks' offer, de-
claring that he regards it as en-
tirely insincree.
81 do not care to serve under
such weakling as you have
proved yourself to be, said Mr..
Woolwine in his letter written to
Capt. Fredericks last night. 81
will frankly say that | believe
you TO be totally unfit for such Il
campaign"
Mr.. Woolwine's letter was
written after he had spent three
hours yesterday with the grand
Jury. Mr.. Fredericks was also
before the jury twice yesterday,
and both men were in the jury
room at one time yesterday after
noon.
Harper Ready
Mayor Harper and every mem
Der OF the police commission
signified their willingness to ap-
pear before the grand jury, if
wanted, and to answer any ques
tons pertinent to the charges
made by Woolwine.
Mr.. Woolwine fired the latest
shot yesterday in his letter to
Capt. Fredericks. He had busy
day and developments in his
case alleging municipal graft
followed one after another in
quick order.
Before the grand jury Mr..
Woolwine detailed his charges
and reiterated the statements
which have already been made in
the newspapers. Opposing him
f1atfooted was the letter written
to the grand jury by the mayor
and police commission, which de-
MED unqualifiedly Woolwine's
statements and called upon the
grand jury to go to the bottom
of the affair.
The prosecutor appeared before
the grand jury as citizen and
not as a representative of Fred
ericks.
Woolwine related his attempts
to prosecute evil doing and al
legged that he had been blocked in
this repeatedly by officials and
others.
When he came from the grand
jury room he was met by friends
who wanted to assure him of their
desire to assist him.
With Grand Jury
Capt. Fredericks left the grand
jury room about IL o'clock and
Woolwine then spent an hour be-
fore the inquisitors. He reap
peared in the jury room at 2
o'clock in the afternoon, and half
an hour later Capt. Fredericks
was recalled. He and Woolwine
remained before the grand jury
until nearly 4 o'clock, when the
latter came out and hurried away,
declining to say anything to the
reporters. Fredericks remained
fifteen minutes longer, when the
grand jury adjourned.
$50 far as my information
goes" said Capt. Fredericks, "the
graft investigation is ended.
Woolwine appeared as a private
citizen and made his complaint"
Further than that the district
attorney would say nothing. He
went into his office and locked
his door.
The grand jury's next move is
an interesting subject for specu-
lation. 1t is not at all unlikely
that Mayor Harper, Police Com
missioners Woodill and Lewis,
Chief of Police Edward Kern, Po-
lice Captain Thomas Broadhead
and Sergeant Charles Z. Sebas-
tian, or some of them at least,
may be called to answer the grand
jury's questions.
Police Board Meets
While Woolwine and Fred
Continued ON Page Thresl