Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-24

REGISTERED
ILLEGALLY
VENICE Is Threatened WITH
ELECTION SCANDAL
DISGRUNTLED EMPLOYEES WILL
TELL SECRETS
Activity in Office of District Attorney
Has Ominous Look for Those
Guilty of Alleged At
tempts at Fraud
!. Home phone 1915
s1s Oregon.

bpeclal 10 LIS
OCEAN PARK, March 23.-Superin-
tendent r. III. Gray of the Abbot Kin
ney building department was dis
charged by Manager r. II. Hanna yes
terday, it is said, for his alleged part
in the recent attempt to colonize the
tent city with between seventy and a
hundred voters in the interest OF the
''good government ticket.
Gray left Venice today, but not be-
fore making public a sensational state
ment in which he declares he is in
nocent of fathering any attempt at
colonization and laying the blame pri-
marily on an officer of the Good Gov
ernment league.
In reviewing the recent stirring
events at Venice in connection with the
approaching municipal election well
known business man who asks that his
name be withheld said:
Friday, March 49, was the last day
in which legal registrations could be
made for the Ocean Park city election
on April 49, On the afternoon and
evening of March 13 large number of
men were registered. These men had
been sent to Venice by the Hummel
Brothers Employment agency of Los
Angeles bearing cards signed by Fair
and Anderson. The cards bore in
structions to employ such a man as
carpenter at $2.75 day and other men
as laborers at 50 day.
Seventy-seven Workmen Registered
"The men on reaching Venice had
been taken to quarters in the tent
city, most of them directed there by
Matt Echols. The men were assigned
four to tent and two to bed.
"When registration closed at mid
fe,l.+ Mi March 12 EaXnnfV-SeVpn
in all had been registered The district
attorneys office in Los Angeles is in
possession of complete list of every
man employed through the Hummel
Brothers office.
Late Friday night. March 13, Henry
ILL., residing in Los Angeles. ap-
E preached Police Officer Phil Mcdonald
in front of the ST. Marks hotel on
Wfndward avenue and asked the Of
ficer if he thought 1t would make any
difference If he went back to Los An
geles and remained until Monday. Lill
was laboring under the impression that
Mcdonald was also in the service of
the men who had employed him.
"Officer Mcdonald closely questioned
I.ill and then steered him into the Of
flee of City Trustee ]. B. Sands. To
that official the man made clean con-
fession of the alleged attempt to col
onize the tent city. When Lill was be-
ing put through a rigorous cross-eX-
animation Fair suddenly entered DR..
Sands office and, confronted with Lill's
confession, himself confessed that a
raw attempt had been made by some
one higher up to stock the tent city
with voters which would make certain
the election of the Good Government
trustee ticket.
Work Postponed Two Weeks
Saturday work was not commenced
on the big bath house and other con-
cessions as promised by H. r. Hanna.
Instead the men who had been quar-
tered in the tent city were informed
in writing over the signature of Man.
ager Hanna, who thus apparently rec
ognized the validity of the contract of
Fair and Anderson with the Hummel
agency, that there would be no work
until two weeks or when the bath
house was started. The notification was
written acress the end of the cards
given the men by the Hummel agency
and bearing the orders from Fair and
Anderson that they be put to work.
"The seventy or more men who had
come to Venice in good faith to work
and vote were wrathy. Abbot Kinney
declared some of his enemies had put
up a job to beat his ticket at the polls.
Sunday morning Mr.. Kinney gave or
tent city cleared of suffers and the
men were given tickets which allowed
them to return to Los Angeles and
draw back the fees of 81 each paid to
the Hummel agency.
"The men got mad and talked. They
declared and are borne out by the
Hummel agency that Fair and Ander-
son represented themselves as agents
of the Kinney company and had en-
sployed them with the primary qualifi-
cation that every man was entitled to
vote in Los Angeles county and should
reach Venice not later than the even
ing of March 10"
viii Tell District Attorney
Tomorrow, bitter over his treatment
and what he terms the efforts of people
higher up to make him scapegoat,
Gray declares he will tell his story to
District Attorney Fredericks. Fair
is said to have disappeared from Ven
ice. Anderson. who is known as
"Guess Weight Andy" has already un-
dergone the sweating process. Gray
made this statement today
at would much rather be taken for
a sharp criminal than a stupid fool
| do not think l am either. I have been
given the knotted end of the rope in
as raw an attempt to debauch the ball
lot as ever came to light in this state.
Between seventy and hundred men
were staked out on Friday, March IL,
the last day for legal registration.
II will not hesitate to go before the
proper authorities and make sworn
statements of the truth. As said be-
fore / do object to being blamed for
such a piece of stupidity. Who is
guilty can easily be determined by the
grand jury"
Grav's attitude created sensation
On the beaches today. Revelations
even more astounding are expected to-
morrow. 1t is known that Chief OF
Police Ramsey has been closeted with
District Attorney Fredericks num-
-. - a. IL. dn,rir,nr the mast week. and