The San Francisco call., 1908-08-04
GRAND JURY STILLS
RINGS FRAUD CRY
Body Declares No Wrong Was
Done in Registration and
Rebukes Accuser

OAKLAND, Aug. 3.-County Clerk
Jack Cook took the count this after
noon when the grand jury picked his
wild charges of false and fraudulent
registration to death and exposed the
Herrin crowds attempt to besmirch
the Lincoln Roosevelt republican league,
making Cook, City Councilman G.. e.
Aftken and the rest of the machine
outfit at the courthouse the laughing
stock of the community.
What the county ring, with much
beating of tomtoms in the Oakland
Tribune and other Herrin organs, her
aided as gross frauds, register stuffin 6
and plotting against the electorate, was
declared after a searching inquiry by
the grand jury to be nothing more than
carelessness on the part of few over
jealous registration deputies, appointed
by Cook himself, and who were anxious
to get out as large a polling list as
possible.
These deputies did not comply in all
particulars with the precise terms of
the code in taking registration affi-
davits. The grand jury specifically abb
solved them from any willful intent to
violate the law and thereby charac-
terized all of the rings bowling about
fraud as being as silly as 1T was vicious.
and some of their deputies, Aitken, the
Herrin candidate for supervisor in the
fourth district. were responsible for
the charges. They caused fam
boyant yarns to be published in
the columns of the machine newspaper
organs, waved frantically their accusa-
tions of plot and fraud. That this was
bluff was conclusively proved by the
very nature of the situation, after 1t
had been given independent inquiry.
The cry went too far, in fact, got away
from the ring. District Attorney Brown
decided to ascertain the truth, and to
give the gang just what it appeared
to be crying fora grand jury inves-
tigation.
The ring got more than it wanted
when that body filed a report this aft
ernoon with Superior Judge Waste.
The grand jury heard testimony from
Deputy Registration Clerks ]. w. Roo
new, M. d. McGuiness, N. w. Denton,
Henry Henken, Andrew Hayes and
Henry Vogt. A number of citizens
whose registration af1davits were
found to be irregular were also exam
ined. The grand jury recommended
that, in view of the failure to follow
the technical provisions of the election
law, the following names be expunged
from the register:
Frank Costa John Ephraim Edwards
Antonio R0deraqueZ RODcrL Carlton Bowen
Elmer James Ioakum A. NJ Pearce
Antoine Joseph Pedro James Mathew Casper
Antoine Vincent Jr. Albert Joseph Marshall
Max MoIler Manuel Brown
Henry Meyer Joseph Cardoza
Jones NJ. Robinson Antoine Marks Jr.
Truman NJ. Chapman Patrick Monohan
George S. Schoonoyer James George Foley
No evidence was offered to show
that the Lincoln Roosevelt republican
league was in the slightest way re-
sponsible for even the errors which
had been made. 1t was suggested by
prominent league workers that, in
view of the county clerks apparent
anxiety to find fraud, the grand jury
might be invited at its session Wednes-
day to go more deeply into the entire
registration and to ascertain whether
some prominent members of the county
ring had not been busily engaged in
stuffing the rolls. II. Bendel, foreman
of the grand jury, announced in his
report to Judge Waste that the body
would sit on that day for further in
vestigation of any additional charges
which might be presented.
After Cook had partly recovered
from the recoil of his job this aft
ernoon he announced feebly that he
had revoked the appointments of Dem
ton, Rooney and McGuiness.