The San Francisco call., 1909-01-19
GRAND JURY BORES
INTO COUNTY MESS
New San Mateo Scandal Dug
Up by Investigation of
Inquisitors

REDWOOD CITY, Jan. discharges
were made before the San Mateo coun-
ty grand jury today that the board of
supervisors had, on the recommended
tion of County Architect Glenn Allen.
paid the contractor for the new court
house building money in advance of
that actually due for work performed
visors awarded contract for $4,000 for
steel work to the ]. ]. O'Brien con-
struction company without advertising
for bids. The grand jury was in ses-
sion all day. boring into the court
house scandal.
The investigation into the alleged
grating will be concluded this morn
ing and them the grand jury will turn
to the tangled mess at the county
farm. four miles back in the hills from
San Mateo. Al Eikerenkotter, former
superintendent of the place, will be
called as a witness and asked to ex-
plain the condition of filth in which
the jurors say khey found the county
farm on a recent visit to that retreat.
More serious still will be the investig ga
tion to be made into the allegation
that Eikerenkotter has banked In his
own name $500 belonging to Edwin
Hart, a senile patient at the farm and
a veteran of the civil war.
BULLOCK STILL ON GROUND
District Attorney j. J. Bullock was
not superseded by the intervention of
Attorney General Webb yesterday
Some of the jurors believe that Bullock
is not qualified to act with the jury
in its Investigations. but no formal
. orfinu 20 I ;v,
taken yesterday. Foreman Sheath of
the grand jury said last evening that
Bullock would work with the jury to-
day and that is was not probable that
a special prosecutor would be called
into the case.
Former Supervisor McBain of Menlo
Park was prominent among the wit
nesses yesterday. He testified that the
j. ]. OBrien construction company had
been paid from $4,000 to $4,000 in adj
vance of work done. C
AT the time the payments were
made" said McBain. Supervisors John
Debenedetti. Julius Caesar Eikeren-
kotter and 1 were on the finance COM
mittee. Glenn Allen, the architect,
would report on the work done and
make recommen endations for partial pay
ments on the contract. The two other
members of the committee accepted
<A4ACAA CpOItS- lie WOTQ OF DOnal0
Mckenzie. the superintendent of con-
struction, was not considered. 1 OBJ
jected to the payments being made, but
the majority was against me. If there
was anything wrong it was there"
PASS BLAME TO ALLEN
Eikerenkotter stated that he and
Debenedetti were justified In accepting
the work and ordering the payments
because such approval was based upon
Aliens report.
The questionable contract for $4,000
for additional steel construction work
was awarded to the O'BEien company.
After the steel work called for In the
Specifications was up, it appeared, the
supervisors employed a consulting en-
gineer to make survey of the frame
work to test it for It's resistance to
earthquakes. AS the result of this in
vestigation additional braces. of steel
were ordered at the cost of $2.S00. No
bids were invited or received for. this
job, the general contractor simply do
ing the work. The grand jury went
into the regularity of the proceedings
by which the contract was authorized
Sheriff Robert f. Catham was ques-
toned by the jury regarding his act
on election day in taking prisoner
from the county jail to a voting booth.
At the afternoon session of the grand
jury President P. H. McAvoy of the
board of supervisors was instructed to
remove Superintendent Reid of the
county farm, who was named to sue
ceed Eikerenkotter and who has been
intoxicated ever since his appointment
John T. Ford, a Redwood City news
paperman, was put in charge of the
place.
Among the witnesses examined be-.
fore the grand jury. in addition to
those already named, were Glenn Allen,
County Clerk ]. H. Nash, Supervisor j.
H. Coleman and ]. J. OBrien, the con-
tractor.
Owing to the absence of two MEM
bers of the board of supervisors that
body did not take up the courthouse
scandal yesterday.
At the morning session Of the grand
jury a representative of a metal fur
niture company filed a petition asking
that the contract for furniture for the
new building be revoked on the ground
of irregularities and new bids adver-.
tised for
n c pr>U ~ ~