Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1909-04-22
ALLEGATION
Of BRIBERY
Grand Jury Has Sent For 8
Members Of Legislature
AN INCIDENT OF PACE BILL
Members Who Are Expected
to Shed Light On the Af-
fair Are Messrs. St. Charles
Morgan and Sutter--Grind
of Grand Jury Yesterday.

The grand jury has a bribery case
on its hands. There had been an
inkling of this on the day that the
grand Jury was convened, but the
matter was given no publicity until
yesterday morning. when it was made
known that subpoenas had been is
sued for F. \. Sutter, of Bisbee, as
semblyman from Cochise county in
the twenty fifth Legislature and for
Kean st. Charles. councilman from
Mohave. and William Morgan. of Hol
brook, councilman from Navajo coun-
ty. Against whom charges of bribery
or rather charges of offering bribes,
have been made. has not yet been
disclosed. The defendants were named
John Doe.
Deputy Sheriff Adams left on Mon
day night for Cochise county to Sc
cure service on Mr.. Sutter. II was
learned in a private dispatch from
Bisbee that Mr.. Sutter was not there;
that he had gone to Los Angeles,
thogh just when he left for the coast
is not clear. Deputy Sheriff Adams
had evidently been under the impress
sion that he was in town, for no
word was received at the office OF
I the sheriff of Mr.. Suffers departure
from the city. 1t is supposed that
service has been made on Messrs.
st. Charles and Morgan by this time.
The charges relate to incidents con-
nected with the passage of the local
| option bill, and il is said that they
are based on certain statements made
| by Mr.. st. Charles the day of the
passage of that bill. II had been
understood by those who were op-
| posing the bill that Mr.. st. Charles
would vote against ii, though earlier
! in the session he had declared him
/ self in favor of such a measure.
Strong pressure had in the mean
/ time been brought to bear upon him
/ from Kingman and other towns in
! his county, and he was even threat
ened with the ruin of his business.
on the night before the vote was
taken, it was understood that he had
surrendered. 1t is known that his
mind was not made up when he went
/ to the capitol on the morning of the
7
many who heard his opening remarks
/ i'm explanation of his vote were GER
/ tain that it was going to be- cast
against the bill, and after it was all
over and ne had voted for it, it
seemed evident that he had changed
! his mind after he rose to speak.
He stated later that there were
several reasons why he had voted for
] & l.r.
had voted against it. all of his
! friends would have been sure that he
had been bribed. He later stated,
somewhat in confidence, that he had
been offered $4,000 to vote against
the bill, for the fate of it hung on
| his vote.
! The grand jury turned out a good
deal of business yesterday. submit
ting two reports. The first included
indictments against the following per
sons: F. A Whiting for forging sew
eral checks bearing the signature of
Easterling and Whitney, by whom
he had been employed.
Frank Davis for forging three
checks, bearing the name of l.. b.
Orme. for whom he had been work
ing.
c. Mccormick for forgery
b. Perez and James POgue. each
for assault with a deadly weapon.
James Melvin Lewis for forgery.
Lewis had been working for DVipn
Evans in the Buckeye country. He
had not been a criminal, and the
world was not nearly so big as he
thought it was. When he got ready
to leave. accompanied by his wife, to
go back to Texas, he made out sew
eral checks in the name of Mr.. Evans.
1t did not seem possible that justice
would pursue him as far as Texas
He was caught, however, before he
got out of Maricopa. He and Whit
ing pleaded guilty. All the others
formally pleaded not guilty, but VIII
take some further action in their re-
spective cases tomorrow morning.
of those who had previously been
indicted Ephriam Richards. charged
with the burglary of the Mesa bakery,
pleaded not guilty. and his trial was
set for April %. John Ryan pleaded
guilty to burglary in the second de-
gree and will be sentenced on Friday
Charles Johnson and James Wilson
had been indicted for the same
\ burlarious act The former pleaded
guilty and will be sentenced on April
20. Wilson pleaded not guilty and
his trial was set for April 26.
Bills were returned in the second
report as follows: Jose Gomez, for
burglary: A. J. Wilson, George Camp
he'll and Benjamin Shepherd, three