Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-25
ACCUSATIONS
EXPECTED FROM
GRAND JURORS
BELIEVED INQUISIT0RS STILL
ARE DIVIDED
RUMOR MINORITY REPORT MAY
BE SUBMITTED
Former Alleged Dstrust of District
Attorney by Members of Body Re-
caIled-Anxiety May Be
Ended Tuesday

Private citizens and public official;
doors leading to the grand jury room
Except when the members of the jury
have entered the secret chamber at the
beginning of their meetings or WheI
they emerged at their close, these por-
tails have remained barred for months
and each meeting day persons, inter
ested from curiosity or in dread antici
patton of the result of the jurys de-
alterations, have patiently waited tt
learn what the investigation into what
are generally known as the WoolWint
charges has brought forth.
Will it be a whiteWash or an indict-
ment; gentle word spanking or ar
accusation?
Patience is about to be rewarded, il
signs fail not. A report may be looked
for Tuesday. Committees Of the jury
have been busy for several weeks
blocking it out. This work was com.
pleted Friday, and the many pages
with their hundredfold interlineation.
and marginal rotations, manifeSting
the care with which they were ar.
ranged, were handed to the stenogra.
pher to put into proper shape for pre-
sentation to w. p. James, presiding
judge of the superior court
NO indictments Expected
There is not considered to be ever
the remotest possibility that indict
ments will be returned against any
person or any number of persons il
connection with the investigation int
protected vice charges. This is the
opinion generally expressed by many
and is based on careful observation O
what has tranSpired since these charge.
were first published.
A WhlteWash can hardly be expected
to follow the months of inquiry. and i
| IS believed the summing up of testi
| mony of the hundreds of witnesses wa
SO strong an arraignment of severa
city officials and others not in publ
life that mere word Negotiation i
out of the question.
That the jury is still split into twt
discOrdant factions there is believed t,
be no doubt. One of these factions, i
| is understood, strongly favOrs the &C
compartment of soothing swan sons
to the death of the protected vic,
charges
The other faction wants a report tina
will exhibit no Partially and that viii
state facts and point directly to per
sons whom it believes guilty.
Which of the two factions will win i
a mystery at present. Whether two re
ports-One containing the views of ;
majority of the jury, the other the be
liefs of the minority-can be received
by Judge James is also a question.
Jury Divided
The fact that the jury is divided
against itself would indicate that tn,
question has already been propoundeC
to the court and that an opinion wa
rendered some time ago.
In the event that Judge James re
fuses to receive a report unless signed
by a majority of the investigators, thu
question arises, What is the MINORITY
going to do about it?'' That they will
not stand supinely by and allow an ex
preston contrary to their beliefs to b.
made a matter of record without
strenuous protest, goes without saying
That their views may be registered al
prominently as those Of their oppo
nents it is believed they would even e,
so far as to institute mandamus pro
ceedings.
Eliminating from consideration
whitewashes, indictments and wore
whippings, the only remaining actor
for the jury to take is to return a batcl
of accusations" That this plan wa,
decided on several weeks ago is the
belief Of many. These accusations
would differ from indictments in sew
eral respects No arrest would follow
ar accusation, as in the case where ar
Indictment is returned-at least, no
Immediately.
Difficulty in indictments
The difficulty of carrying indictments
to a successful issue at the time Of
trial is another objection, experience III
the past proving this to be a fact. Il
cannot be forgotten, also, that there
was current at one time undenied ru-
mors that J. d. Fredericks, district at
torney was regarded with distrust by
a certain number Of the jurors, anC
that on account of his action in pre-
venting T. L. WoOlWine from takine
charge of the jury before which he haC
made startling accusations, the sin
certify Of the district attorney was
doubted.
Whether this feeling still exists ir
the minds of some members of the Jury
is not generally known outside of the
jury room. However, should indict-
ments be returned it would be the duty
Of the district attorney to prosecute
those mentioned in them in the courts
In the case of accusations, on the con-
trary, charges against the persons ac-
cused could be made by any person
and could be prosecuted by attorneys
having no connection with the lega
branch Of the county. Furthermore, il
is believed the persons accused if they
thought the charges made were unjust
would welcome an action by means OF
which these accusations might be dis
proved.