Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-18
OSWALD SAFE in
MEXICO; GRAND
JURY IS READY
OFFICIALS CENSURED FOR
ALLOWING ESCAPE
FAILURE TO CAPTURE WITNESS
BRINGS CRITICISM
Fact Established That Redlight Boss
Was in Los Angeles Eighteen
Hours After He Was
Wanted

a meeting of the district attorney and
his deputies Saturday afternoon. Inc
meeting adjourned shortly AFTER
o'clock and there was ample time De-
tween that hour and 1 O'Clock SUNDAY
to procure the arrest of a man whose
face is familiar to both deputy sherims
and police officers.
Referring to this matter the Express
of last evening says:
"District Attorney Fredericks exem
plies the old adage about locking the
stable after the horse is stolen. liz
current reports in the press are TO Dc
credited, he has been extremely active
in securing the presence of ex-Mayor
Harper and Ed Kern for his newest
grand jury. He has been extremely
lax, it is said. in preventing the flight
from the city of men said to be the
most important witnesses against
Mayor Harper and Ed Kern.
Referring to the alleged flight of
one of these witnesses, a morning
paper says: TT is said that District
Attorney Fredericks is not greatly
concerned over the mans absence, ow-
ing to the assurance that former
Mayor Harper will tell all he knows
to the grand jury
This would be amusing If 1t were
not serious. Mayor Harper was before
the last grand jury Ed Kern was be-
fore the last grand jury. Neither, APP
parently, told all that he knew. If
either did, then the calling of the pres
ent grand jury was wholly unneces-
sary. Is 1t to be supposed that either
of these men will now tell anything
that will tend to incriminate them
selves? Even If they did, in the alb
sence of other testimony they could
not be convicted, because they could
not be compelled to testify against
themselves in a criminal prosecution.
Apparently the failure of District
Attorney Fredericks to prevent the
flight of important witnesses against
Mayor Harper and Mr.. Kern will bring
about the same result in the present
grand jury investigation as was
brought about in that of the last. 1t
Is certainly not to be presumed, II the
district attorney was diligent in the
performance of his duty in the last in
Vestigation that he can elicit any more
from Mayor Harper and Mr.. Kern at
possible hope of further light on this
vexed question was the presence of the
very witnesses who have been per-
mitted to leave the city while the dis
trict attorney was oyerbusy in al
legged efforts to secure the presence of
Mr.. Harper and Mr.. Kern-the very
men to be investigated
Now it is claimed that a minor
member of the redlight crowd has been
arrested as a witness. This is, of
course. a sop to the people. In reality
1t is merely locking the stable after
the horse is stolen"
Fredericks Shifts Blame
The failure to hold Oswald and his
chief lieutenant, Lawrence, alias Fen
ner leads many to believe that the
coming investigation will be as fruit
less in results as the one so recently
closed. Apparently anticipating this.
District Attorney Fredericks sought
yesterday to place the responsibility
for future events upon the shoulders
of others.
He blamed Constable De La Monte
of Justice stephens court because AL
fonso Durand, now in the county JAIL
refused to give any information about
Oswald's whereabouts.
Constable De La Monte has COM
planned that he never gets work from
this office" he said. "He was given
the warrant for Durand's arrest, but
instead of taking him to Jail, he took
him to AL Greenewalds cigar store and
allowed him to talk to Greenewald, and
we have been unable to get any in
formation from Durand SINCE"
In this way Mr.. Fredericks explained
Oswald's absence and the fact that the
police force and members of his own
force of criminal investigators could
not discover his whereabouts
''If Oswald's testimony was so i'm
portant. why was it not taken at the
last session of the grand jury?" he was
asked.
Because he refused to tell what he
knew" replied the district attorney
'When 1t is remembered that Thomas
l.. Woolwine, who also refused to an
swer questions before the last grand
itxy.x csofd n xtrlan foil rn6
municipal happenings closely, was
cited to appear before Judge James
and ordered to reply to the queries pro-
pounded by Mr.. Fredericks, in whose
sincerity he expressed the gravest
doubts. the apparent discrimination in
Oswald's case needs some explana-
ton"
Mr.. Fredericks yesterday predicted
that he would be opposed during the
coming investigation by the same fac
tors that led to the recent beneficial
changes in the city's administration,
and complained because the facts
gathered by these well wishers for bet
ter conditions in Los Angeles were not
submitted to him. And this in spite
OF the fact that the same avenues for
securing the information were open to
him, and that his facilities were far
better than any that could be employed
by those who are the object of the
critics." was the answer Of one who
heard the remark.
The meetings of the grand jury will
in all probability be held in the large
witness room adjoining Judge Hutton's
chambers, on the third floor of the
court house. The room which hereto
fore has been used as a grand jury
room is now occupied by Judge Hervey
as a court room.
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