The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-06-24
CALLS GRAND JURY FOR SKENE
GOV. HUGHES ALSO ORDERS A
SPECIAL TERN 90 COURT.

I
S=;ssss .Sss Tishi US ANY Deanits
ChAFgPs- AttoFneysGeneFa O'iialiey
Here Win = Bunch % suhp9nas.
ALBANI. June % Gov. Hughes to-day
directed the calling Of an extraordinary
Grand Jury and . special trial term Of
the Supreme Court. to be held ~ Albany.
70 investigate the ACts Of = former state
Official
While secrecy Ia exercised about the
Executive Chamber and Attorney General
O'MAlleys department IN order that wit.
neases 20 be summoned could BE- SUBJ
pDnAsd before The Governors action
had become known. II 10 pretty generally
Understood that the Official to be lnvos-
tigEted IL former State EnginsSr and Sur
vsyOr Frederick sksns Of Astoria. L. l.
After q conferences to-day with Gov.
Hughes and District Attorney RoIlIn B.
Sanford Of Albany, Mr.. O'MAllsy went 10
New York. and II IL said that he carried
a bundle Of subpUn&S 10 serve within the
next tWenty-fOur hours
Gov Hughes has designated Supreme
Court Justice Henry B. Conan Of Morris
vile, Madison county. 70 preside 81 the
special term which viii convene here On
July -. Deputy Attorney J. samuel
Fowler will eOnduo, the proceedings Cor
the State.
Several times since stAts Engineer
Sksne retired from once there hAvs been
reports that Gov. Hughes Intended 10
take OGioial oOgnizancs lof rumOFs that
there wasRomsthlng wrong IN the manage
meat Of Skene's department. A. one
time Mr. skens sent word 70 Albany that
he would be glad TO make answer to any
allegation which would reflect upon his
administration. some Of Skene's friends
at the time said reports that the State
Engineer had played fAvOrites who bene-
iited In any way in awarding highway
contracts wers inspired by political enc
mica and had no foundation in fact.
II was pointed out az that time that
Mr.. Skene had displeassd soms friends
of Mr. Hearst. who was the head Of the
State ticket on which Skene WAs elected
and was the only man on IL beaten. 10
was said az the time that Skens wasn't
A. liberal with the patronage az Hearst
thought he ought 10 ~ for the friends
who performed some u the hard work
in the fall campaign Of 1919 Mr.. Skene
and Attorney General William Schuyler
jackson Of Erie were the only Demo-
cratic STATE Oficials not renominated az
Rochester In iSOs.
Whsn the Capitol was siHzling with
-WaSluaals GFuft and corruption rumors
following the excitement of the Aids
trial the Republicans were openly assert
ing that the exposures 20 be made by a
general Investigation Of everything and
everybody would not keep the scandals
exclusively within the Republican pArty's
fold Almost ~ often ~ rumors came up
regarding the administration of Skeae's
department after he got out Of Il there
wsrs stories which were aimed 20 discredlt
the administration VI Attorney General
jackson. jackson. like Skene. declared
that his department was open for an
investigation ~ any time.
Although both men have been out Of
ofice for nearly two years their friends
insist that no proof Of WrOngdOing on
the part OF either has been produced.
The few Republicans Of prominence
around Albany tonight freely discussed
the pSOposed Grand Jury investigation
and appeared to b. relieved at the fact
that the probe was at last switched into
the Democratic party.
Mr. Skene said last night that he had
received no word from Albany or any
where else yesterday concerning charges
made against him, He said that two
men be had discharged for good and
sufficient reasOn had been trying for some
months TO stir up trouble hut hadn't
succeeded in interesting the 0ovsrno r
20 far ~ he knew He s.W Gov Hughes
two months ago and the Governor told
him then that II anything more was done
by these men he would h notified long
enough in advance 90 make an adequate
defence
Attorney General O'Malley left for
Albany on the midnight train. He had
nothing 90 say of the proposed prosecu-
fiOn