The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1911-02-24
|NDlCT BOSS COX
CINCINNATlAN HELD FOR TESTI.
FLYING FALSELY BEFORE
GRAND JURY.
PENALTY THREE TO TEN YEARS
Denies That He Received a Rake-Off
From County Depositories-
Accused Prominent in Ma
tional Politics.

Cincinnati, Ohio. George B. Cox,
for years head of the Republican or.
| ganization in Cincinnati, a prominent
factor in state and national politics,
president of the Cincinnati Trust COM
pany and widely known in theatrical
| circles, because of his interests in that
field, was indicted by the Hamilton
| county grand jury on charge of per-
jury.
The basis of the charge is that Cox
testified falsely before a grand jury
on March 81, 1906, in denying he had
received any of the interest money
which several banks, according to dis
closures before the Drake investigat-
ing committee, paid to county treasur-
ers as recompense for the deposit of
county funds in those banks.
The specific case upon which the
jury acted occurred in the administra-
ton of John H. Gibson, who served
two terms as county treasurer, from
1900 to 1904. Gibson testified before
the grand jury that Cox had received
$48,500 of the $97,064 which the banks
gave to Gibson as "gratuities" during
the latter's service.
This was the amount which Gibson
paid into the county treasury in 1906,
following an investigation by the grand
jury of the Drake disclosures.
Two other treasurers, Tfiden r..
French and Rudolph H. Hynicka, also
paid considerable sums to the county.
French turning in $59.45O and Hyn-
icka $58,440. Immediately after Cox
had been informed by a reporter of
the indictment, he prepared to leave
his office in the Cincinnati Trust COM
pany to go to the court house to enter
an appearance and give bond.
Required Bond Given.
Prosecuting Attorney Henry T..
Hunt had recommended to Judge Cor
man, presiding over the criminal d.
vision of the court of common pleas,
that the bail be fixed at $1,000 This
was done and the required bond was
given by Cox with Abraham Fuerst,
prominent in local Democratic circles,
as security.
Although this was the first time
that any formal accusation had ever
been placed against the political lead
er, he betrayed no emotion and there
was nothing in his attitude to reveal
that he had been moved in the least
by his indictment.
Mr.. Cox in speaking of the indict-
ment said:
81 do not consider this an indict.
ment in the true sense of such action.
1t was purely political move and was
brought about by political conditions.
The jury which brought the indictment
was selected by Democratic judge
who drew the names OF the grand jur-
ors from his inside pocket instead Of
from the jury wheel as the law re-
Quires. 1 consider the action of the
grand jury one of the most outrageous
proceedings emanating from body
connected with court"
The law under which the grand jury
returned the indictment provides that
in case of conviction for perjury the
penalty shall be Imprisonment in the
penitentiary for not more than ten
years nor for less than three years.
Witnesses Threatened.
While the clerk was copying the
indictments for the sheriff in order
that the latter might serve them,
Judge German addressed the Jury and
in manner, the public.
He said he had heard that prospec-
tive witnesses before the grand jury
had been threatened and that others
who had testified had been questioned
as to their statements before the in.
quisitors. The judge said that no one
had right to question witnesses or
jurors and that arrests would be made
if anyone attempted to do so.
He also declared that talk about the
grand Jury's being illegal because it
had been drawn under his personal d.
rection instead of from the jury box
as has been customary, might be con-
sidered contempt of court.
The indictment quotes the testimony
given by Cox before the 1906 grand
jury. This was the body which in
vestigated the payment of bank "gra-
tuities" to the county treasurers and
afterwards reported that these pay
ments had become so customary that
criminal proceedings because of them
were not advisable.
The fact that the grand jury was re-
viving the old issues of "gratuities"
was revealed when Gibson was sum-
moned before it and, upon refusing to
answer certain questions, was COM
PEELED to do SO by order of Judge Cor
man.