St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1911-05-13
Grand JUROR HART
EXPLAINS POSITION
sayS he Did Not Desire TO Hurt ARyORe'S
Feeling In the Matter of Road work
ACTUATED BY GOOD MOTIVES
Ana An Eye TO the Efficiency Of Public
Service he Placed the Matter Before
the Grand Jury
Rosa, La. May z, 1911.


Editor of Clarion: Kindly al
low space in your paper for the
following explanation to the
Police Jury and their. President
regarding comments made by the
Grand Jury derogatory to their
Honorable Body.
If there is any one to blame
for misstatement or false accusa-
ton, I alone am the one as |
placed the matter before the
body, giving the facts as I under
stood them, and none of the
others know anything of it. Now
here are the facts as [ know
them (I will leave it to the people
of st Landry to say whether as
Grand Juror had right to bring
the matter up).
In 1908 J. w. Keller made a
contract with the Police Jury for
i19O8-1910 to work 40 or more
miles of public road at 500 per
mile, myself and L. lGoudchaux
on his bond.
In the fall of 1910 Mr.. Fisher,
the road Inspector, or DR.. Clop-
toms Inspector, as he called him
self in last weeks issue, made a
trip to Rosa to see Mr.. E. V.
Hudspeth and myself in regard
to Mr.. Keller working the road.
He claimed Mr. Keller was not
working the road as per contract
and that the mileage was some
90 odd miles instead of 40 or
near, as contract called for, and
said he did not intend to 20. K"
Mr. Keller's vouchers and | un-
derstood him to say he had pro-
tested or intended to protest
against Mr.. Keller collecting for
excess mileage whether he did
OF not I am unable to say.
DR.. Clopton wants to know
why the Grand Jury did not go
further in the matter. ! will tell
him: | with District Attorney
Garland got the original contract
of Mr.. Keller's from Mr.. Healey;
after reading same Mr.. Garland
aid we could do nothing with :
&. as the contract is conflicting;
hat while the Police Jury had
oound themselves to pay Mr..
Keller $500 per annurn they had
lot bound him to work 10 miles
Y 4O-in other words, they had
made contract with party to pay
i'm S24O0 whether he had work
Il 25 miles or 40. / understand
hey have an able lawyer to as
ist them in parish work and ]
ant understand why this Hon
rable Body should make a con-
ract for the parish that I don't
,elieve one of them would make
/ his own business.
Now, the Doctor says February
ast when the roads were sold, F
tc., / beg to say know nothing N
/ this, as called for 1911 con- r
ract and Mr.. Healey informed v
Ne that same had not been a
led, consequently the Grand il
nror's action had no bearing on O.
Ills contract. ii
i will now state that in bringing b
lis matter up, | had no inten- 81
Ion of hurting any ones feelings al
! accusing them of squandering al
ae peoples money, but, as a m
itizen Of the 4th ward, and b,
aying my attention called to ce
= matter, thought it my duty
call the Jury's attention to 81
me. and if there was such a it
ak have it stopped If possible. I'll
SIf / am out of order and over ci
eDped my authority I sincerely b,
s. the Honorable Body's pardon in
n hope they will accept the
in the same spirit as
ven.
Respectfully submitted, ca
u TIA DT 5Yr