The St. Johns herald., 1921-08-04
GRAND JURY INDIcTS GOVERNOR SMALL AND OTHER ILLINOIS
 STATE OFFICIALS.
LEN SMALL IS INDICTED
MILLIONS IN STATE FUNDS SAID TO HAVE BEEN PUT IN
 FICTITIOUS BANK.
(western Newspaper Union News service.)

Springfield, H., July 21.-Warrants tenant Governor Sterling and Vernon Curtis, the Grant Park banker, follow ing their indictment on charges of em- bezzlement, conspiracy and operating a confidence game through the alleged use of interest on state funds for their personal gain.
 Available historical records give no instances of governors of other states being indicted while in office, but there have been several instances of impeachment.
 Four indictments were returned. They covered charges of fraud by the trio during the terms of Small and Sterling in the state treasurer's office between 1917 and 1921.
 The first indictment charged the governor, lieutenant governor and Curtis jointly with embezzlement of $7OOOOO.
 A separate indictment against Gov ernOr Small charged him with embez- clement Of $500,OO0, while Lieutenant Governor Sterling was individually charged with embezZlement of $700,- 900.
 The fourth indictment charges the three with conspiracy and operation of a confidence game, involving $2,OO0,OOO interest on state funds.
 The alleged illegal operations named in the indictments centered around de pOsits of state funds within the Grant Park Bank" held by the grand jury to have been a fictitious institu- tion since 1908, when it ceased to function
 Individual bonds on each indictment were fixed at $50,OO0 by Judge E. S. Smith.
 The Grant Park Bank established many years ago by AlOnzo Curtis, father of Vernon Curtis and the late Senator Curtis, although having ceased to function several years prior to Smalrs term as treasurer, was used by the alleged conspiratOrs as the agency through which to make loans of state funds to Armour & O. and Swift & Co.,, Chicago packers, accord ing to the indictments.
 Although the packers notes drew 71s per cent interest, it is charged that less than per cent was turned in to the state treasury during the Small and Sterling terms.
 Under the law in operation then the state treasurer was required to Ob- tain at least ? per cent on state funds, but, according to Attorney General Brundage, who pushed the investiga- tiOn, the law did not permit the treas urer to use for private gain any inter est earnings in excess of 2 per cent.
 Governor Small, in a message to "The People of Illinois," said that he is absolutely innocent of every charge "they make" He added that he be- lieves Lieutenant Governor Sterling and Vernon Curtis, indicted with him, are equally innocent.
 The governors statement follows:
 You, who elected me your governor | by the greatest vote ever given a chief | executive in Illinois, are entitled at | this time to a frank statement from | me concerning the indictment re- turned against me today by the Sanga- mon county grand jury.
 "FOr the present, may not ask you | to accept from me with the same con- fidence which you accepted my candi- dacy for gOver1or, assurance to you | that I am absolutely innocent of any | charges which the public may consider | brought against me by the grand jury, after a One-sided hearing in which personal and political enemies were heard and I had no voice?