Evening star., 1923-01-29
LUND|N IS INDICTED
. |NSCH0OLSPR0BE
Former Member of Congress
Named in Blanket Re-
turn in Chicago.
23 OTHERS ARE ACCUSED
Regarded as Power Behind
Throne" in Mayor Thompson's
Machine.
Er thA Assnciated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, January 29.-Fred Lundin.
former representative in Congress ana
known as the silent power behind the
political machine Of Mayor William
Hale Thompson, and twenty-three
others were named in blanket indict-
ment returned in court today by the
spedial grand jury which is investigat,
ing school board affairs.
Virtus Rohm, Lundin's nephew. also
was among the indicted men, num-
Der Of whom were indicted previously
by the same grand jury, in connection
with the administration Of the school
funds and property.
The indictment. which contains
blanket conspiracy charge, was re-
turned before Chief Justice Michael l..
Mckinley of the criminal court who
set the bonds OF the defendants at
$4,000 each.
Lundin is reputed to be in Cuba, and
Rohm recently was reported to be in
Los Angeles.
In Insurance Business.
Rohm is In the insurance business
and II is said he and Lundin were
partners for time and did an enorm-
GUS business in school insurance. De-
tails of this insurance business were
told to the special grand jury and 1t
was said to be in connection with
the insurance deals that the grand
jury acted against Lundin and his
nephew.
The grand jury has been investi-
eating school board affairs for several
weeks. William A. Bither, former
attorney for the board of education,
vas the first indicted. He was tried
and found guilty. Facing prison
sentence. Bither was denied a new
trial and now awaits an appeal.
Soon after the grand jury investi-
cation began Lundin, whose home is
in the adjoining county of Lake,
went to Rochester. Mimi, where he
He wrote a letter to States Attorney
Grove saying that he expected to re-
turn TO the jurisdiction OF the grand
Jury and would inform him when he
returned.
Mr.. Lundin, so far as known, did
rot return to Chicago.
Among the other defendants named
IN the indictments are Albert II. Sew
erlnghaus, a trustee and former vice
president OF the school board; Edwin
s. Davis. a trustee and former presi-
dent of the board; Charles ]. Fors-
berg, formerly business manager of
the board; Fred n. Krengle, formerly
assistant business manager; John
board; Charles E. Ward, an attorney
and Thompson politician.
Called Self "Poor swede.-
Lundin. who referred to himself as
the poor Swede," is credited with
having been the genius of the Thomp-
son organization, which many politi
clans believe was the greatest politi-
cal machine ever established in Chi
cago and Illinois. With the retire
ment OF the mayor and the absence
and indictment of Lundin and other
changes in political alignment, the
machine now is reported to be break
ing up.
The beginning Of the breakup of the
every candidate in the Lundin- -Thomp-
son slate was defeated In the Cook
county judicial elections. Then the
Chicago Tribune sued five wheel
horses" of the organization In an ef-
fort to recover millions which, the
newspaper charged, had been illegally
expended to experts in connection
with public improvements. A special
grand jury began investigation of al
legged graft In the expenditure of
school funds and that inquiry has
been under way since August. An
other grand jury more recently began
investigating charges Of protected vice
Factions opposed to the Thompson
organization united on Arthur c. Lu-
eder, postmaster, Chicago as g. candi-
date for mayor A bitter primary
campaign was in prospect until May
or Thompson announced he would not
run again.
The special grand jury issued a
subpoena for Lundin, but it was never
served.