Evening star., 1928-12-10

tanned a possible fractured skull, and
to safety just IS the car bore down up
Municipal Court solved the problem by
making Siege special ofdcer Of his
court.
Defeated in their attempt to forestall
the jury, first by Groves plea, then by
the Grove Thompson county commits
sioners' refusal of funds, the political
angle was dropped and the Grove
Thompson followers hired a corps of
high pressure lawyers, skilled in GRIM
inal law.
Jury IL Ruled Legal.
The defense lawyers--three Arms of
them-went before Judge Frank Com
erford of the Criminal Court on mo-
ton TO quash the indictments, contend
ing the special grand jury was illegal
on the ground Illinois law forbade two
grand jurieS sitting simultaneously in
the same county. Judge Comerford cut
through the mass Of legal technicali-
ties, ruling the special jury legal and
its indictments valid.
Ten days later, on July II, 10 more
Eller henchmen were indicted for cleo
ton crimes. Within few days Judge
Eller slashed the bonds on which they
were held, reducing one mans from
$2B0, 1000 to $7S.S00; another's from
S105, 900 to $53,500.
Siege was busy rounding UP WITT
nesses, nahhing the men indicted. busy
with Loesch and his assistants, David
D. Stansbury and others. in question:
ing both the indicted men. A report
got about-was printed in the news
papers-that one of the indicted men
had begun to sing" that is, was tell
ing all he knew. Bennie Zion, alias
Yanger, an Eller hoodlum. report had
1t. was the singer"
The morning Of July 81, lions bullet
torn body was found in q West Side
alley, Another gang war killing" was
the police verdict, but the special prose-
cutors quoted the ancient saw that
dead men tell no tales"
The July special jury made its final
return on August 8.
City 0f1iciaIs Indicted.
City Collector Eller, his son, Judge
Eller, and II of their henchmen were
named in a blanket indictment, drawn
by Assistant Special Prosecutor Edwin
j. Raher, an indictment expert. There
were % counts Of conspiracy ranging
from vote frauds to the murder of
Granady and included the charge that
the Eliers had protected vice and
gambling dives In exchange for votes.
The defense attorneys professed in
dignation, demanded an immediate trial,
and were wrathful when asked to wait
until September II.
During the argument for an imme-
diate trial, the defense said they wanted
none Of the Criminal Court judges to
hear the case. Judge John M. O'Con-
LMA nf
law and his impartiality, was suggest
ed as the trial Judge and they agreed
to accept him. They could not do 9TH
erwise.
An August special jury was sworn
in August TO- It began an investigation
OF the City Hall payrolls, swollen to
plethoric Proportions before the prim-
ary, and Of charges that protection had
been snapped In the "black belt" q
Grove Thompson stronghold. In ex-
change for votes and hefty Campaign
donations"
Nothing developed in the "black belt"
inquiry during August, but the payroll
investigation revealed that hundreds had
been hired by city offlcials in the weeks
prior to the primary and had been
ousted day or so after the disastrous
defeat OF the Thompson Grove Small
machine.
Many of the payrollers called before
the special jury admitted they had
done no work In return for their city
pay checks. Others said that when
they asked for work they were told to
| canvass their home precincts for the
Grove Thompson candidates.
Downstate legislators, presumably as
reward for their votes In behalf of
Thompson's increased bonding power
bill and Groves States attorney bill,
were also found on the city payrolls,
far from their native haunts.
Twenty per cent of the names on
the rolls, the prosecutors charged, were
| fraudulent. Grand jury investigators
seeking them at the address listed found
vacant lets. addresses that didn't ex-
| ist, or houses where the payrollers'
| names had never been heard.
Loesch dropped the investigation, an
nouncing as his reason. that because
OF the limitations imposed on the grand
jury, holding 1t to an inquiry into elec-
ton crimes, he feared indictments re-
turned would be illegal. Reports were
that the grand jurors had disagreed and
it was later learned that on the jury
was man whose son was a SIS, ,000-a :
year city hall payroller.
| Loesch recommended that the new
States attorney investigate the matter,
terming the payroll situation downright
| scandalous.''
Though the August Jury returned only
q Few minor indictments, other factors
had been working to aid in the fight
for a better Chicago.
| Newspaper Aliiance.l
|