The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 25, 1902, Page 17

Bid4443443343404834 9404244 Pages 17 10 28 R e e R R TS + pe < + + * + e & 3 > + + + - + & all. + + 4, e + + - [ BHIIEIESFFEFFI44 442000000 Pages 171028 R e e e e e e e S o - - - + - -~ (] e VOLUME XCI-NO. 176. AGUIRRE CERTIFIES TO FORGE SAN FRANCISCO, SUNDAY, MAY 25, 1902—FORTY PAGES. WARDEN SAYS RECORDS MAY ONLY BE INSPECTED WHEN HE IS N presenting proof of some of the criminal acts of the ring that controls the financial affairs of San Quentin. prison” The Call asks for an immédiate investigation of its charges by the State Board of Prison Directors. Warden M. G. Aguirre last cvening telegraphed from Los Angeles to his brother, J. 4. Aguirre, the acting Warden of the prison, stating that any.citizen of California is welcome to an inspection of the prison records and ask- ing that The Call fix the time for such inspection. | PRICE FIVE CENTS. D BILLS PRESENT. ll The Call has no power to fix the time_for an investigation. That matter rests with the Board of Prison bii'cc!ars, and when those officials order an investigation The Call will be fully prepared to prove its charges and at the same time furnish convincing proof that Warden Aguirre and other officials of San Quentin prison have been guilty of obtaining goods by fraud and forgery and tiat Governor Gage and his friends have been the beneficiaries of crime. Not until The Call had exposed the scandal at San Quentin prison did Warden Aguirre consent to a thorough investigation of the prison records.- For two days representatives of this paper were denied access to certain docu- order w« ‘ as treated with contempt. 1Warden Aguirre did not answer the telegram and no word was reccived from him until the publication by The Call of its charges. 4 ments by Acting Warden J. A. Aguirre. On Friday, when an order was presented-to the acting Warden, signed by President Fitsgerald of the prison board, authorizing The Call’s representatives to see all the records of the prison, the Acting Warden Aguirre refused to produce the records and stated that he must telegraph to his brother, the Warden, for permission. AND OBTAINS GOODS BY GROSS FRAUDS OBTAINEP PY ZRAIP NOT PRESINIEDP AT SBCBAMENTO. .. Governozf Gage and Friends Ehjoy Luxuries Criminally Secured From State by Aid of Convicts Employed as Bookkeepers N charging that the finan-| cial zffairs of San Quentin| I prison are in the hands of a | corrupt ring and that its members have been guilty of| f deception, obtdining goods| y false pretenses, falsification of | ecords and other crimes, includ- ng forgery, The Call is fully pre- pared to prove its assertions. In accusing Warden Martin G. Aguirre and other officials of the ison as being the instigators of irau the ¢ 1 plot, The Call this morping presents proof of theirI deep guilt, and also shows that Governor Gage and his . family were .the beneficiaries of Aguirre’s felonious acts. The work of investigation b)‘i The Call has taken many months, and to present all the evidence ecured would require many edi-| tions of this newspaper. { Convict Forgers Used. Herewith facts and figures,} ompiled from the public rec-| rds at Sacramento and Sani Quentin prison, are presented, a sample of the criminal plot that implicates Warden Aguirre and of which Governor Henry T. | of mouth. The parties ‘who or—l Prison Directors and the State Gage is the beneficiary. In justice to the unfortunate convicts who have been .used by the San Quentin ring to forge bills and records and falsify books, The Call refrains from mentioning their names. The convicts were forced by prison officials to perform the work and commit crime, otherwise their lot would be of the hardest kind. It required the brains of men convicted of forgery and fraud to carry out the details of the plot. That is why Aguirre used the services of the convicts who keep the books of the commis- sary department, while Francis Foley has posed as a mere fig- urehead of the same. Foley is an old man, who sits in an office chair while the convict clerks work upon the books and rec- ords, committing forgeries and frauds at the instigation of their guardians. In July of last year the firm of Lewi Strauss & Co. of this city shipped a bill of goods to San Quentin' prison. The articles were hot ordered on a requisition blank, but were ordered by word dered the goods were not offi- cials of San Quentin prison, but | were ladies related to Warden Aguirre. The goods were duly shipped to San Quentin prison and charged to the penitentiary ac- count. The goods shipped by Levi Strauss & Co. on July g, 1901, to San. Quentin prison were as fol- lows: 2 Pc. Peq. 4-4, blue, 88%... $2 32 $20 T4 1 Pride of West, 69.. 12 00 828 2 Tcwels .... 300 600 2 Towels . 650 13 00 4 Towels . 2 Doylies . 3 Doylles . 1 Damask. 28 85 28 01 1 Crash, 50 .. 12% 625 15 Nightshirts 8 50 425 % Nightshirts .. 15 00 750 < D SRR R SR $112 13 Foisted Forged Bill. These goods were delivered to Warden Aguirre’s house and by the aid of convict clerks the transgction was covered up in the books of the prison and a forged bill foisted upon the £ BILL FOR GOODS OBTAINED BY FRAUD AND FORGED STATEMENT. L= = Board of Examiners. The goods were paid for by the State, but the money was ob- tained from the treasury by for- gery and fraud. A bill purport- ing to be for cloth for convicts’ clothing was forged by the con- vict clerks, certified to by Com- missary Foley and Warden Aguirre and foisted upon the prison directors, the State Board of "Examiners and the Comp- troller. The money obtained by the forged bill sent to Sacramento was used to pay for the articles that were 'ordered on July o, 1901. FORCED Brrz CERIIFIZD 75 Warpzry As CORErCr 2y In the -records at San/] AGurrre- . Household Articles and Personal Apparel Paid For With Public Funds Under the Guise of Authorized Prison Supplies & Co. on September 17, 1901. At the time that the goods were ordered from Levi Strauss & Co. members of the Gover- nor’s family were guests of War- den Aguirre at San Quentin. A son of Governor Gage called at the office of Commissary Foley and inguired if the goods had ar- rived. He was informed ¢hat the articles had not reached the prison. The next day the goods arrived, and were opened, checked at the commissary and sent to the Warden’s house. . Defrauded the State. The manner in which the members of the San Quentin ring of forgers went to work to defraud the State and obtain goods by fraud was cleverly carried out. By the use of convicts, skilled in the work of forg- ing, documents, a forged statementwasmailed from Warden Aguirre’s office to the State officials at Sac- ramento. The statement was pasted to a billhead of Levi Strauss & Co., cut Quentin prison is the bill of July from one of their genuine 9, receipted for by Levi Strauss!bills. It purported to be for authorized prison sup- plies and was as follows: Contract: s July 1, 1901— 4 bale S, P, cassimere, 1167%..96c $112 20 July 9, 1901— 1 bale S. P. Flannel, 474%....28c 132 79 July 18, 1901— 2 bales S. P. Flannel, 524%..:.28¢c This forged documenr was certified to as being correct by Commissary Francis Foley and Warden Aguirre. The first item in the bill for $112 20 was never shipped by Levi Strauss & Co., and there is no record of it on their books or on the stock books of the prison. The forged item was put in the statement under instruction by a convict -clerk of Warden Aguirre to cover up the purchase of the bill of goods of July g, 1901, for $11213, which in- cluded costly towels, doylies, ta- ble cloths, dress goods and night shirts, obtained by forgery and fraud for the benefit of Governor Gage and his family. Levi Strauss & Co. did sell to San Quentin prison the sccond‘ and third items that appear on the forged statement. The origi- nal bills of the shipping firm and their books show that the second item was one for $13286. On | the forged statement the true amount was reduced by 7 cents. This was done in order that the forgers at San Quentin might balance accounts. The bill of goods for towels, doylies, table cloths and night- shirts was for $112 13, and it was covered upon the forged state- ment by an item of 7 cents larger. The State Board of Examin- ers and the Prison Directors twould never have passed a bill for night shirts and costly towels and table cioths, and they were deceived by the forged docu- ment purporting to be for au- thorized prison clothing. On September 12, 1901, the State Comptroller was instructed to pass a number of accounts for. San Quentin prison. These in- cluded the forged statement for $391 81. Among the checks drawn on September 14, 1901, v(}wm:lm:ocl on Page Nineteem.