The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 10, 1902, Page 3

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, TUESDAY, JUNE 10, 1902. GAGE RESORTS TO A STAR CHAMBER ORE documents are being prepared at San Quentin prison at the dictation of the officials. “INVESTIGATION” IN SAN QUENTIN PRISON On Sunday evening last Commissary Foley, Assistant Commissary Gilardin and Steward Pretzel were required to sign a deposition to the effect that they had never furnished The Call with any information as to the affairs of San Quentin, and that they had n¢ knowledge of any fraud, forgery or falsification of records in the com- missary department. rapher and Notary Public, certified to their acts. Governor Gage. Stenographer and Notary Public Reynolds was seen last evening at his home in San Rafael. | | . 1 The deposition was prepared by Dan Kevane, former “outside law partner” of Governor Gage in Los Angeles. is also a Notary Public, was brought in haste from his home to the penitentiary. When Reynolds arrived and Dan Kevane had talked with him, Ejommissary Foley, Assistant Commissary Gilardin and Steward Pretzel sent for. They were required to sign the deposition and swear to the truth of the document. Without hesitation Foley, Gilardin and Pretzel affixed their signatures to the deposition, and Reynolds, the prison stenog- Foley, Gilardin and Pretzel are employes of Warden Aguirre and they surmised the fate in store for them if they did not do as required by Dan Kevane, the man Friday of He admitted that he had been warned to say nothing to any one of what is transpiring in San Quentin prison. A prison vehicle was sent to San Rafael and the stenographer of the prison, C. M. Reynolds, He would not deny that he had certified to the depositions of Foley, Gilardin and Pretzel, but when informed that The Call possessed all the details of the depositions and the certification of the signatures Reynolds replied: “You seem to know all about the affair, so what is the use of asking me anything about it?” Reynolds then entered his house and refused to talk further. Prisoners have been forced to forge bills and falsify records at San Quentin prison by order of their superiors. The latest move is to compel employes to sign depositions to bolster up the “star chamber investiga- tion” of Gowvernor Gage and his cronies. — - Behind Locked Doors Within Prison Walls Governor Con- fers With the Aguirres, Kevane and Three Prisoners. “Whitewash” Affidavit Is Secured From Employe OR the past week Gov-!guilty of these offenses age has been em-|charged that the prisoners em- ernor ployed in holding a star|ployed as bookkeepers had been chamber “investigation” of | forced to commit felonies on' the the affairs of San Quentin prison, | orders of their official guardians. being and night with Warden Aguirre and the prisoners who forced to forge bills, falsify rec- ords and take part in the scandal of forgery and felony, as recently exposed by the Call. When this newspaper brought the searchlight of publicity to bear on the felonious transactions carried on by State officials at sentin prison it asserted jen M. G. Aguirre was ring genius of the crimes Governor Gage was the of some of these trans- he Call again repeats ad is fully prepared h and every one of its e Call published a list of que iressed to Warden Aguirre as to the manufacture of furniture in San Quentin prison and the shipping of the same tc the Governor’s house, Governor Gage rushed into print and de- clared that he had been libeled and accused of crime. The Call had not accused:zyou, Governor Gage, of forging bills or falsifying records, at that'time.” It had ac- cused” your pets-ef-having been add closeted morning, noon | were | WILL GAGE ANSWER? Why, then, did you rush into print and, ir. the columns of your subsidized press assert, over your signature, that you had been wronged, and demand a full and complete investigation- of the charges made as to the adminis- tration of San Quentin prison? What kind of an investigation are you holding, Governor Gage, in a room at San Quentin prison behind locked doors? What do the people of Califor- nia think of an investigation be- ing held by Governor Gage, who himself asserts that he is accused of crime? The accused is acting as his own judge, counsel for prosecution and defense. And think of the assistants you have, Governor Gage, in your star chamber investigation, behind locked doors in 8an Quentin! You are assisted by Warden M. G. Aguirre and his brother, J. A. Aguirre, both of whom have been accused by the Call, and you also confer with three prisoners. What do the people of Califor- nia think of Governor Gage con=- ducting a secret investigation, aided by Warden Aguirre and his brother, Dan Kevane, secretary to .the Board of Examiners and formerly ‘‘outside law partner” of Gage in Los Angclcs,and three and | prisoners who forged and fal- sified the records and accounts of 8an Quentin prison ? You, Governor Gage, pro= claimed in a loud voice that you demanded a full and complete in= vestigation of the charges made by the Call. Warden M. G. Aguirre followed you in the same strain, and your Board of Prison Directors, through President Fitzgerald, said that a thorough investigation must be held by themselves in the name of jus- tice. What has your Board of Prison Directors done in the matter of an investigation ? Ab- solutely nothing ! ‘Why have you, Governor Gage, taken the public records from Sacramento and conveyed them to San Quentin prison? Why have you, Governor Gage, sat in a locked room in 8an Quen~ tin prison, together with Warden Aguirre and Prisoners Crosby, Van Horn and Weber? In that room, Governor Gage, you have had the public records from Sacramento, consisting of the original bills of accounts for goods supplied to San Quentin prison, inciuding the forged bills which the Call photographed and published. You have also had, Governor Gage, all the bills and records of San Quentin prison in that room, and you have been closeted with Prisoners Crosby, Van Horn and Weber, the men who were forced to forge g with pearl and shell. let woman of San Franclisco? bills and falsify the prison rec- ords. If the Prison Directors hold an investigation, Governor Gage, do you think the records of San Quentin and those from Sacra- mento will be in exactly the same condition as they were before you locked yourself up in a room at San Quentin prison and held heart=to-heart talks with War= den Aguirre, J. A. Aguirre, Dan Kevane, your former “outside law partner” in Los Angeles, and three prisoners—Crosby, Van Quentin prison and paid for with public funds. dence of Warden Aguirre at San Quentin prison. It was made by convicts in San Quentin prison. day, was presented to a woman who keeps a house of ill-fame in this city. Governor Gage says there is nothing wrong with the administration of aifairs at San Quentin prison. Will you, Governor Gage, explain why material worked upon by convicts at San Quentin prison and made into a valuable bird cage finds its way into the possession of a sear- the prison who forged and falsi- ficd books and records? The Call has demanded an in- vestigation of its charges, and Governor Gage declared that such an inquiry should be held. What do the people of the State of California think of the methods of an “investigation” pursued by Governor Gage, as- sisted by Warden Aguirre, Dan Kev§ne, etc., and the three pris- Horn and Weber, the inmates o,loners who forged bills and falsi- "PHOTOGRAPHS OF A BILL, THAT MAY BE EXPLAINED BY SAN QUENTIN’S WARDEN, AND A BIRD CAGE. I HE CALL to-day publishes the above photographs, further proving the existence of frand in San Quentin prison affairs. The photograph of the bill of Levi Strauss & Co. was taken at Sacramento. The bill is a public record of supplies xold to Sam The items in the bill are for goods supplied to Warden Aguirre, who is a bachelor. Z00ds were not ordered on n regular requisition blank. They were ordered verbally by ladles. who were residing at the official resi- Can Warden Aguirre explain why some of the goods itemized on the bill were charged to the prison account and paid for with public fundst Did you, Warden Aguirre, require all the articles charged in this bill for your own use? The photograph of the bird cage was taken in this city. The bird cage is an elaborate piece of work. The It is finely earved and inlald This bird cage, the photograph of which is published in The Call to- fied records? And this “investigation” by the Governor has been held behind locked doors in San Quentin prison, and the “investigators” have even had their meals served inside that iocked room. The Call repeats all of its charges and will prove them. If Governor Gage desires, the Call will give him an exact account of what was served to him for his meals in the “star chamber” room where he has been investi- gating the affairs of San Quentin prison and also sitting as his own judge. In his subsidized press Governor Gage says he is “inves- tigating the affairs of San Quen- tin prison and can find nothing wrong.” This statement proves how unfit Governor Gage is to conduct an investigation. F San Quentin prison administra= tion is a foul mass of corruption, Continued on Page Four.