Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 January 1907 — “PROSECUTOR GRAVES EXONERATED.” [ARTICLE]

“PROSECUTOR GRAVES EXONERATED.”

George E. Hershman, the special deputy prosecutor appointed to hold a court of inquiry at Remington for alleged violations of the law was there last week and held the inquiry but his work was without result and no affidavits were filed. A thorough investigation of the alleged law violations was made but no evidence was found of any law violations sufficient to justify prosecutions.—Newton County Sentinel.

The above is a sample of the falsehoods regarding the late court of inquiry at Remington that has appeared in practically every paper in Newton county, and the similarity of the wording would indicate that they were all “edited” by the same hand. Practically the same statement has been published in three republican papers here, but where they got their information is not made public. It is not likely that the officers who conducted the inquiry would go to these editors and tell them that affidavits were filed before arrest were made. The Democrat personally cares nothing whatever about the controversy between the people composing the anti-saloon league of Remington and Prosecutor Graves, but it does feel called upon to correct falsehoods in the matter that are persistenly made by certain newspapers who draw their inspiration from a questionable source. This paper has information which it considers worthy of credence that information was secured which was considered sufficient to secure convictions, and that several warrants have been issued and will be served as soon as the officers can lay hands on the parties whom they are against, all reports to the contrary notwithstanding. The Democrat also knows who was the instigator of the famous report of the late grand jury here in which it was sought to make it appear that this paper made charges against Prosecutor Graves rather than the people of Remington, while every member of said grand jury knew, as well as the prosecutor and his deputy, that -this paper made no charges whatever, but they were made over the signatures of the president of said anti-saloon league and its attorney. A member of said grand jury admitted to the writer that it was an oversight in saying that The Democrat made these charges. But we will venture the assertion that it was no oversight of the real instigators of said report in so wording it —it was intentional on their part in their practiced efforts for years to create a sentiment to discredit anything appearing in this paper. The name of the grand juror who sprung this famous “report” is not hard to guess, aa he no doubt felt grateful for not having himself been prosecuted as a gambler. When the arrests are made of the parties against whom affidavits were tiled, if the report is correct that there were such, their names and the charges will be published in this paper.