Friday, 6th June 1913 Probe of Grand Jury Goes Over One Week

Atlanta Journal

Friday, June 6th, 1913

Only Routine Matters Up Tuesday—Dictograph Controversy Not Considered

It will be week after next before the Fulton county grand jury resumes its investigation of the vice situation in Atlanta, if any further investigation is to be made at all.

This was made plain Friday afternoon by Foreman Lewis H. Beck, who stated that Solicitor Dorsey had advised the grand jury that he had sufficient routine works ahead to engage its attention for at least three days next week.

Mr. Beck feels that three days a week is sufficient to ask the members of the jury to give from their business affairs unless matters of very pressing importance demanded attention. The grand jury will meet next Tuesday morning at 10 o'clock, and will consider the business which Solicitor Dorsey has in hand.

MAY PROBE FURTHER.

No agreement has been reached as to whether the vice probe would be resumed week after next. "We have gone pretty far already," said Mr. Beck, "but it is possible that there may be some further inquiry which we will desire to make."

The members of the grand jury apparently do not see much in the dictograph episode to justify their attention. They are inclined to regard it more in the nature of a newspaper controversy than anything else.

"It was necessary," said one prominent member of the grand jury Friday morning, "that we look into that phase of the dictograph incident which resulted in the open charges that vice was allowed to flourish in Atlanta without police interference, but when the dictograph matter is stripped of this feature there appears to be nothing left in it for the grand jury to consider."

Foreman Beck asserted that no complaint or demand delative [sic] to the dictograph controversy had been made to him. He did not know whether anything would arise which would justify the grand jury in going into that matter.

CHIEF TO LEAVE CITY.

Police Chief Beavers Friday morning notified Foreman Beck that he expected to leave Saturday for Washington to attend the annual convention of the National Association of Police Chiefs. The chief informed Mr. Beck that he had contemplated this trip for several months, and that he would be back in Atlanta Monday, June 16. He announced that he would be subject to the grand jury's pleasure upon his return.

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