◆ SpookStack

_ 4 THE KENNEDYS~ End of the Affair As untidily and unsatisfactorily as it began, the legal inquiry into the in- cident at Chappaquiddick came to an abrupt end last week. After a few hours of fruitless probing, a grand. jury ap- pointed to investigate .the death last _ July of Mary Jo Kopechne adjourned in frustration without clarifying any of the mystery that still surrounds ‘her death. Thé grand jury, sitting in Edgartown, . Mass., began its work with high hopes. ° Foreman Leslie Leland, a Vineyard Haven druggist, pledged a complete and independent investigation; many jurors were apparently in an indicting mood. Their ambitions were quickly dashed by State Superior Court Justice Wil- red Paquet, 67, a no-nonsense jurist With a reputation for running a tight fir investigation py ming th hey could: con- sq siger only those matters brought to their _ aftention by the superior court, the dis- ict attorney or their own. personal nowledge. ; _ Paquet's charge left thé grand jury , with. few options. Only three charges _ Were possible. against Sefiator Edward Kennedy: manslaughter, ‘perjury of > ‘ “driving to endanger,” .a traffic offense ‘that is generally combined with other charges, notably drunken driving. Citing a ruling by the state’s Supreme Ju- dicial Coitrt, ‘the judge denied the ju- Tors’ fequest for a look at the tran- . script. of the January inquest into the ac- ™ cident. District Attorney Edmund Dinis, . Who had access to both the transcript and _ . the report on the proceedings by Presid- ing Justice James Boyle, told the jurors there was not enough evidence to indict ‘rors themselves made no move. to- call anyone involved in the events surrotind- ing the accident; four new wittiesses, ‘who testified for less than 20 minutes ‘in all, provided nothing useful in the way of ome 8=—Videnice. “ Case Closed. With that, the grand “jury gave -up. Accompanied ‘by a sheriff ‘in formal dress, the ten mén and ten - women assembled glumly. beforé Judge - ‘Paquet in Mattha’s Vineyard’s 112+year- old courthouse. The judge askéd Foré- man Leland if the jury had any pre- sentments to make. “I have nothing to present,” said Leland quietly: “Not you,” snapped Paquet. “Does the graiid jury have anything to present?” Startled, Le- ‘land said that the answer for the ‘grand jury was the same. His reply came as 4 telief to Dinis, who has become an in- creasingly rehictant participant in the drama involving Massachusetts’ most powerful political family. “The case is. closed,” he said, oe The doubts remain. Several grand ju- TIME, APRIL 20, 1970 Kennedy on any of the charges. The ju- - @ as the courts are concerned. Dinis’ state- ment that no further action is planned clears the way for the release of the in- quest transcript and Justice Boyle’s re- port. All that stood in the way of the release was resolution of the kind of dis- pute that typifies courthouse politics in ae" Massachusetts. Freelance Court Stenog- room girls. * The jury had nothing ta prasent. , ” rors believed that Kennedy should have - been -brought before a court to answer for events that they still find inade- quately expldined, Mariy were: disap- -pointed at their inability to return’ an. ‘indictment -Against him “Most ef us félt Kennedy was ‘morally’ responsible for the denth of that_pitl,” said one woman juror, ignoring Paquet’s warall, . about sealed lips. Said a fialé juror! “ a don’t believe this will ever be fesolved as far as some people aré concerned.” The case is resolved, howeVet, as fat * . + -— bay at oS “ rapher Sidney Lipman, following a well- established Bay ‘State practice, made arrangements to offer the 764-page tran- ‘script for sale at $1.05 a page, or $802.20 ‘a copy. He has sued to halt its publi- cation by the court at the bargain-base- ment price of $75 a copy. Rejecting his suit, the state has gone ahead with its plans to release the inquest dac- uments this week. Few expect the tran- seript to produce any surprises or fur- ther clues to what really happened at “and after the tragic party for the boiler- co paves Hae tart A SNe aero ate meaty