Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-01-31
Shelby COUNTY JAIL.
Report OF the Committee Appointed
by tho County Court 10 In
vestigate tho Build
ing Of the New
Jail


ships, the justices Of the County Court OF
Shelby county, Tennessee;
The undersigned committee, appointed
to make examination Of the new County
Jail building; TO call for and examine
all the papers and contracts, and all
other actions in the matter OF the said
Jail building, making full and specific
report, beg to report as follows:
On Saturday the 18th day Of January,
1861, after appointment, the committee
commenced the performance Of the du.
ties assigned them, and have devoted
themselves 10 the same up 10 this day,
sitting morning and evening-not sit
ting Saturday evenings.
Before taking any proof or opening
proceedings, they made an order and so
notified the parties that the Jail contrac'
tors, Commissioners and Judge Of the
Court, and such other person or persons
as are or may be parties to this investi-
cation, be allowed to introduce proof by
themselves or counsel, the intention Of
the committee being, pursuant TO the in
struction Of the Court, to obtain all the
facts in regard TO the Jail, with y view
to an equitable settlement between the
county and the contractor, as stated in
the order of the Court; and to this end
without the restraint Of technical rules,
the committee have caused to come be-
fore them, and have taken the sworn tes-
timony Of the parties named: Mr. Pow
ers, one Of the contractors, and the only
acting contractor; Messrs. Bickford,
Donovan, Wallace and. Miller; Judge
Leonard, of the Jail Commissioners (the
latter Judge and financial agent Of the
county, Mr. j. Black, the Jail architect,
and Mr.. W. B. Greenlaw, Charles Jones,
James B. Griffin, c, CsBurk Mr. Piper,
the foreman of the Jail building, and
others, whom many parties desire to in
troduce, or whose testimony we had every
reason to believe would be material in
bringing out all the facts in the case
We have been careful to have the
sworn testimony Of persons Of large ex-
perience in building, or in the materials
used in the execution of the Jail con-
tract and the specification, so as to ena-
BILE us to report TO you with the greatest
possible accuracy, as you have directed
us to do. We have given every facility
to all the parties in our powerto get all
the facts before us in their behalf One
of the Commissioners, Esquire Hall is
the only person sent for who has failed
to appear before us, and we are not ad-
vised that his evidence would have de-
veloped any new matter, while we suppose
his engageme ats alore would have pre-
vented his appearance we had no au-
thority to enforce it.
To facilitate this investigation as d.
rected, we employed as clerk and mes
senger, Mr.. Reuben Daley, practical
short hand writer, who by his art Of short
hand has greatly econimized the time
and expenses of this investigation and
aided its accuracy, enabling us to &C.
complish with far greater speed and ia
cility the task before us. His compen-
sation was stipulated at twenty dollars
per day, to include the writing out of the
matter, by himself and assistants, and
his services as messenger-going for
persons and papers-which services have
occupied the time of himself and assist
ants, including all the day, and extend
ing late into the night. We take pleasure
in saying that his services have been
welland faithfully performed.
Also, as directed by you, we engaged
the services of the architect, Mr.. d.
Winters, eminently qualified for this
purpose, apd, as we believe, incorrupti-
bly, honest, to measure and estimate the
work and material, which he has done
with great labor, submitting his report
of the same after undergoing full exam
nation by us. Mr.. Winters was at first
willing to undertake this work for the
county at onehalf per cent of the
amount estimated, but upon examina-
ton of the building, etc, declined so to
do; because, he said, that would be in
adequate to the labor necessarily re.
quired, and we did not further undertake
n settlement of the compensation to him.
1t was not, in fact, any part Of our du-
ties so to do.
We respectfully submit to the Court
the exhibits and proof for the inspection
of the Court, whose attention is respect
fully invited thereto. We also directed
our clerk to procure the necessary sta
tionery. which he did at the house Of c.
f. Chamberlin & Co., amounting to s..
One of the committee furnished the
place for the transaction of the business
of the committee during its sittings, and
he makes no charges to the county for
the use and fuel consumed
The committee, before taking proof,
proceeded to the Jail building and made
an examination, as directed in the order
of the court, and called for and obtained
all of the papers, contracts, etc, includ-
ing the record books of the Jail Commits
sioners, all of which were cheerfully
produced to us by the parties having
charge of the same If there be any
other papers, etc, pertaining to the Jail,
the committee have no knowledge or
or means of obtaining
knowledge or information thereof Those
produced we have thoroughly examined,
as directed.
Inquiring into the records of the Jail
Commissioners, that we might have their
testimony inspected aud their actions in
the matters of the Jail, according to the
orders of the court, we find that at the
January term there were seven present
appointed as the Commissioners, namely:
Thomas Leonard, Judge; William A.
Bckferd, James Hall, Esq VIM Wal
lace, Attorney General; William S. Wal
.on, r. B Miller, Esq, and T.. l.. Giles;
and, afterwards, on the 18th of January,
1866, as appears by the record book, the
,lection of another, in the person of
John Donovan, Esq, who had been and
was up to that time their secretary, and |
ifterward continued to be such, acting |
also as Commissioner We have been
lnable to find any authority for the APP
pointmsnt of Mr.. Donovan, either in |
aw or in any action of the court, at or
before that time. This inquiry, we
hought, might become important in the
course of this investigation, as it APP
! o.