Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-03-30
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FRIDAY MORNING. MARCH 80. 1877
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THE WATER WORKS WAR.

The WATER WUKAS Wan.
ASSAULT UPON SUPERINTENDENT SMITH
BY MR.. q. NJ. HARRIsON-AN ATTEMP~
TED MEETING OF THE CoUNCIL-A PRO-
POSITION TO DEPRIVE sUPERINTEN-
DENT SMITH OF CoUNsEL-THE INvEs-
TIGATIoN,
&C., &C., &C.
Tuesday night being the time, and the
Council room being the place for the first
meeting of the Special Committee to
investigate the allegations made against
A. w. Smith, Superintendent of the Wa
ter Works by Donald Allen, City En-
gineer, regarding his competency to fill the
office, the Council room was brilliantly
lighted up. Mr.. Patterson, the clerk was
pegging away at his desk, the reporter OF
/ The VINDICAToR was smoking a cheap
cigar and perusing the New York
''Sun," Superintendent Smith was seated
in corner by the stove, and his friend who
had come with him was contemplating the
quiet family scene when the door opened
and MI. g. M. Harrison, a well known
lawyer, appeared cane in hand. He re-
marked, 'Smith did you cut off my water"
and being tCld that he did, rushed on him
! struck him over the head with the stick,
making a wound that bled freely, and
| throwing away the stick clinched him by
The throat. Both men weigh about 200
pounds and are fine specimens of manhood.
Old man Patterson looked over his specta
eles and the newspaper man looked up
! rom his paper astOnished at the sudden
comb 1t. They Immediately, however, ad
| tanced in procession two deep on the
| combatants and proceeded to try and
| sep. rate them, their effort presenting
striking similarity to that Of two very
tank mosquitoes trying to separate two
| lealthy elephants. Both uen were clinched
I'D neither could afford to let go, though
| ,le spared time enough to kick old MAI
4'>.tterson on the Sims by way OF remind
| g him that ''blessed is the peace ma
| .er." When they were loosel Smith
matched 40 u chair and smashed it To
| pIinters against one held UP as a guard by
| ~Iarris IN. He then tried to gather anott-
| char to follow up ii. who lad backeJ
10 the other end of the room with his char
| ill on guard. The bystanders interviewed
| -owever, aud by holding and remonstra-
ing with the Superintendent, got him suf-
| iciently pacifed to discontinue the pursuit.
| lie then washed his face and in Il few min
ties seemed in pretty good humor. Hal
'lson here left the room after the termina-
ion of the row. The newspaper man IT.
| urned to his reading and cheap cigar and
If. Patterson set as a copy for the next
lay Let us have peace" About the eau
Us of the assault We get the following
| STATEMENT OF MR.. HARRISON.
| Mr.. Harrison says in December last AS
,istant Superintendent Hardy fixed his by
lrant, for which he paid 81, and took a re-
! ceipt. In January Officer Pritchard ex>
| mined the hydrant, under the order OF the
Jity Council for the police TODD that duty
tnd was satisfied with its condition. About
hree weeks ago Superintendent Smith pre-
.ented bill of ST. for fixing the hydrant,
| nd said the police had reported it. Mr.
harrison said he had paid for fixing it
superintendent Hardy had fixed it, Smith
aid Hardy did It know anything about d
| vibrant, but the Council had imp >sed him
/ IL him as an assistant. though he dldn't
want him. He couldn't help it if d hydrant
| wanted to be fixed every month, it
lad to be done. Harrison asked who had
Ixed it this time. Smith said he had sent
Hardy to do it. Harrison asked how he
Hard VIII ma
bout hydrants, to fix his. At another
ime Smith SAID he was mistaken in saying
Iardy, that it was a man named Smith,
who fixed it. Harrison then said that the
natter was so much in doubt that he want
u the matter to go before the Council. 10
tecide who fixed it and who didn't, and if
| t was decided he should pay, he would pay
it. Tuesday morning Superintendent
| Smith saw him on the street, and pulling
| the bill out of his pocket said. in an Of
| fensive manner, Are you going to pay
| th. bill" Mr.. Harrison said he had no
the to attend to him; that he was in a
| hurry. When II. went home in the even
| ing he found his water cut off. He re-
| garded it as not an official act SO much as
IN intended personal affront, and coming
down town found Smith and assaulted him.
STATEMENT OF MIR. SMITH.
Mr.. Smith S statement Of the case is to
| The effect that he was carrying out his
| luty as prescribed by the ordinance to the
| letter. The bill was for repairs done
and certified to him as DONE On the
presented the bill which he refused to pay,
saving that he did not order the work to
be done. Smith told him that the work
had been ordered by some one, performed,
and the bill had been placed in his hands
for collection. The next day he saw uar-
rison again when Fl. again refused to pay
it and id he had been advised by three
members of the City Council not to pay it.
Saw Harrison again on the morning of the
9th inst, (Tuesday) and asked him if he
would pay it. He said he would not.
Smith then told him that the ordinance
required him to cut off the water. Harri-
son then told him to go away from HIM
that he didn't want anything to do with
him. Smith then cut the water off. The
Sd section of the water ordinance rescribes
the action to be used by the Superintendent
in the matter and it was followed
Smith says to the letter, the cutting off of
the water Icing strictly required of him
by the ordinance and it was for the execu-
ton of that duty forced on him by the Or
dinance that he was assaulted. He dis
claims having had any personal feeling
against Harrison in the matter.