The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-05-12
ECCLEs FOUND GUILTY


ny sne committee oil lnveAiiERti0n, GU
E'shs specifications aud CieHred on
lnnr--Ihe Report 10 Go to Council.
Tho work Of the Eccles Investigating Com.
'niitec is over and II now remains for Council
TO say what shall be done. Since about the
middle Of March, when the talk Of IRREGULAR.
ties In Eccles career as Chief Marshal OF the
Fire Department, first started, and when
Galiigun submitted 10 Council The charges
and specifications he had prepared reciting
how and In what manner Ecclcs had gone
nstray aud done those things, he ought not 10
have done and left undone those things. lie
ought TO have done, the Investigation hus drag.
Bcu YEARLY. Some hard feeling llas been de.
/ veloped aud Soinu rather bitter remarks have
being made, growing out Of the same. The
public fs well acquainted with the history OF
the casc-how 1t started; how the Council
ordered the City Solicitor 10 aid the prosccu.
tor; how 1t appointed u committee 10 Invest.
gate, consisting Of Mr. ui!dreth, chairman,
and Messrs. Wilson, Hall, Bnt,ertcld, Clark
lnd Waterhouse; how the committee met
night after night 10 hear The eydencc-aii Is
known and does not need TO be repeated, -
The committee met promptly last evening,
Ill being present. Galligan was there, also
Eccles with his lawyers, Russell aud D0vener.
The meeting was one for the purpose OF hear
| ing arguments, but before proceeding with
that tile defense asked leave 10 place Clerk
Bowers on the stand which was grant.
ed. MI. bowers was not sworn, and replied
In tic affirmative TO the questions pro.
pounded BY Caldwell, Ms 10 whether the or.
dinnnce didno provide that the Chief should
submit an !temixed report Of all cxpeudi-
lures; lie also said that Eceles had not done
Il Il. Il -
Importance enough to put 1t in as evidence,
aud the time for argument was limited to
thirty minutes for each side. Mr.. Caldwell
led off, reviewing the evidence under each
specification; he spoke twenty-five minutes.
Capt Dovencr followedltof thirty minutes; he
appealed to the committee TO consider The
| "f0olishncss Of the charges and the "spiut
that prompted them" In closing
he scored Galligan very heavily Mr.
Caldwell then consumed his remaining five
minutes to this elegant, high.toned gentle
man; Eccles; this cormo,ant TINT Is eating
up your financial resources" and this nun
Criswell, this chairman, who didn't know
that this department was SO nicely managed
rs TO consume several thousand dol.
lars over and above its appropriations every
year" He then submitted table showing
tIow mitch the expenditures had exceeded
the appropriations for the past four years.
Both Captain lorencr and Solicitor Cald-
well made characteristic speeches-that Is,
they waxcd very indignant and spoke loudly
and furnished fun for the lobby and then
after 1t WAS NIL oyer smiled nmcnbly on cnch
other and joked about II. The committee
decided to ut once nuke up a verdict.
The committee then retired to the First
Brunch chamber, and carefully locking the
door, excluded every one except Clerk
Rheinstronl. The proceedings Of the commit
tee were intended 10 he strictly private, but
by judicous inquiries, after the meeting
was over and the members had retired to
their several homes, the following facts were
ELECTED: The committee proceeded ut once 10
business, Chairman 1Ildrcth presiding. The
iirst charge was read, which was us follows:
l Charge 1.-The undersigned fGalligan1 re-,
specially charges that Willinm Eccles, the
Chief Marshal OF the Fire department OF
the city OF Wheeling, has been guilty OF
conduct grossly Improper and unbccom.
ing in tue Chief Marshal of the Fire Depart
ment OF the city Of Wheeling.
The specifications were then taken up one
by one and the sense OF the committee OBJ
taircd. The full committee was present, and
was unanimous in voting 10 sustain the first,
which Is US follows: glggIs
Specification LIN this, that during the
months OF November and December, 1881,
and january and February, 1852, he did.
without right or authority. use the feed of
the city, purchased by the city for the horses
OF the department, for the feeding OF horse
which was and is the private property OF said
Eccles, or claimed to be such by him. with
out paying or compromising said city for the
Same.
Mr. Hail then excused himself, as there
was sickness in his family. The other
seven specifications we're then read separately
and unanimously sustained They arc as
follows: W
Specification 2-That during the months
OF November and December, 1881, and jana
airy and February, 1SS!, he did direct and or
der said horse to be shod Mt the city's ex-
pensc and the bills rendered against the city
without any right or authority, and did GER
Try 10 the correctness Of the same before the
Committee on Hire Department OF the Coun-
| Gil, and procured the shoeing Of said horse to
be paid for out OF the city treasury, without
right or authority. &
Specification Stint during the year 1851,
for ten months OF the year, he did collect
and receive from one Miss Mary White, the
rent OF The second story OF the Hook and Lad
der house, said house being the property OF
the city, at the rate OF 81 90 per month, the
said rent aggterAting $40. and failed to make
return thereof 10 the Receiver or any other
person, and converted the same TO his own
use, although it belonged 10 the city and
should have been turned over, as he we'll
knew. ~,
Specification 4-That on or about December
l. 1851, he did sell and deliver, without al,-
thority, oats that Ind been purchased by
the city for the use Of the department horses,
to The amount OF SO, to one Robert Cline,
receiving therefor $40, Which he converted to
his own use. - aI
! Specification s-'rhat on : day OIL,
1851, he did instruct and order one Mart
Clark, foreman OF the Vigilant company, 10
cut down or break down the hose reel used
by the department and connected with said
company, meaning thereby TO destroy the
property Of the city.
Specification 6-rlat on the 9th day of
August. 1881, he did order from C. G. Illus.
sey& Co., OF Pittsburgh, two hundred pounds
OF p'gzlnc for the use OF the city, and the
same firm shipped the zinc, which arrived
here On August II, and saiu Ecclcs allowed
the same to remain on the Platform OF the
and unprotected from thieves from that
time until March !, 1852, Of which transac.
ton he kept the city and committee in isnor.
ance until notified by Il letter through
Nesbitt Il Bro, asking them to investigate
anu inform them by what means they could
collect the bill; and when said Ecclcs was
informed Of the letter Of uussey II CO., and
questioned concerning his deselic.ion OF
duty, be nude false statements to conceal
tho true state OF affairs. .2r
Specification That he hes on divers occa.
s;onr concealed from the committee bills and
vouchers for goods purchased, and which
were placed in his charge to be presented by
him to said committee for audit and nav.
mcnt, yiz:,.Walters & Kraft, SIS IS; Rcltz K
Flading, SleG ~; C.G. 1Iussey 4 Co., sll Gi.
Specification shat on or about January
5, 1882, he did exceed the authority vested
in him in purchasing from Cole Bros of
Puwtuckct, r. l., for the use Of the Fire
Department two steamer wheels, at cost Of
tainct: ,.s,N. = : AS - 49, -
Specification o-That on the sth day Of
February, lsS2, he did unnecessarily delay
the furnishing Of steam engine to The SUI
perintcndent OF the Water Works TO pump
| water from IL french nj tho carpnr ~ N,.i,L,