The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-05-27
4 s'r +, 4, SESSION. n ,.,i.,.

"a = stst bFhucn S0hsAaefN Tue Report OF
the Eccics lmycst,.ating Committee.
" Tho session orthe First Branch OF the City
Council last night was the most interesting
thu. body has Ind for some time. The only
subject considered was the report OF the
special joint committee appointed to nvos.i.
gate tho charges made by d. A.. Gallignn
against Chief Fire Marshal VIM. Eccles.
Tho discussion developed considerable per.
sonal feeling. Mr.. Dn,terllclI WIS par.
ticnlarly wrought up mud used language un.
parliamentary. The question OF reading the
evidence was the chief bone Of contention.
Mr. schultze was determined 10 adjourn, but
tho other members declined 10 entertain any
such Idea, and finally took up tho steno.
gupiicr's record Of tie evidence, and con.
sunied several hours In reading 1t.
Mayor Egcr,er called the Branch 10 order
at few minutes after eigh. clock, at which
time Mcssrs. Schultze, llalstclt!, Myles,
Wolvington, boring, Miller, McAdams, hut.
lerNeld and Hull were present. Measrs.
Hall, Fritz, .Cracatt and Criswell subsequent.
ly appeared. a.
After lie reading Of Tho minutcs, tho Clerk
read the report OF tue special committee TO
investigate the charges against Chief Eccles,
Of the Fire Department. Pending tho read.
lug, Mr.. Hall suggested that the investigation
having been ordered ut the instnnce of the
Second Branch, the proper course OF the re-
port would bc to conle before the Lower
Branch first 10 test the sense OF the flranch,
Mr.. Hall moved that It be presented first In
the Second Branch. Mr. McAdams seconded
the motion. Mr.. Dutterleld objected. He
said II there was anything wrong with the
Chief Of the Fire Department. he wanted 10
know II, and he wanted the public to know It.
Heidi not want tllematter choked down here
MIR. Boring thought tho matter involved IN
expenditure for tho expense OF tho investi.
CATION, and must therefore originate In tie
field would be patient. II there was any.
thing wrong with the Chief Fire Marshal
everybody wanted 10 know Il. Mr.. Sehaltze
thought this the proper brunch for the mat.
ter to DO first acted upon. lle said the
| motion was only made 10 gain time. N
Finally tho roll wis called, and the fol-
lowing vote resulted:
Ayes: Messrs Boring, Hall, Miller and
McAdams.-i.
Noes: Messrs Buttorlield, Ilalstead, Hull,
Mylcs, Schultzc and Wolyington.-G. y,
The reading OF the report was continued.
It's substance has already been published.
! 1t sustains the charges Of feeding the Chiefs
horse out ofthc city's oats; failing to accoun,
| for and pay over 10 tho city money paid him
for rent OF the old Guards hose house by
Miss Mary White, to the sum OF Sil; that
oats were sold from the city stores md the
money not paid into the treasury, until after
tho charges in this case were published; that
the Chief directed the cutting down and dc.
struct!on Of the Vieilant reel; that he pur-
chased zinc Of c. G. flussey & Co, Fits.
burgh, mud concealed the transaction from
the proper authorities that lie exceeded his
csat authority in purchasing material and
contracting Tor repairs to n greater SUN than
Is authorized by the ordinance; that the
Chief had his horse shod at city expense; aud
that he concealed bills from the proper com.
mlttec when they ought to have been sub.
mitted.
The review OF the testimony accompany
Ing the report was rather nrgumentative In
style, reading more like an argument against
tho accused than Il judicial decision upon
tho charges. ,.-
Accompanying tho report were The follow
inh preamble and resolutions: W. q
| WHEREAS. William Ecclcs, Chief Marshal
Of the Fire Department of the City Of Wheel
lns, has been guilty rs stated in this report,
therefore be ii
Eesolsei, by The Council Oft City Of Wheel.
ing, ttwo-,hirtls OF the whole number OF
the Council OF the City concurrng in such
removal, that the said William Ecclcs DO and
| he is hereby removed from his Office OF Chief
Marshal OF the Fire Department Of said city.
Rtsolred, That the City Clerk deliver, rs
soon as practicable, 10 said William Ecclcs,
. copy OF the foregoing preamble and sesolu.
ton, attested by him. "a
Rtsoitd, That the City Clerk be instructed
10 deduct from any monies due or 10 become
due the said William Eccles from the city.
not paid into the City Treasury. ~
Mr. Hall said the report was very damae-
| Ing, but II the matters touched upon were
honestly siftcd down. there would be found
| to be little In them. ANY oilenSGs that
| had been committed were mere Irregularities
such rs almost every, head OF u department
| In the city government had repeatedly been
guilty OF. Why should this accused be
made scapegoat? He wanted the evidence
read In Council, and wanted It fairy consid-
cred and weighed without prejudice. He
had taken no lot or pdrt in bringing this
report though member Of the committee
! He ridiculed the charge concerning the feed
ing OF the Chiefs horse, saying it was n
matter OF laughter I'LL over town; that tax
payers said il there was no more iii tho
charges than in that one, the investigation
was child's play. Mr.. Hall said he had
noticed prejudice in members OF the com.
mittee. f41 s1
This brought Mr.. Battlefield 10 his feet.
He said that il doing his duty as u sworn
official OF the city was sign Of prejudice he
was prendiccd all the time. Wv
Mr.. Hall said he had heard, though he
made no charge of the kind, but asked If it |
was true for information, that Mr.. Butter.
field had said In n saloon before the invest.
CATION began, that he would "send Eccles to
I'LL" sqr55sg. ~, =
Hutterfeld sprany mp angrily, and ex-
claimed, ANY person who says that lies ~ |
Mr.. Hall said 80
Then i yon shy You hcardii,' EuiterGeld
calculated, "you lie!n ,arl
The Mayor called him to order.
MI Fritz moved that the evidence of Miss
White be read. Mr.. Boring amended by in
Guiding all the evidence; and supported his
motion by saying that he had heard tho evil
dencc before the committee, ind much OF il |
would not have been admitted In any court,
nor would 1t sustain the charges in IN un.
p:ejudiced tribunal. &5,l
MIR. Criswell wanted to know II this report
was prepared by the committee, ordrawn up
BY theprosecutor and prosecuting witness. He
though !; read very strongly, and that the
committee would scarcely have regarded the
evidence so forciblc II allowed to draw up
their own report. ERg- @ ~
Mr.. schul.ze moved, for the third time, to
adjourn, bat failing to secure second, the
motion was not entertained. .l7-f
Mr.. Criswell said he heard the evidence in
regard TO the charge iba; the Chief had had
hts horse shod at the citysexpcnsc, and none
OF it justified the charge, yet be finds II s!s.
tanned in the report. He thought the evil
dcnce should DO read s,SIT1
Z Mr.: Cracratt thought tho Council could
not do It's duty properly without hearing
TIC evidence read. Ho regretted the bad
Mr.. Nc Adams thought with others that
the report was drawn up to do Eccles all the
injury possible. lie thought justice dc.
manded the reading OF the evidence. t~-
The motion 10 read the evidence, after
some further discussion, was adopted. "a
Mr.. Criswell suggested that somebody else
read the evidence than the prosecutor: Mr..
wa tk,n,, l. r., n |