Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-04-07
THE CASE or EoCLxs
Drawing> Near the End-Last Nights
PROCEEDINGS.

Proceedings.
The Eccles investigation was on again
last night, and drew large and enthusiast
tic audience. The cast was the same as al
ready played, with the exception of larger
number Of Councilmanic supers. The pro-
| logue to the tragedy was comedy, oc'
casioned by the absence OF witness, tor
whom subpoena was issued ana serveo'
Then the tragedy came on and was IN
troduced by the reading o. ...c nc posluon
of Miss MARY White.
In answer to the question by the counsel
for the prosecution as to the length CT time
she miss White had been teaching school,
she stated that her brother had been mar
ried ~ years and that she was teaching at
that time; also, that she had been teaching
at the Guards hose house all but one sea
son. Miss White further stated that until
the organization of the fire department she
paid the rent to Mr. Bassett and to Mr..
Winder; that she surrendered the room
about last Christmas eve. and that she
never paid for those three weeks in De-
cember. / teach ten months in the year,
and my rent was forty dollars; Mr. Eccles
twice allowed me 81 to have it cleaned.
Referring to some of the receipts which
were in possession of counsel, Miss White
stated they were not on Mr.. Eccles' ac-
count, but were for what she owed Mr..
Winder. Receipts were then handed Miss
White and she said that was not all of
them. The first receipt was dated Decem-
| Der Is, 1873, and she paid the money to
Eccles, although it was in Winders time.
Counsel then asked witness whether she
had any receipts for the latter part of 1879,
and she stated that in July and August
she had no school, but that she commenced
again in September. and that she gave Mr..
! Eccles the money as she got it; that he
| (Eccles) never asked her for it. Miss
White was then asked from whom she re-
ceived the last receipt, and she stated that
it was received in December, 1881, and
was from Mr.. Eccles hand, leaving three
weeks in that month not vet paid for.
Counsel then asked whether she had paid
| all her rent since Eccles had been in Office
up TO the first of December, 1881, and she
said she had. Mr.. Galligan came for receipts
| and got them. The first three he got from
my mother and the last three from myself.
1t seems that between Hughey Harrison
and Miss White there was a difference of
| s., owed by Harrison for school tuition,
| and that the matter was Strengthened by
| Eccles paying il from the rent and deduct
ing it from Harrison's pay.
Mr.. NJ. Salinger testified to having drawn
July and August pay for VIM. Garner, as
! extraman. He knew Garner was absent,
but did not know how long
William Garner was called. He was
connected with the Atlantic rs an extra
man in 1881 and part of 1880. In June,
July and August he was partly in Wheel
ing and partly in Pittsburg. He could not
tell how long he was away, but thought it
was not more than month. He had Lug.
Byrnes as subStitu te during his absence,
though his name remained on the pay roll.
John Kyle, clerk at the p, c. & st. l..
railroad office, testified that two hundred
pounds Ofzinc arrived on the 10th OF August,
billed to the Fire Department. A bill OF
freight was sent out and paid Augu st 18th,
but the zinc laid there until March. He
couldn't say positively as to whether no.
LITIGATION OF the arrival of the zinc had
been made, but only knew thG. bill was
paid. Alf OXtoby had takeERaty the bill.
Louis Kraft, whose firm had done the
shoeing of the Department horses, testified
to having shod Eccles horse. The bill, he
said was made out to Mr.. EccleS, but no.
paid for by him. Mr.. Ecclcs had said TO
the collector that he allowed the city ough
to pay that bill, and accordingly Kraft had
charged the amount with the Vigilant bill
He could not say of his own knowledge
that Eccles knew the bill against him wa
so charged. This was done more than once
but only the one bill had been presented to
ECCleS.
Hugh Harrison, hostler at the United tes-
tilted: Eccles is not indebted to me or | to
him. / never promised to pay any rent
for Miss White. Cross: Had child going
to school to Miss White. | was hard up
for time and told EcCles to pay s. for me
and would pay it. / had no money and
never paid it, but she said it was all right.
John o. PendletOn. was called and teSti-
fed that j. L. st. Myers had told him more
than once, at his office, that EcCles had
never issued any such order as that OF cut
ting down the reel. This witnesses testi-
mony grew very amusing as he and Mr..
Caldwell got up little by-play OF wit,
which the audience enjoyed intensely. Mr..
PendlctOn testified that he volunteered his
services as a witness in the interests OF JUS
tice and the welfare OF a friend.
Are you and Mr.. EcCles warm friends?
Well, year ago we didn't speak, having
had some political differences. So we could
scarcely he called warm friends; then our
differences were healed and | did some
professional business for him and had alb
jured politics and political enemies, and
was accepting law business from old enc.
mics as we'll as friends.
There was great deal of amusement
drawn out of this latter avowal and also of
his testimony that he did not write and had
nothing to do with the writing of an cdi-
torial in last Sundays LeGier, in reference
to the investigation.
Thomas Morris testified in relation to
taking the Eiussy bill for zinc from Mes
bits to the city building. The defence
proved, by this witness, that the bill and
postal card were pinned together and that
therefore Eccles could never have had pos
session of this bill.
Mayor Egerter testified to having bought
at different times, several car loads of oats
for the Department and that Eccles had
said to him car load at time was more
than he wanted or could store, but he
would get some one to take part of them.
Cornelius Driscoll, engineer at the Allan
tic, testified that there was no unnecessary
delay in taking the engine to the trench
wh' called upon ny Superintendent Rid !
die. He had heard no complaint by John
Armstrong or Coen in relation to the
length OF time it required to,get up steam,
and il made no difference to him if he had
Thomas Higgins, blacksmith for Walter
4 Kraft. testified in relation to shooting the
horses, but gave nothing new.
II. +. Criswell, Chairman of the Fire De-
partment, stated that the Chief had in
formed him that Cole Brothers. of Paw
tuCket, r. l., made engine wheels, and that
he would correspond with them for quota
tions. Later on EccleS informed him he
had written, but he (CriswelD had not ad-
rised in the matter. Mr.. Criswell stated
NbdN lNiI llSo III llliS wy lldu dplDlltl W
make the wheels in the city, but
the cost of them here was more
than they could be manufactured for in the
East Mr.. Criswell also stated that he be.
lieved il was the unanimous opinion of the
Fire Committee at the time that the wheels
were absolutely necessary. He also stated
that the Chief had used his horse in the
service OF the city, to the best of his belief.
Mr.. Criswell also said that he had exam
ined the receipt books OF the railroad COM
pany in reference to the zinc matter, and
he found that it had been placed on the
book, but had not been signed, though all
the other entries on the book had been
signed. Mr.. Caldwell asked a great num-
Der OF questions that Mr.. Criswell could
not answer, relative to the revenues of the
city and the portion absorbed by the fire
department
Richard Kenney testified he had once
called st. Myers attention to the bad condi-
ton of the reel at the Nigilant, and St.
Myers had said: "Oh, break it down; that's
the only way to get new one" He had
n