Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-08-19
THE LITTLE MOUSE
That Came After the Board ofCom-
missioners Had Been In Labor
Over the Comerford Case---The Verdict
Substantially Acquits Comerford,
Who Now Tenders His
Resignation.


Comerford, virtually aquitted him. On
his own admission, the Board found he had
been guilty of neglect in. permitting his
wife to wri,e and sign the order for Mrs.
Carson, but this was all. They found moth
ing to impeach his honor or honesty aud
there was not member of the Board but
believed in his integrity, at the conclusion
of the investigation.
YESTERDAYS PROCEEDINGS.
The whole affair seemed to hinge on this
woman, Mrs. Carson, who, it had been
found, had left the city early in the summer
and gone to Newark, Ohio, where her nus
band, J. W. Carson, was in the employ of
the B. & o. road 1t was shown that Mrs
| Carson had received aid from the Relief
Committee, during the food and further as
sistance from the Ladies' Benevolent I'm
! ion. But she was not brought here, as was
explained BY Col Arnett, because they
could not vouch for the credibility. Her
affidavit and two letters from Newark were
submitted in place. The affidavit was a
great docu ment She swore that she got
orders and assistance, but did not know
where it came from, which was certainly
singular.
Mrs Radcliffe was put on the stand. She
said she had read in the REGISTER the &C.
count of this case and had gone to Col Ar
nett and Mr.. Comerford and told them she
was friend of Mrs. Carson and had heard
her say she had received orders from Com
erford. This statement she repeated on
oath. Several other witnesses were exam
ined by Col Arnett and Prosecuting Attor
new Jordan, but their testimony was neither
interesting nor important.
An ALLEGED CRANK.
Miss Mary Yancey, an olive complex
Toned, black-eyed woman, was brought in
and was Immediately challenged by Col.
Arnett He said he did not know what she
might or might not testify, but was informed
she was not Of sound mind, and, therefore,
incompetent He and Jordan had little
spat over the admissibility of the witness
which ended in Jordan's asking her a
few questions. In rambling, incoherent
kind of way, she said she knew what lie
was, and that she would be punished here
after for it. She said she never was sworn
but she thought to swear to lie was worse
than to simply tell lie. and was like hang
ing a man, or killing him. 1t was telling
lie TO God, and she would be punished
in hell.
In her talk she showed that her idea OF
right and wrong were at least clearly de-
fined, though her mind was not particularly
bright. In closing she said: "0h, I'm so
hot I'm Just burning up. And I'm so ex-
cited get excited 50 easily She was
then allowed to testify.
At first her testimony seemed very damag-
ing, but afterward it did not She said she
hel ped the Comerford's clean house and
also washed and that once they gave heran
order for pair of shoes and again an Or
der for S. worth of groceries. She also was
! paid 25 and 40 cents for her work. This
looked like she did work for them and was
paid in county orders, but the cross-exami-
nation brought out the fact that she was
not regularly employed there, and that she
was ION the county and received poor or
ders regularly. She said the shoe order
was given her by Mrs. Comeriord, with the
injunction to keep quiet about it.
AN INJURED HUSBAND LETTER.
/ Here Mr.. Jordan requested Mr.. Speidel
! to read letter he had from Mr.. Carson.
| This document, very difficult to read, is
about as follows: He says he or his wife
never got a county order in the world, and
never got any county aid or ever asked any.
His wife did not know the Comerfords, and
he, while he knew Mr.. Comerford, did not
know he was Commissioner. During the
food. they received aid from the Hose
house and at the Glass house, but never
county order. He said his wife never had
a conversation with Mrs. Radcliff and that
any body who said his wife ever cashed an
order at Schultze's told straight lie. This
letter was dated at Newark and signed J.
". Carson.
CoNERFoRD DOES NOT KNOW.
Col. Arnett then put Mr.. Comerford on
the stand and asked what he knew abont
the Yancey girl. He said he knew she
washed there and that she was paid for it.
Mr. Jordan asked if he knew anything
about the shoe order, to which he said
Gentlemen, never knew anything about
it. If / did it would be here now in this
Board, for | am not man to conceal any
thing"
ARNETT'S PLEA.
Col. Arnett then made very telling adj
dress. He said there was nothing to show
Mr. Comerford was not an innocent man.
and he did not believe a single member of
the Board regarded him as guilty. Certainly
Mrs Carson did get orders, which were cash
ed. Mrs. ComerfOrd, if she wanted to use
fictitious name would never have struck on
this one. There was no denying the fact
that Mrs. Carson had been pensioner on
the bounty Of the county and the benevo-
lent. In spite of the fact that Carson
claimed to have left the county in May, yet
it does seem that he knew he was not emit
tied to county aid, being outside, and that
he came here aud had somebody cash them
! for him. And the only thing that can be
| said is that Mrs. Comerford in her desire
! to do good, bad carried it too far. The
question might be asked, why did they not
prove that Mrs. Comerford did not get any
orders filed. Nothing would be more diff
esSary, and for that person
must have been with her for
every moment. If in the power Of man,
they would do II, but II could not be done.
They must be mistaken in supposing that
the woman was Mrs Comerford and moth
ing is more easy than to be mistaken in
such a case. The records are full of cases
of mistaoen identity and in this caee,
neither Of the Schultzes knew Mrs. Conner
ford.
WOULD NOT GO BEHIND HIS WIFE.
Mr.. Comerford, he said, had no cowardly
disposition to shrink behind his wife, for he
insisted that both were innocent Yet
where was the witness that can say or has
said Mr.. Comerford knew anything of this,
He said he did not intend to bring upany
technicality and would not have done it,
had they not on the heels of this investiga-
ton brought in this crazy wo-
man to make a charge that they
had no opportunity to refute; but
now he would call the attention Of the
Board to the rules forts government, which
they were, under their official oaths, bound
to regard, These rules demand that all
charges shall be made in writing, support
4 L Il i e l..