Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-09-30
JUDGMENT GIVEN
For the oity, In the Case Against the Nat
ural Gas Company Of West vlrRinia.

For the otty, In the Case Against the Nat
ural Gas Company Of West Virginia.
The case Of the city of Wheeling '. the
Natural Gas Company of West Virgins, in
which the corporation is charged with n
violation Of the recently enacted ordinances
fixing an assise Of bread, coal and natur-
al gas" was resumed before Judge Jefters,
in the Police Court, at two O'Clock yeeter-
day afternoon, and at the close of the hear
ing Judgment was given for the city, the
fine being placed an the nominal sum Of
$12 and costs, by mutual consent, 10 admit
of an appeal to higher Court
There were quite large number Of in
terestsd parties in the Court room during
the hearing, among them Chairman Raw
lings, Of the Citizens Committee, which
originated and presented to Council the
''assizs ordinance" and President O. w.
Bachelor, of the Gas Company, togsther
with Secretary Heard, Agent Scott, and Mr..
D. 7. Watson, of Pittsburgh, awell-known
attorney Of that city, who had been brought
down in the interest Of tie corporation to
watch the initiatory proceedings of what
promises to be long and bitterly CON
tested legal fight, and get his bearings, 30
that at the proper time he may be enabl ed
to take an intelligent part in the proceed
ings.
1t will be remembered that at the open
ing Of the case in the Police Court, last
Saturday, the defendant company made
several motions, alleging that the original
summons was not legal, that the return
was made in less than the ten days allowed
by law, that the 'sssize" ordinance was
invalid, and lastly, that the ordinance was
unreasonable. These points having there
been covered by arguments of counsel,
the Court ovsrruled 80 many of the mo-
tions as related TO the service and the suf.
fcieucy of the summons, and the hearing
upon the other matters was deferred until
yesterday.
As preliminary, the defendant COM
pany rendered its bill Of exceptions to the
orders of the Court made upon the previ-
ous days hearing, and there was long
and exceedingly tiresome wrangle between
the counsel over the useless formality OF
rendering such papers in Police Court.
Finally matters were Strengthened out,
and the defense upon its motion to dis.
miss, put Mr.. Charles Scott, Of the
Company's Office force in this city, on the
stand. Mr. Scott testified that he was
now conducting personally q meter test Of
the amount Of gas burned in an ordinary
CRATE, and as far as he had got, he was Of
the opinion that the price through meter,
at present rates, would be about seven
cents per thousand cubic feet. On cross
examination, he admitted TINT be had no
grate in use in making his test, but used
CRATE burned simply, and that there was
regulator upon the line TO the burner,
while most CRATES throughout the city have
no such regulator. He also admitted that
Captain Dillon had applied for permission
to make meter test, but that no such te't
had been made by the Captain, for some
reason. He could not say positively that
permission had been refused, but he
thought no test had been made.
Mr.. John G. Hoffman, Jr., was put
upon the stsnd by the city, and produ-
ced his contract with the city, which show
ed that be was being charged higher
price than was allowed by the "sssize"
ordinance. Judgment was then given as
aboye.