Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1889-11-09
enormity of this Michels affair, as the
following extracts prove.
THE TIMES ON THE STEAL.
a Red-H Hot Expose from the senior Demo-
cratic Organ.

County Board over a fat bill which .
slipped through that body week or
two ago. The bill in question promises
to be quite a factor in the present cam
paign and is already creating consider
able stir.
The trouble all arises out of the
thrifty disposition of Mic Michels, the
committee clerk of the board. Michels
has been making himself useful in
some of the recent cases against the
county that were tried in the courts,
but only in his official capacity as com-
mittee clerk. He evidently thought
the county's surplus ought to be put
to some good use, so he slid in bill
for $500 for personal services rem
dered by himself to Cook County in
the Keeling and other cases This
bill went in at the board meeting OF
Oct. u, at the end of a long list of
acquisitions, and with several other in
nocent- looking items, which read as
follows:
For services rendered by n. Michels in
Cnsaelman Keeling and ether cases .Sj0o0O
Bonfield Detective Agency in KEELING case. 1890
S. b. Eisendrath, for services in Keeling
case. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 4OOOO
4. A. Macdonald witness fees in Keeling
............ 10 90
"The whole amount that the county
was sued for in the Casselman case
was barely $500 SO when the bill was
sent to County Clerk Henry Wulff he
refused to audit it and referred it to
the Finance Committee for investiga-
ton. Mr.. Wulff could not see what
Michels had done toward earning the
$500. If he had performed detective
work he wondered for what the Bon
field agency charged only $132. If he
gave expert testimony the charge of
! $400 from Mr.. Eisendrath was small in
comparison.
"lf the action of the present County
Board in this matter is any indication
of its action in other matters, it must
have been very careless. The grant
ing of the $500 to MIC Michels was
in direct violation of rule s of the rules
governing the Board, which reads as
follows:
"s. No Superintendent, Warden or other
employe or assistant appointed by the
County Board. or by any officer or ap-
pointee Of the Board. shall accept OF
receive any fees, emolumeDts, or perqui-
sites other than the salary as designated by
the Board.
"This rule was shown to President
Senne, who at once said that it pro.
hibited Michels from getting a cent Of
his bill. He had forgotten about the
existence of this rule, and he would
withhold his signature from the war
rant until the Board had a chance tC
reconsider the matter.
Commissioners Schubert and HAYES
both of whom are candidates for re
election, called upon President Sennt
and pointed out rule s to him. TC
them Mr. Senne said that he woulC
give the Board chance to reconsider
its action,
yesterday several Of the Commits
sioners woke up the iniquity of tn,
thing One of them said Nj,
Michels receives 81, 500 year salar,
as committee clerk. The information
he gave the county in the Keeling cas-,
he derived from his official position o
: committee clerk He is paid a biz
salary of Sl25 per month and he draw
it regularly Here he bobs up serene
ly with bill for $500 more for simpl,
doing his duty. ! voted for TIN
Michels bill without thinking, but
am going to have the whole thing re
considered next Monday. Why if TIN
u fNldbiiNlltN llIiH NOIl vi IlItttutl
it is hard to say where the thing vii
2 end
The Democrats are jubilant owe
- the matter and say that they vii
j make good use of it in the election
one OF the members Of the Campaig
! Committee said last evening Here /
- Sonuo running for reelection on tn
Republican ticket and ,olel, upon tn
strength of his good record Now,
he is mot convcr-mt with the most u
portaut rule. of the board what sort ,
. a record has hc 10 stand ou4
b County Attomre Bliss had bit al
tgntm al,J to BHIt. of course
q mebe tbe payment o.. tbe m {
3 Michel unlawful b.H| Ita mnu
tmt drafted tha.a mI .rlf H
uatalI sIuut fHawr
County Clla Wu.u I.l H.r ID.