Omaha daily bee., 1889-06-18
The LINCOLN INVESTIGATION.
Resumption of the Hearing In the
Councilmanic Case.
ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE PENDING
Farmer Howe In the Car!.al City
Looking After tho Interests of
the Auburn Normal School
News, and Notes.
LINCOLN BUREAU, OF THE OMAHA BEh !
a029 p STREET,

ouhiOo lpo WOTh JulS IlUIuluB Nv ~ v Oluphs
As preliminary Lawyer Wheedon counsel
for Dean and Cooper, and Councilman Bush
nell indulged in little tilt. Though some
what caustic, they smoked the pipe of peace
after adjournment and dubbed 1t little
| pleasantly During the bout, however, 1t
developed that the committee is sitting as
| grand jury rather than trial jury, develop
ing evidence upon which to base an action
| providing enough is found. After the first
witness had been examined, Mr.. Wheedon
stated that he was ready to put on witnesses
as soon as the prosecution rested, but that
| he first desired that 1t make Its case. STROBE
| responded that the prosecution had more
| testimony which could be used in rebuttal.
Wheedon thought it proper for him to make
| his case while ho was at 1t, and so stated.
Strobe again retorted that the prosecution
had good, prima facie case. and Bushnell
| Clipped In with the statement that the COM
mittee was simply hearing evidence and
would take it as it came, and when it got
| through would probably make o finding of
| facts.
Thomas Doyle, laborer, was first sworn.
He stated that he superintended the masons
on Miller's sewer contract; that the inspec-
| tor instructed the "mixers" to use two sacks
] OF sand to one of cement; that this was done
while the inspector was near, but when he
was away they used from seven to ten of
| sand to one of cement; that also, when the
| inspector was away "bats We're used in the
walls instead Of whole bricks On cross
| examination the witness stated that he had
not squealed because he did not wish to get
| fired from his job, for the reason that on
settling with him thoy paid him 20 cents an
| hour for his work.
Ex-Councilman Burks then answered to
L V,,.l .l.x.,M
He told about the bond deal, dwelling upon
the difficulty the city had in placing the bonds
| and of the contract made with Clark and
Lewis & Lewis. These parties would not
have the intersection bonds unless they could
have the district bonds also. Witness could
not remember Of but one contract. Dealers
| were to sell the bonds at par and receive
! per cent commission. The charter prohib.
ited selling at less than par. Witness
| admitted, however, that If premiums were
| received they should have been accounted
! for, but no one expected premium, and all
were therefore satisfied with par.
| Judge Mason sannounced that he would
| prove at the prOber time that 100000 of the
| intersection bonds were sold by these agents
| for 800, 600, but that they accounted to the
| city for the par value of the same.
| Ex-Councilman Billingsley was next sworn.
He stated thathe was chairman of the finance
committee when the bond deal was made,
and detailed the effort that had been made to
| place the bonds The witness also stated
| that Lncoln's int1ebtedness in 1888 was about
| 0per cent of the assessed valuation; that in
Massachusetts,, Connecticut and New Hamp-
| shire, where most of western municipal
| bonds were sold savings banks could not in
! vest in them If the assessed valuations ran
| over per cent; but explaining, he said that
| the high proportion was probably due to the
| lax Judgment of the assessor He further
stated that the city was glad to be able to
sell the bonds, and that the agents ought to
| account to the city on the sales if they had
| WifoeSa admitted that Still nd
| others had criticised the transaction,
saying that they would have been
| glad to have had the contract
| and guarantee premium, but ample notice
| had been given ana they were mum when
time was money.
Courtney asked the witness to give his
| opinion as to the liability of Clark & Lewis
to the city for the amount received above par
| on the sale of the bonds, and he retorted
| sharply but laughingly that it was in evil
dence that his opinion was worth $50 in such
| matters, and that he would have to have his
| fee before giving his answer.
Billlngsley and Courtney indulged in two
| or three sharp speeches during the morning.
| The former, however, admitted that some Of
the acts of the council in the bond deal
might be criticised, but that he thought then
and thinks now that they were doing the
best thing possible for the city. He was
unshaken IN cross-examination.
Joe Burns was recalled, but the old war
horse remained unshaken and the record of
i Ills lTSp bIOTy Sbill DldChtuS Uuc TSCUFuS
Councilman Dean was called to the stand
| first this afternoon. He put IN a denial,
general and collective; pronounced the
charges against him base fabrications,
baxnF 6pan He fspssa pus the IN best d'S'assa foot
| foremost in defense. Nothing new how
ever, was developed. His testimony was
confined to the charges as enlarged upon
from time to time.
Grau Ensign was called and verified the
story as told by Doan. Fraas also testified
that the naughtiness alleged was the result
of imagination.
f. F. Sholes, Cooper's bookkeeper took
the stand to show that the discounts, the bot
tom of much of the pending muss should not
have been allowed He took up the discounts,
under the direction of Lawyer Wheedon,
one by one and by glib figuring actually
developed that Cooper had made very gener-
GUS discounts to the CITY, ranging from 8 to
rs per cent and in the face of list prices, ex-
perts and wholesale dealers verify made
showing that they did not know the differ
erce between stop-cock and steam-cock.
His testimony on the whole was very funny,
unique and original, if not convincing, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth.
But the shallowness of the counclmanic :.
investigation is now becoming apparent. The
committee is getting sleepy, and the ''mare's
nest' bids fair to go to pieces A person
with half an eye can see that the whole
thing is fast becoming great blow about =.
nothing, unless, perchance, it is the bond
deal, which will probably gather some of
the lost shekels to the bosom of the fathers
and the cty's spacious vaults.
The investigation will be continued to-
morrow; indeed, it is said that it will be
continued without unnecessary intermssion
until the end.
Farmer Howe on school Matters.
Farmer Howe, of Auburn. is in Lincoln
to-day. Stern duty impelled him to come.
The demands of the hay field, ravages of the
cut worm and prairie wolf could not keep
him at home, SO he pulled the patch from
the knee of his pants, laid away his brush
scythe and comes. Lincolnites were glad to
see him and visions of the Missouri Pacific
stub, to connect the city with the Crete
branch, hove IN sight But the
visionary cup was dashed to
earth, for Church, gave 1t out cold
that his folks wouldn't build foot of road
this year. ''Moneyis too scarce in the east
and business too dull in the west to warrant
anything of the kind.p he said, by way of
explanation. i!FiTt
"What's up, Church, anyways / observe
Il