St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-03-12
Members Of the Times Staff
Tell About the Alleged
Irregularities.
Aid. MCGOWAN, Brueshaber,
and City Clerk Haney Said
to Be Implicated,
Not by Direct Evidence. but
by Hearsay and Wild
RumorS.

Der Jr., of the First ward. and City
Clerk Charles F. Haney as the ones
against whom questionable transactions
have been charged by Aid. En-
eTSOn and Cole. and also by the
firm of Shaw e. Elliott, of
Northeast Minneapolis, although the
testimony was not OF the kind
that would convict the accused
persons in a court OF justice. The ru-
morS and insinu&tiOnS in the matter OF
the scandal which surrounded the vaca-
ton of Water street northeast have
been traced 10 their apparent source.
1t is said that the committee will con-
tinue its labOTS until all the scandals
connected with the council are investi-
gated.
After a somewhat lengthy executive
session, during which the powers of the
committee we're discussed and a plan
OF examination was mapped out, the
committee entered the council chamber
and Chairman LOye raped for order.
Clerk Haney read the article published
in the Times March 8, headed "A
Game of Freeze-out," in which the
irregularities were charged. After the
clerk had finished, City Attorney Rus
sell, who conducted the examination
for the committee, called for c.. A.
Nimocks to be sworn Mr.. Nimocks
said that before he testified he wanted
to know Just what authority the COM
mittee had. He was informed that the
committee had no power to compel
the attendance of witnesses, and that 1T
had no power to make them answer any
questions. and he referred The commit
tee to his attorney, George ). Edwards,
who was present Mr.. Edwards sald
that the gentlemen on the staff or the
Times were perfectly willing TO tell all
they knew about the charges before a
proper tribunal, but as the council had
no power to swear witnesses and to take
testimony in q case like the one now
before the committee, the council could
not delegate any such power to a COM
mittee. He therefore objected to his
clients making any statement unless
the committee had the right to compel
the attendance of witnesses whose Il mes
would be given, and who would be able.
if compelled, to cOrrObOrate the state
ments printed in the Times, and that
which would be given by the members
of the staff.
City Attorney Ru sell took the ground
that the city charter gave the committee
the right to do all that Mr. Edwards asked
but after lengthy consultation with Mr.
NimOcks, Mr.. Edwards gave notice that
he objected to the proceedings on the
ground that the committee did not have
the right to swear the witnesses; but.
City Clerk Haney, acting as notary
public, administered the usual oath.
Mr.. NimOckS was the first to take the
witness chair. He said that he was the
proprietor of the Times, but aside from
debating the editorial policy of the pa
per, he had nothing to do with the edl-
torial department. He had not seen the
the council until after its publication.
He couldn't say,
OF HIS OWN KNOWLEDGE,
who had written the article. Mr.. White
ly was the city editor. and he had four
reporters in his department, any one
of whom might have written it. The
article made no special charges against
any particular alderman, but the Times
would furnish the committee with the
names of witnesses who could throw
mole light upon the subject than he
could. After a short crOSs-eXaminatiOn
by Mr.. Edwards, Mr.. Nimocks retired
and City Editor f. II. K. Whitley was
called. After Mr.. Whitley had been
sworn, Mr.. Edwards gave notice that
all of his objections to the proceedings
were withdrawn, but he reserved the
right to cross-examine the witnesses.
Mr.. Whitley said that, as city editor
of the Times, he was familiar with the
article on which the investigation was
based. While the charges were some
what general in their nature there was
one specific charge which could be
proved, provided the committee could
get the witnesses to tell what they
knew. He referred to the vacation Of
Water street northeast and the facts
connected with it, substantially as pub
lished in the GLOBE OF yesterday. The
article published on March was writ
ten by 7. S. Varnum, reporter on the
Times, under the direction of the wit
ness. ALI the information Mr.. Whitley
had about the matter he had received
from Mr.. Varnum. Mr.. Varnum had
informed him that he got his informa-
ton from Emerson Cole. Mr.. Cole told
Varnum that Shaw & Elliott were very
anxious to have Water street vacated,
but two of the three aldermen of the
First ward were opposed to 1t.
'Mr. Chairman, is the witness max
ing charges against the aldermen of the
First ward?" asked Aid. MCGOWAN.
Mr.. NimOcks objected to the state
ments made by Mr.. Whitley being in
terpreted as charges against Aid. Nc
GoWan or any other alderman.
Mr.. Whitley continued by saying that
Shaw q Elliott were told that there
was only one man who had influence
enough with the two aldermen of the
First ward to get them to withdraw
their opposition to the scheme, and Mr.
Whitley was informed that Shaw q
Elliott had been introduced to that
man. At first he wanted $500 but after
wards agreed to take $500. Shaw q
Elliott had agreed to pay this amount,
but Aid. Cole had told them not to pay
a cent. After the publication of the ar
ticle Mr.. Whitley sent Mr.. Varnum TO
Shaw IL Elliott and tried to get their
affidavitS to the story told by Aid. Cole,
but while they admitted In q general
way that it was true they refused to
make any affidavits and said they didn't
want to be mixed up in the thing. Mr..
Whitley had been told that Mr.. Cole
had made the same statements to Comp
troller Calderwood that he had to
Varnum. Aid. McGOwan and City
Attorney Russell tried hard to find out
who the go-betWeen was, but under in
structlOnS from counsel the witness de-
clined to answer. On crOss-eXamination
Mr.. Whitley said that he had been in
formed that during the interview be-
tween Cole and Varnum Aid. Cole had
checked off list of the aldermen whom
he suspected of being crooked. He had
not seen the list, and he could not give
any names. The committee then took a
recess until o'clock.
IN THE AFTERNOON.
Promptly at 8 o'clock the taking Of
testimony was resumed, Attorney R..
l.. Penny appearing to look after the
interests of the aldermen of the First
ward. James Gray, the night editor Of
the Times, was the first witness called
after the recess. He knew Of the article,
and in a general way knew of the
rumors which were afioat. He had no
personal knowledge of any specific
charges against any one city officer or
alderman, and he had no knowledge
now of any actual facts concerning the
case.
T. S. Varnum. a reporter on the
Times, said that he wrote the article
entitled "A Game of FreeZe-Out." He
had no personal knowledge of any
money being passed, but he had inter
viewed number OF persons, and he