The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1890-04-02
THE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,
con.msneed Last Night Damaging ,Tosti.
IL mpny from Mr. Dprrnh.

Investigate the charges made agains!
Councilman Oscar seeley by superin.
tendent Sam NJ. Darrah, of tho G as
Works, heldits first meeting last even,
Ing and spent nearly four hours listen.
Ing to tho testimony OF Mr.. Darrab,
much OF which was Of q decidedly start.
ling character. fpn rlt{i,' rfFFls
The public has already been well Ia.
formed 10 to tho nature Of Mr., Darrahs
charges, but In connection with tho be.
ginning OF this investigation It may not
be out OF place to briefly recount them.
They nre, that during the years lSSG-S7,;
while Mr.. Darrah was Superintendent oil
the Gas Works and Mr.. seeley was presi.
dent Of tho Board Of Gas Trustees, tho
latter borrowed" from tho works gas
pipes aud fixtures, tho value OF which,,
less the usual large discounts allowed,
aggregates S74l o., I. and IA that be
has never paid for tho same nor
returned any part Of 1t, Mr.. Darrah's
evidence rs far as 1t went, showed that n
worse state Of affairs existed than that
shown or to be inferred from tho brief
statement given above; it showed that
Seeley, during his term as President,
was guilty OF a fragrant and almost con.
tinued breach OF trust, and there is good
reason for believing that as this invesii.
CATION proceeds, provided It il probed 10
the bottom, there will be further start.
ling developments. Y IA, ss l5
All the members OF the committee
were present last evening and Mr., IIarrell'
was made chairman. The meeting was
held in the chamber ofthe First Branch.
In addition to tho members OF the COM
mittee there were present Superintend..
Darrah md Hon. Alfred Caldwell, his
counsel, Mr.. ,Seeley and Colonel Arnett,
OF his counsel, President Harrison
DInlevy, Mr.. Schultze, Secretary. Al
Franzheim and Assistant Secretary
He'll, Of tho Gas Board, several employees
from the works, who had been summon.
ed by Mr.. Darrah rs witnesses, and a
number Of interested spectators. Con.
siderable delay was had in getting start.
ed because Of Mr.. Secley's anxiety 10
have, Captain b. i. Dovencr, his Leading
counsel, present. The committee wait.
ed impatiently till nearly $50 o'clock,
and then refused 10 wait, longer for the
tardy Captain. blsi,a. S.n5 W.
Secretary Franzheim being called on
for statement told how the matter had
been brought to the attention Of the
Board and how M opportunity had been
afforded Mr.. Secley to square things up
without any undue publicity. The sub
stance OF Mr.. Franzheim's statement has
been heretofore published. Mr.. Franz
helm also .read tho itemized bill made
out by Superintendent Darrah. A 5
& Colonel Arnett then rose and made a
statement on behalf Of Seeley, during
which Captain Dovener appeared aud
corroborated the .Colonel's statement
which was that it is true that Seeley did
borrow some material, but that it was all
returned; further, they made for Seeley
a denial OF Mr.. Darrah's bill or charge,
in toto. -; Nli'l 800
The members OF the committee then
had wrangle among themselves as to
which side should first be required to
prove its position. IT, was finally mr.
ranged that the proper thing to do
would be to put Mr.. Darrah on the
stand. . He was accordingly sworn and
Mr.. Dawson started in on him :.Nfr.
Dawson appeared to DO laboring under
the impression that sit was Mr.,
Darrahn and q not Mr.. Seeley
who was being investigated, and
he fired in miscellaneous lot CT cues.
lions that prevented Mr.. Darrah. ftom
telling anything like connected story,
Mr., Caldwell finally got Mr.. Dawson to
desist while he proceeded to pump Mr..
Darrah in q clear and legal manner,
bringing out the testimony with
striking force. Mr.. Dawson took
another turn at questioning later
on, however, and was called down
by the chair. This led to a lively tilt
between Mr.. Dawson and the chair as to
the formers rights. This trouble was
amicably settled and the testimony OF
Alr. Darrah continued. 1t was so con-
else that none Of the committee appeared
to have any desire to learn more Than
was told. VI yiill5 5000
), 1t appears from Mr.. Darrah's testi.
mony that Seeley, as President, ran the
works during the time he was a member
OF the Board, Alr. Darrah being merely a
hgdre head that Mr.. Darrah was in
formed olhclally, that MIR. Seeley would
RIM the works while Mr.. Jepyon would
attend to the financial end i that Oar.
rams powers as Superintendent were
greatly restricted; that no was
aeDarred from all Board meet.
ings when bills were audited; that
seeley used considerable Of the stuff be
procured from the works during the
month Of October, 1856, in fitting up the
county's end OF the Public Building
with the plumbing, q job, which it may
be stated incidentally, cost the county a
good big sum. =,
Mt. sDarrah's testimony was further,
mat 1t was seeley who took the orders
Tor gas pipe and supplies needed ut the
works and in sending for stuff he almost
invariably sTelled the order and got
good pig lot Tor himself; it was all in.
Guided in the bill sent to the Trustees,
however. ,.i.s.s I, 5.,i;,.j;:S u
MIR. Caldwell went over with Mr.. Oar
rah the bill he has rendered against
Seeley, in detail, and Mr.. iDarrah, by
reference to his memorandum book, was
able to tell in very clear manner the
details connected with each item. ,,s