Evening journal., 1891-06-10
WILLIAM X. LEE osposeo.
BE Is Elected From the Health Ofiioe and
an Expert Opens the Safe.

an Expert Opens the safe.
At the regular meeting Of the Board Of
Health last evening. the newly -esected
secretary, W. O. R. Colquhoun, kept the
minutes After the usual business had
been transacted President Wales said
that William h Lee, who was still act
ing as secretary Of the board and
registrar, was nuisance and ought to
be abolished. He offered the following
resolution, which was adopted:
"Resoived, That William H Lee, ex
secretary of the board, is a nuisance.
and must be abolished" !"
The members considered the question
of buying new locks for the company 3
Office President Wales remarked that
Lee must give up the keys and records
The members afterwards held a secret
session, but would not say what steps
they had decided upon to gain possession
Of the records.
The Safe Burst Open.
AS a result Of this secret session a
message WAS sent to A. Steiffel, the safe
agent in Philadelphia, for an expert safe
opener.
He arrived In this city this morning,
and the Board of Health held a short
session just before IL o'clock A
formal demand was made upon Lee
| fer the keys. safe combination and
records. He refused. The board then
ordered the expert to open the safe.
Registrar Lee rushed to the door OF the
safe, which is set In the hallway wall, and
stood with his back against 1t, to resist
ell efforts in that direction.
| Chief of Police Swiggett was sum
moned and he forcibly removed Lee
from the safe. The deposed registrar
then rushed from the building and gave
the alarm.
| When the expert began work at II
o'clock a small crowd had collected in
the registrars office In the hall and on
the stairway. Conspicuous among them
were the members Of the Board
of Health, with the exception
Of DR.. Willard Springer, Marshal
Mahaffy, Captain Edmund Mitchell.
A. L. s Miller third assistant Repub
lican bulldozer Of the Sixth precinct OF
the Fifth ward. together with supposed
to-be City Registrar Colquhoun, and
many others, including four newspaper
men.
Marshal Mahaffy brought Jackson the
eolored burglar who entered the Green
| vile post Office to jail Yesterday. The
negro was handcuffed and everybody
thought that he was Sugar Awful, he
| sembling him in statHre and walk.
The expert drilled a hole through the
safe bet ween the combination and the
handle to the lock. cutting the bolt en-
tirely through with chisels, but saving
the lock. The safe is very large one,
manufactured by the Barnes Safe and
Lock Company Of PIttsburg Pa and II
was 10 26 p m before the outside doors
flew open.
| Colquhoun entered the safe. and be-
tween the outer and inner door he picked
up q file of bills. These he carried into
the office and then tried to open the inner
doors They were locked He tried
all the keys he had, hut they would not
fit. The expert was ordered by DR. Short
lidge to burst il open. He did IL Ia two
minutes
The Records Not In 1t.
While work on the outer door wat
going on doubts were expressed as &C
waether the records would be found In
the safe. This doubt became q certainty
VanTrump called to ColquhoHn to gei
the minutes. They were searched FOL
but could not be found. Then the trutE
dawned upon these interested that lie,
had outwitted them
The minutes were exactly what they
wanted Mr.. Lee had carried them off {,
a safe hiding place. The safe was full o
blanks, records and rubbish, but these di,
not reconcile the Repu blicans to tn
loss Of the minutes. Colquhoun tool
formal possession Of the safe; the exper
took the broken pieces of the safe Ii
Philadelphia with him, and the crow,
slowly dispersed.
A local expert burst the registrar
desk open and that settled the matte
for the time being.
What william III Lee Says.
Registrar Lee was.interviewed at 2
o'clock. He was very Indignant an,
said:
They elected me by force and tool
possession. l shall be guided In tn
matter by Mr.. Lore, my counsel
Have you the minutes7"
mo, have not"
As Mr. Colquhoun. the secretary
feared that he would return to night ant
remove the contents of the safe OF d.
J something else to outwit him, he appliei
to Chief Swiggett to have watchmal
placed at the Beard Of Health rooms unit
the locks on the doors could be changed
The chief promptly refused, saying tina
ii Lee committed breach Of the peace
warrant could be sworn out and then b
would deal with him, otherwise he woul
not interfere.
Visited the Reform School.