The state chronicle., 1893-06-15
Col. Ainsworth's Petition.
Washington Star.

Col. A1nsW0rth's EetltlOn.
Washington Star.
The sequel to the demonstration
ag ainst Col. Fred. O. Ainsworth at
the coroner's inquest yesterday in
the matter of the jury's inquiry as
to the death of the victims OF last
Fridays terrible calamity at Ford's |
Theater building, when Deputy |
Coroner Schaeffer intimated to Col.
Ainsworth that not until his with |
drawal would the inquest proceed,
developed this morning when MIR
R. Ross Perry, the counsel for Col.
Ainsworth, filed with Judge Cox in
Circuit Court, No. 2, petition for
a mandamus praying the court to
compel the coroner to permit Col.
Ainsworth and his counsel to appear
at the inquest, listen to, and, if
deemed advisable by him, 70 cross
examine witness. Judge Cox being
otherwise engaged sent the petition
to Chief Justice Bingham, who is
sued writ on Coroner Schaeffer to
appear at o'clock and show cause
why the mandamus should not be
allowed.
THE PETITION.
Fred G. Ainsworth, relator, re-
spectfully showeth unto your Honor
as follows:
That he is Chief of the Record
and Pension Office of the War De-
partment of the government of the
United States, with the rank of a
colonel in the army of the United
States, and as such is, among other
things, charged with the supervi-
sion of the clerical force employed
in one of the branches of the said
Record and Pension Office, which
branch is located in the building
commonly known as Ford's Theatre,
in the city of Washington, District
aforesaid, which building is the
property of the United States
| That the said building has been
owned by the United States since
about the year 1866, and has since
that time been continuously used in
various capacities by the War De.
partment of the United States.
That the relator was in the yea,
1887 placed in charge of the said
building in his then capacity of Off
Ger in charge of the record and pen,
sion division of the Office of the
Surgeon General of the army of the
, United States.
MADE INVESTIGATION.
II That the relator had heretofore
heard certain rumors touching tn,
security of the eastern wall of the
, said building, he, when he assumed
control in the said year 1887, mad'
l diligent inquiry Of the officers O
, the War Department, who had long
i been acquainted with the condition
of the said building, with respect t.
the said rumors, and learned iron
them that the said building ha,
i long prior to said inquiries beel
1 perfectly secured, and that tho en-
I tire building was in every respec
: safe. That the reports of thes
It officers were, during the year 1885
s confirmed by statements made t
the relator in person by Edwar
J. CLARK, architect of the Capito
q Thos. B. Entwistle, building inspee
n tor of the District of Columbia, an
8 Bernard R. Green, civil enginee
l. now employed in the constructio
o of the Library of Congress.
II That TIE relator placed addition
D confidence in these statements, bt
cause he personally knew that thes
walls and floors had for many yea1
a. up to 1887 safely sustained tt
great weight of the army medic
l. museum and the library of tt
IS Surgeon Generals Office, all {
q. which were removed from the sal
building in 1887, subsequent
which time the space formerly SUI
tanning such great weight has bee
occupied almost entirely by clerl
and their desks, whose combine
weight was very many times le
Ss than that of said museum and
OF brary.
THE EXCAVATIONS.
- That the relator, having in Il
IT years 1888 and 1859, applied f
- and obtained a new steam-heati1
49, apparatus and an entirely ne
y plumbing outfit for this whole bull
~ ing, desired to further promote Il
comfort and convenience of Il
~ clerical force in the said buildin
~ by procuring for them elect1
90 90 lights, it having heretofore be-
~ necessary to use gas lights in ce
- tain parts of the building duri1
=, the regular Office hours. For Il
- - purpose Of locating this elect1
light plant and also to improve Il
II ventilation of the basement of t
~ ~ building, it became necessary to g
~ cavate a space about twelve feet
-; width between two partition wa
~ running from west to east in Il
basement Of said building. Th
90 the said walls and certain pie
~ ~ built in them were required to
~ underpinned on account of said E
=" cavation. That the relator caus
~ to be prepared specifications, sho
~ ing the work desired to he do1
~ ~ and presented the same for consi
w. Grafton to the officer of the "