The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-10
TALK OF THE oLD-IRoN DEAL.
STATEMENTS OF THEIR
SHARE II 1T.

Il
Report and Reported the Facts TO
Mayor Myers-suDt. Peck Writes a
Letter Demanding n RetractioR
From Mr.. KehOe-Supt. Rogers
says the Deal Was Made by 4. 4.
Wheeler, Former Superintendent
of the CrematOry.
The sale Of the scrap iron from the city
crematory TO Kehoe & Co. Of which an ac-
count was given in yesterdays Morning
News. is being more discussed than any re-
cent item of city affairs or local politics
This is on account OF the charge which has
been circulated that the money paid for
the iron by Kehos & Co.. did not find its
way 70 the city treasury.
Morning News reporter saw Mr.. Kehoe
at his Office. Mr. Kehoe readily made a
statement OF the transactions so far as he
Is concerned. As what purported to be a
correct account OF the matter had already
appeared in print. he said. he had no OBJ
lection to stating the exact facts so that
the public could form its conclusions in
regard to the matter. He had not pre-
viously discussed the matter with repor-
ters. he said, and what had been published
heretofore was not written from any in
formation given by him
shortly after the present administra-
ton took hold Of the city's affairs" said
Mr. Kehoe, ''Mr 3. O. Rogers, who was
then in charge Of the crematory as well as
superintendent of the o. +. NJ. department,
obtained prices from us on castings for the
crematOry and we agreed with him to
make patterns for furnace tops, frames,
doors and CRATE bars without charge and
10 take scrap iron al an agreed price. The
value of this scrap iron was not to be
credited TO the city on our bill against it,
but we were to pay the city in cash at the
price agreed upon for any scrap sold US.
Upon this understanding, we received from
Mr.. Rogers in March, 1885, a quantity of
scrap iron and On March 20, 1885, we gave
MIN check in payment therefor on the
National Bank OF Savannah for $50 We
faide turther payments o6 to p, Nj Rogers as
2i4O; Sept. 81 1895. S658; Sept. "a, 1895, S. S.
Three Of these checks were made payable
70 y. =. Rogers, and the other TWO to
ers' endorsement and two of them have
Mr.. Gustave FoX's name across their back,
cashed by Mr. Fox 'p XIV books also sos Show
payment to Mr.. Rogers of 1894, but l fail
TO ind this cheek among my papers.
In explanation Of the size of the check
of April j, 1885 (SlO970, 1 will say that il
was given in payment of a lot of scrap iron
weighing nearly sixty thousand pounds.
like that amount on hand, because, in the
natural order of things, it ought 10 take
at least ten years to accumulate such
quantity of iron at the crematory.
ION Oct. ], 1895, said Mr.. Kehoe, Mr.
Rogers was relieved of some of his burden
OF work by the appointment of Mr.. W. H.
Peck as superintendent of the crematory
Mr. Rogers still carrying on his labors as
superintendent of the 0. e. NJ. depart
ment. Under our arrangement, made with
Mr.. Rogers, we received scrap from Mr.
Peck and paid him on Nov. 25, 1895, in
check payable 10 his order, 1880. This
check has Mr.. Peck's endorsement on it,
This was the last payment we made for
scrap. Some time in March, 1896, Mr. Peck
brought to my works Sl9.76 worth OF this
scrap, but have refused and still refuse
TO pay for it, and have requested the city
10 haul il away. our refusal to take this
last delivery is based on the violation of
the city's part of the agreement to give
us work. We were only TO take this scrap
as 1 have explained to you. in considera-
ton of our doing some of the city's work
This is the same kind of agreement we
have with railroads and others who have
a great deal of work to be DONE and who
accumulate large quantities OF scrap.
Upon reading the mayors report for
1895 l found that no return had been made
TO the city treasurer for the different
amounts paid by us. | at once saw Mr..
Myers and laid the matter before him
and subsequently, at his request, wrote
him fully on the subject. on April II,
1896, received a letter from Public Works
Commissioner Willink demanding pay
ment for the last scraps delivered. In
this letter he says: "Your bills against
the city for work have all been paid in
cash and the city has likewise been paid
cash for scrap iron purchased by you"
If the city has been so paid, the mayors
report certainly fails to disclose 1t, for
nowhere therein is there any reference
in the detailed reports Of the crematory
and o. r. NJ. department to the sale of
scrap iron"
"By the way" said Mr.. Kehoe, in con-
clusion, Il see that Mr.. Peek's friend says
that am influenced by malice toward that
gentleman, and that l opposed his APP
pointment This is absolutely false. /
never knew or heard of Mr.. Peek until
his appointment had been made. and, of
course, did nothing in opposition TO his
appointment"
Mr.. Rogers, when first seen by a Morn
ing News reporter, said he had no state
ment to make of the affair. Later he
furnished the following for publication:
when 1 took charge of the city Gre
matory in March, 1885," said he, Il found
accumulated there considerable pile OF
old scraps Of iron This Mr.. Wheeler,
who was then in charge of the crematory,
claimed was his personal property, DR..
Harris, chairman of the health and ceme-
terry committee of the previous council,
having given him the iron, If he would
collect ii. Mr.. Kehoe had been trying to
buy this iron from Mr.. Wheeler for sew
| erai months, through an agent, to whom
Mr.. Wheeler said that the iron was his.
This can be proved. MIR. Wheeler sold
this lot of iron to Mr.. Kehoe. Mr..
Wheeler employed Mr. Fogarty to hau
I y
business. did not object to this as Mr.
Wheeler, who had been superintendent
of the crematory from its start, told me
this had been the custom. This scrap
was paid for by two checks one for $109,
and the other for $50 These checks were
given the later part of March, within
a day or two of each other. 1 was WORK
ing near Mr.. Kehoes place of business.
for the Q. f. NJ department, of which I
still remain in charge, and Mr.. Wheeler
asked me if l would not collect the money
for him. did so for him. Mr.. Kehoe
made the checks out, 1 cashed the checks
for Mr.. Wheeler and turned the money
over to him. Mr.. Wheeler paid Mr.. Fo>
garty for hauling the iron. 1 did not re,
ceive one cent of the money, nor did
have any interest in it. These checks
/ cover the greater part Of the money paid
by Mr.. kehoe for scrap iron.
After this there was still some old scrap
in the dump pile in Mr.. Cheathams lof
| This iron would have been covered up with
the ashes ordinarily. / paid the labor for
Takins this out of the dump pile and for
hauling it to Mr. Kehoe's place. received
for this iron S24 about the latter part Of
June, and some weeks later IS at one time,
and Sc at another, making total of about
SSS received by me. This was iron that
even Mr.. Wheeler did not think worth
while to collect After paving the In hOr