The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-07-15
WITHDREW ALL HE SAID
MACCURDY ADMITS HIS CHARGES
AGAINST CLARK WE'RE UNTRUE.
Council Investiga ton of GameweII
Contract Comes to "a Sudden End
Mr.. Clark ExOnerated.

William MacCurdy, local agent for one
of the companies unsuccessful in the recent
police patrol system competition put him
self in pitiful position yesterday when he
went before the Council investigating COM
mittee and admitted that the grave charge
of attempted boodling which he made
against Councilman Clark was false, all
though MacCurdy himself had gone to the
newspaper office and made the charges eX-
pHcitly his statements being made in the
presence of others. He had even gone into
the detail of Councilman Clarks alleged
visit to his office and repeated the words
which, he stated, Mr.. Clark had said in his
presence. He expressed willingness at
that time to go before any investigating
committee that might be appointed by the
Council. F. L. Dodge, of Cleveland, of the
same company, corrobOrated MacCurdy's
statement that Mr.. Clark had called at
MacCurdys office. but he knew nothing
regarding the proposed use of money.
Dodge also denied interviews had with
him. These interviews, reporters say, were
accurate
The special committee, composed of
Messrs Montgomery Golfer and Woody,
met yesterday to investigate the charges
made by MacCurdy that Councilman Clark
attempted to extort $1,000 from his
company as a brihe to secure the adoption
Of the police telegraph system which he
represented in the recent competition be-
fore the Board of Safety; but there was
little to investigate, as MacCurdy made q
sworn statement retracting all he had said
and humbly apologizing for 1t. The state
ment Of MacCurdy which was sworn to
before Albert Leafs, notary public, is as
follows:
In reference to the statement made by
Tor the police telegraph system, L would
say that had built great hopes upon be-
ing able to secure the contract, and in
the excitement and passion consequent
upon my defeat, l made statements and
charges which, upon cold and deliberate
after-thought, do not seem to me to be
substantiated, and l regret very much
having made them. / desire to eXOnerate
in every particular Mr.. Clark, the gentle
man mentioned in my statements to the
press. Trusting that this statement of facts
may be received by the committee as an
honest statement from me, am, very re-
spectfully'
This ended the investigation as far as
Mr.. Clark was concerned. but the commit
tee examined several witnessest to aScer-
tain the manner of the letting Of the con-
tract by the Board of Safety. MacCurdy
said that he had formed the impression
that money had been used by the success
full bidder (the Gamewel Company be-
cause its bid was considerably higher than
others. and he did not consider its system
materially better. He admitted, however
that he knew very little about the business
and had never seen a police telegraph sys-
tenn in operation. 1t was his intention he
said, to have taken the Board of Safety to
Cleveland and exhibit the system repre-
sented by him in practical use there. He
said this to explain why he had never sent
apparatus here to exhibit his system, as
the Gamewell people had done
Secretary Herrick of the Board of Safety,
testified that all companies had been given
the same opportunity to exploit their sys-
TENS, but that Mr. ChandIee. of the Game
well Company, had been the only one to
make a practical exhibit, and had proba-
bly, succeeded by his hard work in cOnvinc-
ing members of the board that his system
was the best Messrs. Mcguire, Mack and
Morse, the members of the Board of Safe
ty, Police superintendent Colbert and Su-
telegraph, testified as to the good faith and
regularity in the letting of the contract.
Mr.. Colbert said he recommended the Game
well system because he thought it was the
best, and based his judgment on reports
from a hundred cities where the system is
in use and from his own personal ObSerVa-
ton and study.
Mr. Clark himself took the stand and de-
MED all knowledge of the story about the
$1,000. The questions put to him were few
and resulted in nothing. During the after
noon F. l.. Dodge, of Cleveland, appeared
before the committee and also denied any
knowledge of the use of money or the pro-
posed use of money to influence the award
of the contract.
AS the result of the investigation the
committee fully exonerates Mr.. Clark and
the Board of Safety and the latter will
proceed at once to formally let the con-
tract to the Gamewell Company.