The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-13
MAGUIRE AGAIN ON THE RACK.
FIRE COMMISSION TAKES ANOTHER
TURN AT THE CHIEF.


Committee of COunciI-FOreman
Murphy the Star WItness-Mr. e. II.
MiddIetOn's TestimOny-The InVes-
tigatiOn to be Continued To-day.
The fire commissions investigation of
! the charges against Chief Mcguire was
resumed yesterday. Six more of the many
witnesses against the chief gave their
testimony. The hearing will be continued
to-day. beginning this afternoon at 5
O'Clock. City Attorney Adams says that
all of the remaining evidence against Chief
Mcguire will probably be adduced then.
He expects to examine possibly half a
dozen witnesses this afternoon, and the ev-
idence for the defense may also be taken
up
The hearing yesterday began at 4:SO
and did not conclude until nearly 8 o clock
| The evidence brought out was practically
the same as that before the investigat-
ing committee of council, though 1t did
not sound quite so harsh as when given
before the council committee There the
accused was not represented, and the de-
velopment of some phazes of the evidence
| yesterday was possibly in his favor
The first witness examined was f. r.
Middleton, whose evidence was on the be-
havior of the chief at the Hull fire. The
thing that seemed strange to the witness
was that the chief should himself have
climbed to the top of the aerial ladder
when he had so many men
at his call He illustrated this
| point by a nautical reference. He
did not think a captain should go aloft to
reef topsails when he has men in the fore
castle. To this Mr.. Lawrence replied by
| asking the witness if he did not think it
| right for the chief to have climbed the
| ladder il the saddle Arrangement at the
top required his judgment and experience
! for The correction of an error in its adjust
ment.
This question seemed to meet the wit
| ness acqlIescene. He thought from the
! chiefs excited manner that he was drunk.
! The witness said something about a note,
! he had presented to Mr.. Mcguire for col
| lection Mr.. Lawrence lead with ques-
tions that suggested animous on the part
| OF the witness toward the chief for his
refusal to pay the draft, as the witness
! recOllected 1t to have been instead of a
note, bat this he denied having ever felt
lie said MI Mcguire had refused to pay
| the draft, which was for a sum under So
! the time prescribed by the statute of lin
| itauons 1t was finally ELECTED from the
witness that he thought the draft, which
had been given him for collection, Aad
| been paid.
Hoseman John c. Henderson of engine
company No 4 was examined regarding
| the Hull fire and the incident leading to
his Suspension. This was his REFUSAL on the
ground of its being physical impossl-
| bility, he said, to enter the building from
the ladder on which he was standing. He
claimed the position of Fireman Pitts and
Drury on the ladder above him prevented
| his carrying out the chiefs order.
Foreman jeremiah Murphy of Chemi-
cal Co. No. l. was the star witness and
| considerable time was consumed in secur-
| ing his evidence. His testimony upon the
alleged mismanagement of several fires
was rather positive in two or three cases,
notably the Christ chruch, the Savannah
Grocery Company, and rice mill fires. at
all of which he did not think the proper
judgment had been displayed in either
fighting the fires or saving the surround
ing property.
OF the fire at Christ church. Foreman
Murphy was sure that fighting it from
the Drayton street end after an entrance
through the window, would have prevent
ed its spread beyond the choir gallery,
where it started.
The rice mill fire he conceded
to have been very well managed but
thought there was no necessity for the
buildings across River street from the mill
to have burned. The counsel for the de-
Tense did not agree with him in this, as
the impression was general that River
street was so hot between the burning
mill and the granaries that is was impos-
sibe for the firemen to stand in the street
to play on the threatened buildings. There
was also a difference of opinion as to
the direction of the wind on the night of
the fire.
The witness thought the Savannah Gro
Gerry Company fire was properly managed
up to certain stage, and that the eff
forts of the firemen then began to be mis-
directed and the loss of the building re-
suited. He said he saw the chief drunk
the evening after the Smith-Dixon fire,
and also that he found him a Wade 5
saloon, at Houston street and
Oglethorpe avenue the day before the last
municipal election, and that he then look
ed as if he had too much liquor aboard
for him to be a safe man TO be at the
head of the fire department.
Questions as 10 the chief engaging i'm
political work failed to elicit any inform
alton beyond hearsay from the witness.
He stated the chief did not look like a
drunken man at the Hull fire. but rather
one who had been drinking.
| Some pleasantries passed between Mr..
Lawrence and the witness regarding tech
nicahtes of the fire apparatus. and some
| questions In physics.
Ex-Flreman Sheehan was sworn and
again testified to having seen the chief
vomiting over the blur railing az the Hull
fire, and related the incident. as he saw
1t. Of the suspension Of Hoseman Hender-
| son.
Thomas Griffin. another ex-hreman. was
the last witness: He said that there
were not enough men on duty with engine
company No the night before the mu-
nicipal election TO properly handle the
apparatus, as several had been let of
First he said that only six men were left
bat the records were produced. and he
admitted that the number was eight
which he regarded as enough TO man the
engine and wagon. II BE- aid that Chief
Mcguire purposes introducing a good deal
OF testimony counter TO that of the prose
| cuton.