The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-12
MAGUIRE TO ANSWER CHARGES
FIRE COMMISSION TO HOLD AN IN
VESTIGATION.

Chairman Grayson Says He win
Prove the FaIsity of Charges Made
Against Him Before the Council
Committee When the Commission
Meets-Chief Mcguire Preparing
His Defense-The investigation to
Begin as soon as the Present In
vestIEatiOn Is Ended.
The fire commission will hold an inves-
tigation of its own as soon as the investi-
eating committee Of council concludes its
investigation of Chief Mcguire, beginning
within a few days.
The charges made against Chief Mcguire
by the witnesses in the present investiga-
ton will be taken up by the commission
and the chief will be called upon to clear
himself. Chief Mcguire has already been
notified to this effect, and is now at work
preparing his defense. Some of the wit
nesses who have been before the commit
tee Of council will probably be called be-
fore the commission.
THE commission will take up the matter
as soon as the committee of council has
finished with Il" said Chairman Grayson,
when seen by a Morning News reporter
yesterday
1--WE will probably give the chief FIVE
days in which to prepare for the investi-
cation. number of witnesses will be
summoned and 1 think the Investigation
will prove even more interesting than the
one now in progress. There will be no
difficulty in disproving a great many of
the statements which have been made by
witnesses before the committee of coun-
Gil"
The porpose of seeing Commissioner
Grayson was to ascertain If he had any
reply to make to statements made con-
corning MIN by witnesses before the inves-
tgating committee.
There has been so much untruth in the
statements Of the witnesses" he replied,
that it is not worth while to undertake
to answer them now. prefer to- wait I'M
til the investigation is held by the com
mission, when the statements so far as
they reflect upon me, win be disproved by
witnesses OF undoubted veracity. 1t looks
as if the investigating committee were not
combining It's investigation to the fire chief"
Chief Mcguire said that he will be ready
to answer all the charges made against
him when the Investigation is held by the
commission. Until that time he did not
care to discuss the charges made by wit
nesses before the investigating commit
tee, except to say that many Of them were
palpably false, and could be easily so
shown at the proper time.
Men of undoubted veracity and stand
ing in the community have come to me
voluntarily and offered to testify in con-
tradiction of the charges made by wit
nesses, said the chief.
Chairman Grayson and Chief Mcguire
would not say what steps will be taken
in reference TO the members of the fire
department whose statements before the
investigating committee are oontradicted
by Chief Mcguire and others, except to
say that they will be investigated at the
proper time. The statement made by AS
sistant Foreman Flynn of Chemical Com
pany No. l that Chairman Grayson asked
him what his political inclinations were
when he was being investigated on charges
before the commission, is positively de-
MED by Chairman Grayson.
The investigating committee will con-
tinue its work this afternoon, and the
probability is that this session will con-
clude the investigation.