San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-06-19
JOHN d. RULLMANN EXPLAINS.

The threatening letter sent by Hill
debrandt & Stribbling, to our county
commissioners court, about infringing
on the copyrighted block maps:
To the Daily Light:
Believing that the public is entitled
to know the reason and cause why this
threatening letter, published in yester-
days Light, was sent by the above
named gentlemen to our Honorable
Commissioners court, / will state in
short all the facts in this case: The
county was in need of block maps for
the assessor. A bid was given to the
county by Hildebrandt IL Stribbling
which amounted to 100000 for city
block maps and 100000 for the county
block maps. On 1898 Messrs. Hide
brandt & Stribbling proposed to fur
nish the city with block maps for 81
000.00.) ! myself not knowing that
Messrs. Hildebrandt & Stribbllng
claimed the sole right to furnish said
maps, put in bid, for the entire work,
city and county maps, for s3,50O.00
On account of the great difference
in the two proposals ($14,500.00), the
county commissioners carefully in
spected my maps and those OF Messrs.
Hildebrandt & Stribbling.
About ten days after the bids were
opened, but not yet decided on by :hs
county commissioners, Mr.. HildeGrandt
came to my office and he had an in
teresting, very interesting talk with
me, which 1 may publish some day.
but it resulted in nothing.
| After this these gentlemen tried to
prove that was not competent enough
to do the work. The county commits
sioners awarded the contract to the
lowest bidder thereby saving the coun-
| ty 100000.
This created very sore feeling in the
hearts of these gentlemen iMessrs.
Hildebrandt & Stribbling) and now
they accuse me Of having taken copies
of the city block maps. (Sure!"
very foolish baby act)
Now, / will show that / know some
thing about the city and county. The
first map of the entire city of San An
tonic showing every lot and block in
the city limits, was made and publish
ed by me- That shows that l must
know something about the city. The
first complete county map, now used
in the general land Office at Austin
and recognized in this county as an
official map, was made and published
by me. So / must know something
about the county. In 1888, Mr. John
Stappenbeck and myself secured from
the county the contract to provide the
county assessor with complete map
of the city and giving all the names of
owners of every lot, block or parcel of
land within the city limits. We fin
ished this work. 1t was accepted and
paid for. Now for some reason not
known to me this work was never
kept up. l kept copies of these maps
and copies of the names of the owners
of lots and blocks and since that time
l and my sons have kept on with the
work, correcting and adding, and now l
am in possession of the most correct
county and city block maps.
The city block maps, which l,accord-
ing to the charge Of Messrs. Hide
brandt & Stribbling, should have cop
led, are in possession of the city as
SCISSOR, and he and his predecessor Mr..
Frasch, or any of the deputy assessors
ought to know If / ever copied them.
The only time l had anything to do
with these books was in 1898, when
they were delivered to the city. Mr..
Frasch claimed that some of maps
were not correct, and I, in my capacity
as assistant city engineer, was order
ed to Look over and correct them,
which / did.
In my opinion, the gentlemen, who
made the city block maps, did their
best. taking in consideration the con-
fiicting and incomplete data which
they had to work from, and I doubt
if Messrs Hildebrandt & Stribbling
who never made any block maps, could
have finished better maps.
6-1S-1t JOHN d. RULLMANN.