The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-07

the lowest bidder Exhibit e was page
531, showing the report Of the COM
nIittee on waterworks, recommending
the acceptance Of the lowest bid, anu
the defeat Of Aid. Adams motion to
accept by vote Of Y to 8.
Charles F. Haney," called Mr.. Pc
terSon
The ex-city clerk took the stand and
admitted that he had been city clerk
for some years. He identified the ad-
vertisement he caused to be inserted
in the official paper. ASKING for bids.
BENJAMIN f. .DODsON,
a large, welI-fed man from Chicago.
with a jovial double chin. took TIC
stand and was sworn.
II was in Minneapolis Sept. 8, 1896"
he said when questioned, land met Mr.
Drew in the city hallnand again at
an office in a building up town, Mr..
Drew's office on NieoIlet avenue. The
first interview was Sept. %, and the
second Sept. "a. At thegfirst converse
ton l was introduced to Mr. Drew by
Aid. O'Brfen. 1 told him we had q
large amount of pipe on hand and had
done business with the councils. I
said l had done business in Chicago
with Aid. Powers, and he said he
guessed l was all right. He got copy
or the specifications from Mr. Gay
said We wanted the contract He asked
what We could give the price for ana
l gave him a fiat price of S24,6O for
the whole. l then marked in a space
further over and said that represented
10 per cent of the contract price.
He said: That's all right; the con-
tract is as good as yours" 1 said I
didn't handle any money, but that (
would bring a man who. had the hand
n md a.1r
to meet the next day. In reference to
the money, he said it didn't make any
difference, that the money was cut UP
so that | couldn't understand it. He
said all l would have to do would be
to get below a fiat price Of $3.50 per
ton and the bid was ours"
THE next day l went with a man
who was introduced to me as John
Thomas. He was to act as witness
and be the general mar ager of the com
pany Drew was very suspicious OF Mr..
Thomas at first, but we soon got to
talking ard went over the conversa-
ton Of the day before. l asked whether
he wanted checks or drafts, or money,
and he said he didn't want any checks,
for they were too easily traced, and
he didn't want to be caught with (us-
ing an urbecoming eXpression) if he
should ever be caught. He said if we
toted fair there was another lot of pipe
another year, for pipe leading from
the reservoir, and we could have it
a the same figures-10 per cent That
was at Drew's Off1ce-the Cooperative
Printing company The man with us
was rather nervous, but he asked Drew
if the amount was satisfactory, and
he said it was. They made an appoint
ment for the next noon, when the
money was to be paid over.
I'VE arranged for putting in a bid
before 8 O'Clock, Sept. %, but we were
to have the mattersput off if we did
not get our bid in on time. We never
put in a bid"
ON CROSS-EXAMI
Witness said lie was in the theatri-
cal business, managing Mr.. Jacks
theater in Chicago. He had no con
nectiOn with any pipe foundry. but
had been asked by Chicago detectives
While on a visit to Minneapolis in Sep
TENDER, to IlrS0E2te an agent for the
pCi pose Of finding out ii there was
any stealing ia the city, The defense
was particular to make witness account
for all his time WAile in the City, in
GLIDING the Committee meeting which
he said he attended, fE
In the afternoon the witness was
crCSs-eXamined further, and from the
questioning it was apparent that Aids
Phillips, Rhode and Nordeen would
SWea' that they were introduced to
the witness in the committee room
WitEesS could not remember that ne
met them. He said he and Drew left
the room and went across the hall 20
another room.
What" cried Mr. Harrison, you
left the room with him 2"
Yes, sir. we went in there alone
and were there about ten minutes. /
talked with Mr.. Drew about ten min
utes in the large ROOM"
I'm an ordinary tone of voice ?"
mo. 1 supposed it was a matter 1
didn't care to preach about" .a
Witness did not know what had be-,
come of Mr. O'Brien The attorney
made the witness so over the CONVEX
sation held with Mr. Drew again. The
witness thought that Mr. Stone was
outside the door. where he could hear
what was said.
You are sure Mr.. Adams was
there?"
Yes. sir; a gentleman with long
gray beard"
You mean Aid, Adams, Of the
Fourth ward?"
yes, sir"
There were some covert smiles at
this. and Charles +. Haney whispered
to a friend: II have known Col. Adams
for many years and never knew him
to wear a long beard
Under the INSTRUMENTATION the wit
ness showed that his memory was poor
on details He could not say how many
windows were in the room. nor at
which side Of the table he was sitting,
nor IL the door was closed.
Mr.. Harrison then took the witness
over the conversation again the wit
ness answering much the same as in
the direct examination. Witness did
not remember that anything was said
about $3.50 per ton being the lowest
bid 1t was the evident intent Of the
deferse to show that Drew had In
sisted that unless the witness made the
lowest bid. he could not get the con-
tract. and this is evidently one Of the
lires of the defense.
The witness stated that his report is
locked up in a safety derGsit vault In
Chice go. and that the citizens commit
tee here has copies only; that the
Thomas who was with him he had aft
erwarCfs found out was John Thomas
Baker. commonly called Deacon Baker.
He was paid Sc per day for his work.
Witness stated that before he went
before the grand Jury he went to a
safety deposit vault. where his report
had been placed for safe keeping and
read 1t over He had not seen it since.
He also made an affidavit. assisted by
Mr.. Stone. He remained in Mime
apolis until some time in December.
Regarding letters and kilograms sent to
Mr.. Drew from Chicago his memory
was very faulty.
JOHN THOMAS BAKER,
a civil en- sineer, was sworn. and testi-
fed that he had lived in the city for
eighteen years. He visited Mr. Drew's
Office, 319 Nicollet avenue, with Dodson,
and was present at the conversation.
The witness paid with interest for the
tibes Of Mr.. HARRISON with his evil