The morning news., 1897-08-31
THE INVESTIGATION CLOSED.
FIRE COMMISSION TO GIVE IT'S DE-
CISION MONDAY.

OmntsstOnerS VIII Deliberate
Upon the Evidence This Week.
RebUttaI Evidence Heard Yester-
day-FOrcman Murphy Makes
statement in His own Behaif, De-
nying the Charges of the Chief.
The end Of the fire commissions inVesti-
cation is at last in sight and it is likely
that in a week time the fate of the fire
chief will have been decided. After two
hours spent in an interesting meeting yes
terday afternoon, the commission adjourn
cd to meet next Monday afternoon, when
the evidence of the last two meetings will
be carefully gone over. This is the only
part Of the evidence that has not already
been typewriter. The final meeting would
be held before Monday if this evidence of
the last two meetings had been so pre-
pared. In the meantime the commissioners
expect to hold two or three meetings in
order to so over all the testimony that
has already been prepared
There was a good deal of interest In yes
terday's proceedings The question of the
Savannah Grocery Companys fire was
again the leading item of interest, and
again Foreman Jeremiah Murphy was up
as a witness He was just as positive as
ever that there had been msmanagement
displayed, and besides answering the addi-
tional questions that were asked him along
this line he was called upon to give an ac-
count OF the monetary transactions that
Chief Mcguire had stated at former
meeting had taken place between the
foreman and eX-Chief Puder, Chief Ma
guire having said that Foreman Murphy
had enjoyed pull with the former admin
istration on account of his having loaned
money to the head of the
department MIR. Murphy ex-
plained the matter of the loan, stating
that he had loaned Mr. Puder $3.50 about
six months before the latter had left the
department The witness stated that he
had never received any favors from the
former chief on account of his having
made this loan which he had voluntarily
rendered and that he had also never been
favored in any way by Chief Mcguire. TO
whom, as well as to Mr.. Puder, he stated
that he had loaned small amounts of
money. This statement of the foreman
about his having loaned money 10 the
chief was direct contradiction Of the
iatter's statement that he would never
borrow money from one subordinate to
himself in the department Being asked
TO specify the occasions upon which he
had loaned money 10 the present chief, he
said that he had given him 81 at one time
when the chief had said that he wanted
the money TO so to a funeral. In reply
TO a question from Mr. Lawrence, Fore
man Murphy admitted that the chief had
at one time rendered him payment Of the
amount borrowed, offering a so bill He
said that he did not have the change at
the time so did not take out the amount
he claims the chief stll owes him. Mr..
Murphy said that he did not order the
stream turned off at the Savannah Gro
Gerry Company fire, as il has been
stated that he did. The chief, he said,
was the proper one to order the water
turned off.
Did YOU tell Mr.. Jonas Mendel at the
time the fire was i'm progress that il was
under control and that there was no need
of his taking the books of the concern
from the ofice?" inquired Mr.. Lawrence
No, l did not" answer Mr.. Murphy
land / could not have done so, as | did
not see Mr.. Mendel at all while the fire
was in progress. The only person l saw to
speak with was Mr.. Willink. and him I
told that / thought that with one more
stream | could get the flames under CON
troll. Just then some one told me that the
water had been turned Off, and then |
went back 10 the two men at the rear of
the building. These men We're Williams
and Grady, and / considered that they
were in a dangerous place The witness
said that ii was al the elevator shaft on
the south side of River street that he had
left the two men. and that when he return
cd they were not there. He stated that
the men 10y leaving had violated the rules
of the department and that his was
known TO the chief, who, however, did
not take any cognizance of the fact that
they had been derelict to their duty. The
chief himself told me at one time said
Mr.. Murphy chat since the commission
had come into office they would never
give him men that We're worth d-n.'
Noting that this statement would have
any bearing on being in the charges
against the chief II was decided, on Mr..
Lawrence objecting, that this matter of
what the chief may have told the wit
ness was entirely Irrelevant, and IL was
not gone into.
Then Foreman Murphy stated that he
wanted TO claim the privilege Of answering
the charges made against him by the
chief of having allowed the Savannah
Grocery Company's building TO be de-
stroyel. This caused a discussion of some
length between Messrs. Adams and Law
renee, the former holding chat the fore
man should he allowed every opportunity
TO vinlicate himself and the latter insist
ing that his statement could not go i'm as
there was nothing about il relevant to the
charges against the chief
Mir Lawrence stated that IL had been I'm
reply 10 the oss-questioning of Mr. Ad-
ans that the chief had made the state
ments about Mr. Murphy. ana that they
had not been volunteered. Mr. Adams am
swered Mr.. Lawrence that thc statements
had not been elicited BY his cross-eNami-
nation, but that the chief had made them
of his own accord Chief Maguirc then
arose and said that 90 had been on Fore
man Murphy IS own statement 10 Mr. VII
link that he had made the charge against
him. The chief went on 60 say that from
the fnFpmuU'a statement fnnf afternoon