The herald., 1898-01-31

tttVtiJt tuat ifC vas a AAASAA4cI III the
! solid six." and would fix It; that he
was a member OF the majority. and the
others didn't have anything to say.
Thus we see. that instead OF there
being any truth In the DEFENDANT s
statement that he did run the Board
OF Education with an iron hand just
exactly to keep such men as Adams
where they belong, during all the time
that he was serving with Adams on
the Supply Committee, Adams, who
was called upon by Webb to sign a
majority of the requisitions in conjunc-
tion with him and Axtell, who was
nest directly under Webb of all the
school employees, on account of Webb's
committee craftsmanship, were engaged
In robbing and attempting to rob
teachers and janitors Of this city,
Adams using to that end the great in
fiuence supposed to be possessed by
this defendant upon the school board
and under pledging the use of that in
nuence to accomplish the purpose for
which the bribes were paid or de-
manded.
THE NELSON CONTRACT
But this is not all of the robbery, or
attempted robbery, which occurred in
the department of the school board
most closely connected with. or di-
rectly in charge Of this defendant.
one Fred Nelson, a contractor for
plastering and calsomining, was called
as a witness, and testified to another
robbery. 1t appears from his testi-
mony that for the past seven or eight
years. and. In fact. during the whole
period of Axtelps incumbency as Su-
perintendent of Buildings, the witness
had been employed to do work for
the school board of this city: and
that during all of that time, until this
present school board came into office
/ nA hnx. III.
began to show itself in keeping men
where they belonged. Axtell had never
so much as suggested to him the pro-
priety of paying l cent as consid- :
GRAFTON for any work which he OBJ
tained from the board: that during the
latter part of 1897 he had occasion to
present a bill for about $3.50, for cal
somining, which he had done during
vacation upon the school buildings and
that Axtell. after .apologizing to him
| for what he was going to do, stated
/! to him you have got to pay a per-
centage on this last bill here--commis-
sion"-eoual to 10 per cent of the whole
bill. or s55. AXtell, the witness testi-
| fed stated that he was forced to
make this demand upon him. and ap-
peared worried at having to do SO. and
gave him to understand that the money
was to go to some one connected with
| the school board. Nelson. in addi-
tion to testifying that this was the first
time during his seven or eight years
connection with school work under AK
tell as Superintendent of Buildings.
/ that any corrupt consideration had
ever been demanded of him. also testi-
fed most positively that he had no idea
| that Axtell ever received ! cent of
benefit from the money which the wit
ness paid him. 1t will be observed that
this kalsomining work came under the
| ~. 49,
plies, of which Mr.. Webb was chair
man. and Axtell testified that the de-
mand upon Nelson was made by direc-
tion of the defendant.
HIS SIDE PARTNER
Another successful effort to obtain
illegitimate profits out of school,
teachers for a member of the board
was also testified to by Mrs. M. 8.
Smith, a teacher, who testifies that one
of the statesmen OF Director Bartlett.
the co-tenant of the same storeroom
with ,he defendant, suggested to her
the propriety of purchasing piano of
Mr.. Bartlett. on monthly insoallments
amounting to the same as the monthly
| increase which she was seeking to have
made in her salary. She did not,
| according to her testimony, consent to
make the purchase and lay herself
liable to these monthly payments while
her increase in salary was in doubt,
until Mr.. Bartlett's salesman had in
sinuated to her that the place that she
| then held would be in danger If she
did not purchase the piano; that
| shortly after making said purchase,
she was informed by the statesmen that
her salary had been increased by ex-
actly the same amount per month that
| her monthly payments for the piano
were. He gave as his authority for the
statement that her salary had been
raised. the defendant, member or
| the Teachers Committee, whom he
said had told him. She states FUR
ther that the salesman, while endeav-
| oring to sell her the piano promised TO
see Mr.. Bartlett about her having a
| dictatorship, which would carry win
it an increase in salary. The testi-
mony shows that during the time OF
this transaction, Mr.. Bartlett was out
| of the city, so that some one else must
have been depended upon 10
carry out any promise that was
made to Mrs. Smith as to her increase
in her salary. Inasmuch as this de-
fendant was the person first to inform
| Mr.. Bartlett's salesman that the IN
| crease had been made, 1t would appear
that he must have had some reason for
knowing that the gentleman was inter
ested in the raise Of the salary. II Is
worthy of remark just here, too, that
according to the testimony or this VIII
| ness, Mr.. Webb himself assisted the
efforts being made by Adams and AK
tell to impress people with his power
upon the board. by giving Mrs. Smith
| to understand that at least one OF his
| colleagues on the Teachers Committee
! had very little power to assist her In
her efforts to secure dictatorship and
a raise in her salary. She testifies that
| to a suggestion that she see Mr.. Con-
rey about it, the defendant made such
a gesture of dissent as to provoke from
her the question, well, perhaps he
| hasn't any power 1t would not do any
good to see him?" to which the defend
ant answered, THAT Is about It, II
may be noted that this conversation is
said to have occurred prior to the pur-
chase OF the piano, and that thereafter
she found 1t to her interest to purchase
piano from the defendants colleague
on the Teachers Committee, and CO.
tenant in his store room, Mr.. Bartlett
and that almost Immediately there
after she received the position and In
crease in salary which she had been
seeking.
| Thus we see that while Axtell and
Adams were extolling the defendant
power upon the board, and at the same
| time, were attempting to receive con-
tributions from persons connected IN
business way with the school board
the defendant himself was not idle IN
propagating the same opinion as TO ms
power, which was being used by MS
direct subordinate. Mr.. Axtell, ano
by his fellow-member of the Purchas-
ing Committee, Mr.. Adams, as source