The San Francisco call., 1898-01-15
Though for the Prosecution, Each Helps the Case of
 the Defense.
Evidence That the School Director Prevented Several Schemes Of
 BoOdlers.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

which they claimed was in rebuttal, though no one, but perhaps themselves, could see wherein it rebutted any tes- timony of the defense. W. A. Cheney, the leading counsel for the prosecu- tion, on behalf of the League for Bet ter City Government, had promised something very interesting, but so far as duplicating the accused in anything blameworthy the rebuttal was a fizzle; in fact it was a veritable boomerang for the prosecution, for every witness :. bore testimony only to the good char acter. fairness and integrity of Walter L. Webb.
 When the proceedings opened Secre- tary Johnson said he had tried to sub pena J. F. Adams, but the latter had left town and would not return for ten days It was finally agreed that the board should pay for transcript Of Adams testimony given in the Su- perior Court during the trial of Webb. and that this be put in as part of the case for the defense.
 Ex-Chairman Mathis and Directors Conrey and Bartlett were put on by the defense, and testified to their haV- ing been warned against Adams by various persons, and that Webb had expressed himself as being suspicious of Adams honesty, and had gone so far in one instance as to suggest 10 Dr. Mathis who was then chairman or the board, to put two strong members on all the committees to which he ap- pointed Adams. COnrey, who was chairman of the teachers committee, of which Webb was a member. stated that Webb had always treated him very kindly and that he had not been dom
 E~,- h.a lrVNl He added that there had never been any friction between the members of the teachers committee, and that he and Webb were always on friendly terms. Their only difference of opin- ion was over the cases of Miss Mae Owen and Miss Harden. two of the teachers who were dropped from the list last June.
 Deputy Superintendent of Schools Ennis was the first witness put on in rebuttal.
 He testified that he had marked Miss Mae Owen on one occasion fair" and on another "poor to fair" In giving her marking to the teachers commit tee he thought he had rated her as fair" The marking poor to fair was his latest estimate of the young lady's ability. This marking he had given her about three weeks before the teachers were reappointed.
 ' Miss Owen was one of five or six teachers. similarly rated, who had been dropped. Her case was not ex- ceptional He further testified that a number of her friends had called on him, seeking to have him use his in fuence to have her reinstated. Among these were MT. Garland, w. Childs and T. E. Gibbon. Some of them called more than once.
 Then came one of the witnesses who was evidently expected to develop something interesting. Mir. Gauchnaur Is a solicitor for the firm of Fuller Company, dealers in oils. He testi- fed that he knew Adams, AXtell and Webb. His testimony in its most i'm portant parts was as follows:
 Some months ago MT. Edwards, an- other solicitor for Fuller & Co.,. came to me and said MT. Adams said there would have to be something In it for him or we would lose the trade of the school department. I went to MT. Adams, who told me he had authority to speak for the purchasing committee and he said there would have to be something in it for him. I said there could be nothing in it except 2 per cent discount owing to the low prices He suggested to see MT. Axtell. I went to MT. Axtell and he said to do noth- ing until I saw MT. Webb. I reported the result of my interview with Axtell to Edwards, and asked him to see Webb. Adams never came to see why he got no rake-off."
 Under the cross examination of E. A. Meserve attorney for the defense. Gauchnaur testified further as fol- lows:
 "Edwards went to Webb, and Webb said he wanted nothing but good prices. and that he was not in that kind of business"
 Edwards was called by the prosecu- ton, and he proved one of the best witnesses for the defense that has ta- 2en the stand during this investiga- SOn. He testified that he was ap- preached by Adams one day on Main street about oil for the Board of Edu- cation.
 T told him. continued the witness, "that I was not selling that kind of goods, and I made an appointment for him with MT. Gauchnaur. Adams wanted about 10 per cent, from what MT. Gauchnaur told me. After Gauch- naur. reported to me what Adams wanted I concluded we had better see Mir. Webb. Tn the spring I had been informed that Webb was not inclined to give us an equal show with others. He said he was favorably impressed with Fuller & Co. I went to MT. Webb after I had introduced Adams to MT Gauchnaur and after he had asked for a rake-Off.
 Webb said he did not want anything of that kind done. He added that if anything further of that kind oc- cured he would bring it to the notice of the Board Of Education, and he ask cd me to let him know. I said some time afterWard that I did not believe the charges made against him, as his transactions with me were always straight"
 George NJ. Trowbrdge testified to having had nothing to dc with the writing of the anonymous note sent to Webb. reading as follows:
 You need the Times. Trowbrdge needs money. See Trowbridge 500"
 What this was in rebuttal of was not made plain. though one of the attor- ncys fer the prosecution stated that he wished to disprove a certain part of Webb's signed statement published ir The Call. It was that part in which Webb charged the Times with having been unjust to him.
 In the course of his testimony this . fitness said that Webb had never ac- yused him of having written the note He said further that Webb said to him