The San Francisco call., 1898-01-06
Each Educator to Be Ques- toned as to the Giving
 of Bribe Money.
WILL LESSEN EXPENSE.
Judge Cheney Says the Prosecution Has Interesting Testimony in
 Reserve.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

SpeCldl OispdlCn IO The Oall
 LOS ANGELES, Jan 5-After a somewhat cratic and acrimonious de- bate, which occupied nearly an hour and a half. the Board of Education decided upon a method by which the investigation of the charges against School Director W. L. Webb would be considerably shortened, the expense lessened and the teachers saved much perturbation of mind and physical in- convenience. It was the announced plan of the defense to put every school teacher. janitor and other employe of the School Department on the stand to prove that none of them had paid, di- rectly or indirectly, for their positions, or had been approached to do so. This, they claimed. was necessary not only to prove the baselessness of the charges made against Webb, but to vindicate the entire Board of Educa- ton and to remove the stigma that had been placed, according to their views, on every teacher and employe in the department.
 The method adopted by the unani nous vote of the board was to have the teachers resort to affidavits instead of taking the stand to testify orally. There were present: Directors Davis, Poor, Webb, Mathiss, Conrey and Bart lett. The Council chamber was again well filled. In opening the meeting. Chairman Davis said:
 T want to make one statement to the board and to the defense. l feel that in justice to myself l cannot allow the examination as it was carried on last night, taking simply negative tes- timony, to continue without protest s,f time and money. It has no bearing on the issues of the case. l do this be- cause the expense is a large one and the inconvenience to the teachers is great
 To this MT. Oliver. on behalf of the defendant, replied that the local pa pers had published the innuendoes made by the prosecution against Webb. These, he said, included charges of cor ruption in which Webb was implicated.
 This defendant" he continued, has the right to refute these islanders that have gone out against him. If the prosecution will join hands with us and admit that the teachers will testify that they were never approached and never paid a dollar for their positions, then We are willing to suspend the ex- animation right here"
 Chairman Davis remarked: MT. Webb is charged with two separate ] CnaTEeS. 1nSSE OlIlGE UldlACAS Adk = nothing to do with them"
 This brought Webb to his feet
 Il would like to call your attention" :" he said, ito the fact that We have something like $500 to pay for the sten- ographers' bill. If ten per cent of that bill was expended in the examination of the charges preferred against me
 and not as to whether Bartlett had sold a piano or something else equally immaterial, then l will admit the jus tice of your remarks. You have gone right along with the prosecution for ! three solid weeks. The defense has had three or four nights on the stand and then you say these examinations are ! irrelevant You allowed MT. Gibbons to say all kinds of things-that We had a piano deal on, that we had a cement sidewalk deal, etc. The impression has gone out that every teacher was cor
 ruptly approached. The papers have
 said that I was drawing this out, but that had better be careful or I would
 run into snag. l am not afraid of any snag. Mir. Gibbons and Judge Phillips of the prosecution have been continuously promising the public that there is more to come, and even Judge Cheney said last night that there were to come"
 Judge Cheney interrupted to say:
 T said we would have some inter resting matters IO pfOQuce III TeDuIIdl, and I stand by that statement"
 After some further debate the follow ing resolution introduced by Poor was adopted:
 Resolved. That the attorneys in this investigation be required to prepare a list of the interrogations to be presented to each and every teacher, janitor or other employe employed in the School tofore examined in these proceedings which list shall be printed and sent by the Board of Education to each and every employe aforesaid. requiring them to answer the aforesaid interrogatories un- der an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. and that the said interrogatories thus taken will be admitted evidence in the pres ent proceedings against Walter L. Webb: providing. however. that each side shall have the right to recall any of the said employees thus interrogated for further examination. And it is further under stood and agreed by and between the at torneys in the above proceedings that the said dispositions taken as aforesaid shall be taken by the Board of Educa- ton as final evidence and as true, except wherein it shall be contradicted or re- butted by other contradictory evidence
 It is expected that all these affidayits will be filed some time next week when the investigation will be resumed. Adjournment was taken until Monday night out of respect 70 Attorney E. Al Meserve and his late wife, who died this evening.
 INVESTIGATES ALLEGED