The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-15
TO TRY FIRE COMMISSIONERS.
THE COUNCIL WILL BEGIN THE
HEARING APRIL 20.

1ect Adopted Without Dissent.
Commissioners to BE Served with
Notice to Appear at the Time
Stated-The Hearing Likely to BE
Lengthy One.
The trial of the impeachment charges
against Fire Commissioners Grayson and
Nell will be resumed by the City Council
5st an early date. Mayor Meldrim arrived
from Atlanta yesterday morning, bringing
with him the remittur of the Supreme
Court in the case of Grayson and others,
fire commissioners, versus the City Coun-
ell.
The remittur was filed at once with the
clerk of the Superior Court. During the
morning Mayor Meldrim instructed Clerk
of Council Bailey to summon the aldermen
TO meeting of Council for last night, the
last regular meeting being still under re-
cess. As the call did not state the object
the members of Council were in ignorance
on this point, though doubtless they could
an have hazarded a close guess as to the
purpose of the meeting.
Mayor Meldrim, when asked as to its
object, said that Council would probably
discuss the fire commissioners matter in
committee of the whole, but he would not
say whether the meeting had been called
for that purpose. 1t was thought that
perhaps the meeting might be for the pur-
pose OF taking some action on the house
drainage contract, or that perhaps the
Mayor had received an offer for the ground
rent lots asset.
Ihere was some difficulty in getting a
quorum There were just seven aldermen
when the caucus convened, end DR.. Dun
can being called away on professional bus
iness the caucus was left without a quo.
rum. DIR. Duncan returned later however
Something over an hour was spent in Sc
cret session, and 1t was 1870 o'clock or
later when Council went into the long
room. Mayor Meldrim and Aldermen Dun
can, Charlton, Hull, Krouskoff. Smith.
Davis and Guckenheimer Were present
AS soon as Council had been called to
order, Mayor Medium said: Council has
been convened for The purpose of present.
ing for its consideration and action the
matter of the investigation of certain
charges heretofore preferred against
Messrs. w. l.. Grayson and r. S. Nell,
fire commissioners of The city of Savan-
NAH"
Mayor Meldrm briefly reviewed the pre-
vious history of the case and its stoppage
by means of a writ of prohibition secured
from the judge of an adjoining circuit
and afterwards upheld by the judge If this
circuit
1.-The Supreme Court" he said, has af-
firmed the position taken by Council that
the fire commissioners are officers of the
municipality, and as such can be held re-
guilty of misconduct in office that there is
nothing to prevent their amotion."
The remittur having been received from
the Supreme Court, Mayor Meldrim said.
Council is now at liberty to proceed in the
matter
Alderman Smith offered the following
resolution and moved its adoption:
Resolved, by the Mayor and aldermen
of the city of Savannah, in Council assem-
bled, That William l.. Grayson and Rob-
ert IS. Nell, fire commissioners of the city
of Savannah, be notified that on Friday.
April 49, 1898, at $50 p. M, the Council of
the city of Savannah will proceed to hear
and determine, at its Council Chambers,
the charges preferred against them at the
meeting of Oct. 6, 1897, of which charges
they have already been notified, and that
official copies of this resolution be served
by the marshal of the city or his deputy
upon the said two fire commissioners with
in the next forty-eight hours"
Alderman Duncan seconded the resolu-
ton and it was at once adopted without
discussion. There was no further business
to come before the meeting and Council at
once adjourned.
1t will be seen that Council has been
liberal in allowing the commissioners
full two weeks in which to prepare TO
meet the charges against them. The
several grounds of misconduct with which
the commissioners are charged were stated
in yesterdays Morning News. The trial
will very likely be a lengthy one, as
great deal of the evidence brought out by
Council in it's investigation of the fire
chief last summer will doubtless be
brought to bear in this case in substantial
ton of the charge that the commissioners
have retained Fire Chief Mcguire in office
after he had been proven incompetent and
inefficient, and had been shown to nave
been under the influence of liquor on SOW
eral occasions. The commissioners viii
doubtless have considerable evidence to
submit in their own behalf.
When the charges were preferred last
| October the commissioners minated very
broadly that they would not appear he
fore Council, first because they did rot
acknowledge its authority to try them on
| charges of impeachment, and, second, be-
cause they did not believe that they would
obtain a fair trial at the hands of Coun-
ell. The commissioners now have no al
tentative but to appear. unless they
choose to allow their cases to go by de-
fault
Commissioner Grayson, when asked yes
terday if he would appear at the trial,
| replied evasively that he might be in Cuba
| before the trial came off Neither Mr..
Grayson nor Mr.. Nell were ready to talk
about the matter 1t is presumed that
I their counsel will be the same as repre-
scented them before the courts last Octo-
ber Hon. f. G. duBlgnon and Mr.. A. A.
Lawrence. In this case the hearing is
| likely to be a stubborn one.
An alderman. in speaking of the matter,
said that he thought ii the duty of Coun>
Gil 10 take up the charges and push them
10 a conclusion. There is much less bit
terness of feeling than there was last DC.
tober," he said, and a much better show
Tor the commissioners to be given fair
trial. l. for one, am glad that the hear
ing did not come up last October, as wita
the state of feeling then existing do not
think that it would have been possible
for Council to have reached a fair con-
cusion."
- "a