The herald., 1898-01-31

BettinS MS place dSdifi, tuc pfinSiPci
: negotiations were with Axteil, and that
:, he finally came to an understanding
! with Axtell that by the payment OF 5000
; in cash, and the agreement to permit q
man living on Boyle Heights to be ap-
: pointed. as he understood. by the mem
} ber of the school board living on Boyle
, Heights, TO the position of assistant
janitor under him, he was to retain
, his place and also to secure an advance
in his compensation to IS a room. The
J money was paid Axtell by Morris and
Axtell claims to have delivered 1t to
, Adams, who states that II was by him
paid to Webb. Axtell testifies that both
Webb and Adams were engaged in the
|, hold-up of Morris. and that Webb had
promised him that Morris's salary
should be raised. 1t appears also, from
Morris's testimony, that during the dis
! cussions between himself and Axtell
; and Adams with reference to his place
and to the increase of his compensation,
) he was assured that Webb was the
controlling spirit in the board. Adams
saying to him that the board was one
man power, so much so, that while Mr..
Webb was east no business would be
done. According to the testimony of
both Morris and AXtell Norris after
ward found that the party who was to
be appointed by the member of the
school board as his sub -janitor, was a
colored man, and feeling that having
under him such a person, owing his
position to some one else and not to
his superior, he would have more or less
! trouble, he offered to buy off from the
promise. 1t was finally agreed, through
Axtell, that upon the payment of 500
he (Morris) should be excused from re-
ceiving under him the b-janitor The
500 was paid, and this sl00 Axtell testi-
fies was paid by him to Webb. or at
least left in the hands of a third party
no dnfA M 81
denies this. but in addition to the tes-
timony of Axtell and Morris, we have
the corroborating testimony of the col
ored man who understood that he was
4 to receive the position Of deputy jani-
tor of the High School. at Mr.. Webb's
hands. AXtell testified that the conver-
sation with Webb as to his reserving the
right to appoint the sub-janitor under
Norris. and the subsequent compro-
mise of the right. upon the payment by
Norris of 500, occurred in June. 1t ap-
pears that the party referred to was
one Andrew Jackson Parker. at that
time resident of Boyle Heights in this
city; that Parker never. in fact. got
the position, but was afterward sent to
Axtell with a note from Webb asking
him to give him another position, and
stating that he was the party about
whom Webb had talked with Axtell in
June. Parker was called as witness
! diiu tSStiicQ tlldl Ill May W lHe DcSt
his recollection as to dates. he was
promised the position of janitor in the
i Breedstreet school, in this city, by
Mr.. webb; that he got up a petition
among the Republicans of Mr.. Webb's
ward asking for place: that Webb
afterward failed to give him the posi-
ton, but promised him another and a
better position on the west side of
the river, which should be worth
more than the $45 a month paid
to the janitor of the Breed street
school; that Webb subsequently put
him off as to the position promised
him, and he went from the city to
Long Beach, expecting to return when
school opened and take the position of
assistant janitor in the High School. of
which he had been assured by Mr.
Drummond. a Republican of promi-
nence on Boyle Heights, 1t had been
decided he should have: that when he
came back to the city to take the po-
sition, he went to see Webb about the
job and Webb gave him a note to a
gentleman down at the Spring-street
schoolhouse. whom he thinks was
named Axtell. The note was placed in
evidence. was writhten upon school
board paper and read as follows:
LOS ANGELES. Cal, Aug. 81. 1897
Mr.. Axtell: Please put bearer, A.
]. Parker, to work. He is the one ]
spoke to you about in June.
yours truly,
walter WEBB"
Thus we have, in this respect, as
clear a corroboration as is possible of
Axtelrs testimony. 1t was certainly
the fact that the colored man had
been given to understand, by some one
assuming to speak for Mr.. Webb. that
what Webb meant by position on the
west side of the river, was a position
as janitor in the High School, and the
reference by Webb to Parker as being
the one / spoke to you about in June"
| would seem to connect the transaction
in such a way as to conclusively es-
tablish the truth of AXtelps testimony.
Here we have the fact from both Nor
riS and AXtell that Morris had agreed
| to give Webb the right to appoint a
sub-janitor for the High School; that
that right had afterward been COM
promised upon the payment by Morris
of 500; that the 800, according to AK
tells testimony, had gone to Webb as
the consideration for the relinquish-
ment of that right. and the further
fact that a man answering the de-
Scription of the one whom Webb had
intended to appoint and for the waiver
of whose appointment 500 had been
paid by Morris, had been given to un-
derstand that he was to receive the
janitorship in question; that he after
wards failed to get it without having
any reason assigned as to such failure
and was sent to Axtell to be put to
work at something else, with note
so describing him as to enable Axtell
to understand that he was the man to
whom Webb had promised the position
| which he had reserved subject to his
appointment in the High School. No
explanation, at all satisfactory to any
| reasonable man, has, l submit, been
made as to this testimony and it's
truthfulness appears to be largely sus-
tained by the fact that by the parties
directly engaged in negotiating with
Morris. to-wit, Axtell and Adams. Mr..
| Webbs influence upon the board had
been referred to in the course of the
conversations about the raise in Nor
riss salary. Indeed. of all the evil
dence strongly going to show that this
defendant was the ringleader in the
school board corruption which has
been under investigation, nothing is
to my mind stronger than the fact that
in some instances his power and in
huence was directly referred to by at
least one of the parties seeking to do
the robbery, as the means by Wnlcn
what they agreed to accomplish should
be brought about.
HIS INDIRECT INFLUENCE
Miss Frank Hawks, one of the teach
ers of the public schools of this city,
called as witness, test1hed tnat
Adams had offered to undertake to get
her a principalship in consideration or
500; that in that connection he had ex-
plained that he could secure her a
principalship through the influence of