The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-12-03

Verdict of Not Guilty Today III
Consideration of the Indicted Mer
Resigning, Admitting They Die
Wrong. Agreeing Not to Seek OF
Accept Public Office for Five Years
and Raising Fund Of $4,000 foi
Charity.
When criminal court opens this
mCining 1t is expected that attorneys
for the Mems union will request the
court to permit vcrdicts of not guilty
tn be taken in the cases charging ac-
c2ptlng and soliciting bribes against
tic following: Common Councilman
d. II. Reese, First ward; Common
Councilman NJ. V. Morris. Second
Ward Common Councilman James j.
Grier. Third ward: Common Council
man w. V. Griniths. Fifth ward; COM
mon Councilman G. Il. Godshall Fifth
ward; Common Councilman c. Il. Wen
z"l. ourteenth ward; Common Coun-
Gilman n. NJ. Watkins, Fifteenth ward:
Common Councilman Il. r. Morris.
Eighteenth ward; Select Councilman
SIMON Thomas. Fourth ward: Select
Councilman Coyna. Twentieth ward.
Former Select Councilman Fl. Il. Fell
lows of the Fifteenth ward, is also in
cluded in the list of the eleven indicted
This action will be taken as the re-
"ult of a conference concluded about
1l."o Saturday night in the office of
Attorney NJ. \. Mckinley in the Con-
nell building. at which the above men
agleel to the following conditions:
Tney wrote their designations as
c1u!icimen to take effect Dec 10.
they signed a paper agreeing not
10 see. K or accept Il public office during
the next five-Sears, and admitting that
their official conduct at some time
since thay entered councils was such
as to leave them liable to prosecu-
tion.
They agree to make up a purse of
81 200. which is to be devoted to char
liable purposes.
IL Gre have been many conferences
between the counclmen and their at
;orneys. Joseph O'Brien. George Horn
NJ. a. Mckinley and John f. Scragg
during the last week and at these
conferences various propositions We're
talked over and presented to the Off
day. night the councilman decided to
accept the above as the best conditions
they could obtain in order to avoid the
expense and notoriety of Il trial. to
say rcthing OF the unpleasant consa-
ou"nces that might follow.
THE MATTER OF MONEY.
The payment of the money was the
hardes t proposition for the councilmen
to swallow At first the union de-
manded $500. claiming that amount
had !cen spent among the councilmen.
A compromise was finally effected at
5000 and the money will be in the at
toincys' hands this morning.
The papers signed by the councilmen
will he placed in the hands of W. A.
WilccX and will be by him kept for
five years. II in the meantime moth
ing arises that will necessitate their
use :Eey will be destroyed.
VIII Il the court has not given any
iEtima ion as to how it will receive the
request to allow verdicts of not guilty
to be taken, it is thought that it will
ente" no serious objection, since it
seems about the best arrangement all
around that could have been made and
will save the county the clogging of it's
criminal court machinery, which would
follow the effort to try all the cases
against the councilmen within the
year 1901.
The attorneys for the councimen
have accomplished good stroke for
their clients, as we'll as for the county,
since it will save them the worry, an
thc cases would involve, stretched out
as they necessarily would be over
many weary months.
Immediately after the Grier trial
oyertures We're made to the Mems union
to have the cases, in a sense, disposed
of out OF court, and have been in prog
ress continuously since.
OTHERS NOT IN IT.
An effort was made to have the cases
against the councilmen now under ar
rest. that is r. Fl. Williams, p. +. Nc
Cam, Edward James, Jr., n. c. Melvin
and smother case against Simon
TkomGs disposed of at this time in the
same way and under the same terms,
but Ills idea WAS Abandoned ns tha