The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-09-22

At the adjourned councilmanic brib-
cry hearing conducted last night in AL
derman Fuller's office, Select Council
man Wade M. Finn answered the ques-
| tlons which he refused to answer last
| Tuesday night and testified in sub
| stance that he had received $1,000 from
Carl w. Mckinney and that he had
turned the same over to ex-Mayor
! Bailey at the time the Barber asphalt
contract was pending in councils.
The hearing began promptly at 7.S0
o'clock and at that time the alderman's
office was so thronged with spectators
that there was hardly breathing space.
Attorneys E. c. Newcomb and James
II. Torrey were on hand to represent
the prosecution while Attorneys Jo-
seph O'Brien and NJ. A. mckinley ap-
| peared for the defendants.
Mr.. Finn was the first witness called
| and he was promptly taken in hand
| by Mr.. Torrey, who conducted the di-
| rect examination. Mr. Finn first testi-
fled that he met Carl w. Mckinney
about a week before the contract was
| signed.
Upon being asked when and where
! he saw him he said that he received a
| telephone call on a Sunday morning
| either in December 1898, or January,
| lS99 calling him down to ex-Mayor
| Bailey's grocery store on Penn avenue.
OFFER NOT BIG ENOUGH.
Mr.. Finn testified that when he
reached the store he found ex-Mayor
Bailey and C. w. Mckinney there. He
| said that Mckinney wanted the mayor
| to sign the ordinance awarding the re-
pair contract to the Barber Asphalt
company and that he mckinney Of
fered Bailey $3.50 to sign it, but that
the latter refused saying that amount
was not enough. Mckinney wouldn't
at that time give any more.
The next time Finn saw Mckinney
was a few days afterwards when he
came to his (Finn's) office in the city
hall. He was accompanied this time by
man named Rock, also an employe
| of the Barber Asphalt company. Finn
said that Mckinney wanted to give
him check for 81 900 which he was to
turn over to Bailey when the ordinance
was signed. This check was signed by
| Rock and was drawn on some New
York bank. Witness told Mckinney at
that time that he didn't want any,
thing to do with such a transaction and
Mckinney and Rock went away
a day or two afterwards, Finn said,
Mckinney came back, this time with
the currency, the 81 900 being in 500 and
$50 bills.
Did he give this money to you?"
Yes, sir" replied Finn, "he gave it
to me and told me he'd come in and
tell me when to give 1t to Mayor
Bailey"
Did you ever give this money to
Mayor Bailey?"
Yes; 1 gave it to Mayor Bailey"
When did you give it to him."
II gave him either $3.50 or $3.50 in a
few days and the balance later on.
He came to me and said he needed
money to buy flour and 1 gave him
the first amount"
The witness said the contract was
not signed at this time. 1.-TWO or three
days after this" said he, II was told
by Mckinney to turn over the rest of
the money to Mayor Bailey and / did
so. The contract had then been
signed"
WAS AGAINST ORDINANCE.
Mr.. Finn said he was against the
awarding of the contract, as he didn't
believe such price should be paid for
| repairing the streets. Mr.. Torrey tried
| TO bring out that Mayor Bailey had
asked for the money, but Mr. Finn re-
| peated what he had said before, name
| ly, that the mayor had simply re-
marked that $3.50 was not sufficient.
He said he thought that there was
something said about $4,000 being the
proper figure. He said that during the
course of a conversation held after the
meeting in the store Mckinney told
him that he thought he'd have to give
more than $3.50; that he was interested
and had to get his commission.
This finished the direct examination
and the witness was cross-examined
by Mr.. O'Brien. He was asked if he
had told his story to f. B. Sturges,
Colonel F. l.. Hitchcock, Colonel II.
M. Boles or Captain w. A. May. He
replied that he had not. He might
have told it to some people around
city hall, but not to his knowledge TO
any member of the Mems union. He
admitted having told 1t yesterday TO
Mr.. Torrey. but said he had never told
1t before yesterday to any of the coun-
sci for the prosecution.
Did you ever tell any one about
ten days ago that you had told all TO
the league ana that he had better do
the same thing asked Mr.. O'Brien.
mo, I did not" replied Mr.. Finn.
Asked If he had urged the mayor to
take or refuse the money, he replied
that he had not. After Mr.. O'Brien
had tried unarailinsly to get the wit
ness to remember some of the things
he had said during the consultation
in the store, he asked him the following
question.
DID NOT WARN HIM.
When this talk of giving $3.50 to get
the mayor to sign the ordinance was
going on you didn't tell him that 1t was
unlawful for him to take the money,
did you?"
mo sir"
You didn't do any shivering, did
you?"
mo, SIR"
And you weren't at all surprised,
were you?"
mo, sir"
you took this 81, 900 for the purpose