The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-12-04
vERDICTS ARE
NOT YET TAKEN
CoUNCILMANIC CASES PUT
OVER FOR A WEEK.
This Was to Enable the designations
Of the Councilmen to 60 Into Ef-
feet and to Give the City Fathers
Further Opportunity to Get To-
gether the $4,000 to Be Given to
the Charitable Institutions of the
City-Mr. Sturgos' Statement.

ed the main court room yesterday
morning in the expectation of hear
ing the counsel for the Municipal
league request the court to permit,
verdicts of not guilty to be taken IN
the cases charging soliciting, and ac-
cepting bribes against Common Coun-
Gilman ID. Fl. Reese, First ward; Com
mon Councilman M. v. Morris, Second
ward; Common Councilman James j.
Grier, Third ward; Common Council
man WV. Grifflths Fourth ward; Com
mon Councilman G. f.. Godshall, Fifth
ward; Common Councilman c. e.
Wenzel. Fourteenth ward; Common
Councilman r. NJ. Watkins, Fifteenth
ward: Common Councilman T. F. Nor
ris. Eighteenth ward: Select Council-
man Simon Thomas, Fourth ward; Sc
lect Councilman Coyne. Twentieth
ward.
Former Select Councilman Fl. T. Fell
lows, of the Fifteenth ward. Is also
included in the list of the eleven in.
dicted.
After the quarter session opened yes
terday morning, District Attorney
Jones requested Judge Archibald to
allow the cases to go over until next
Monday, and the request was grantcl.
This was done at the desire of the
members of the Municipal league. who,
it is understood, wish I'LL the accused
councilmen to be out of office before
verdicts of not guilty be taken in their
cases.
A regular meeting of select council
will be held Thursday night. and in all
probability common will also meet.
The designations of the indicted MEN,
bers will be presented and accepted,
and thus will everything be put into
readiness for next Monday. Another
of the circumstances which occasioned
yesterdays action is said to be the
fact that the $4,000 to be paid over
by the councilmen has not yet ex-
changed hands. This money will be
paid by the accused men to their coun-
sci, Attorneys Joseph O'Brien, NJ. n.
Mckinley. George Horn and John
Scragg.
MONEY FOR CHARITY.
1t is the purpose of the Municipal
league to have the money distributed
among four of the city charities, and
it will be divided into equal portions
and paid by the attorneys direct to
the I.ackawanna and Hahnemann hos
pitfalls. ST. Joscph's Founding Home
and the Home for the Friendless.
There is no regular meeting of the
common council this week, so that If
the indicted members of that branch
desire to fulfil the agreement which
they have signed to resign before De-
cember 10, which is next Monday. a
special meeting will have to be called,
that their designations may be received
and acted upon.
Several of the members seen last
night said that no special meeting had
been called SO far, but it is generally
understood that one will be called for
Thursday night. TO call special meet
ing under the existing rules of council
it is required that five members sign
a call and that it be placed in the
hands of the clerk Of the council twen-
ty-four hours before the meeting.
This gives them until tomorrow night
to sign such a call. if they desire to
have meeting on Thursday night.
Select council meets in regular session
on Thursday night, when it is expected
the designations of the two indicted
members of that branch will be re-
ceived.
The act of assembly governing third
class cities provides that when any
vacancy occurs in councils by resigna-
ton or otherwise the councils shall fix
by joint resolution the time for holding
such election and that the mayor shall
advertise it for at least ten davs. In
case the designations are received on
Thursday night. an effort will be made
to hold this election on Monday, De-
cember II.
MUST BE HELD SOON.
This will be just onA day more than
the required ten. 1t will be necessary,
for obvious reasons, to hold the election
within as short a space of time as pos
sible, because it would not do to leave
too many of the wards of the city only
partly represented for any length of
time. The Fourth ward will be with
out member at all for time, as both
it's councilmen, w. v. Griftiths and
Simon Thomas, are among those in
dicted.
Three other vacancies which have
not been considered so far have been
created by the signing of the agree
ment with the Municipal league. These
are vacancies in the board of revision
of taxes and appeals. Three of the
five members of this board are among
the ten cOuncilmen who are said to
have signed the agreement. These are
Simon Thomas, the president of the
board; David II, Reese and Morris ".
Norris.
Under the terms of the agreement