The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1901-04-05
But many Say It is Positively
true and a great many more
believed Il on election day.
Cut a Big Figure in Results
And Helped to bring About Mr..
Thompson's lgnoble Defeat
for Mayor Of the City Of
cIarksburg.

mayor are 4uppeEmUSt luQltELcb olIVu8
the people generally. A great many
people are anxious 20 know the cause
OF It, while an equal number profess
to know all about it. A report is cur
rent which the Telegram is loathe to
believe and sincerely hopes is utterly
untrue, yet it was extensively circu-
lated and became public property on
and before the election. Hundreds
have heard it in detail and to them
It's reproduction will not prove new,
but there are hundreds Of Others to
whom it VIII not only be new but
startling, aud, indeed, alarming, II 1t
bear shadow OF truth. The Tele-
gram neither vouches for it nor denies
the credibility of the story.
The events, upon which the circula-
tors of this story base it, began early
in last years council. VIII Thomp-
son, w. S. SIers and w. A, Wilkinson
were appointed a street committee. 1t
was decided to do $4,000 worth of
paving and sewerage. The committee
was empowered to ask for bids and to
conclude and draw a contract fer the
work. Enemies of Thompson and his
fellow committeeman assert that this
committee became VIGOROUSLY inti-
mate with certain contractors and
played fayorltes with them. BY the
committees intrigues, it is said these
contractors were awarded contract and
council was induced TO use home brick,
under the pretext OF encouraging
home industries, They say this
contract was manipulated to such an
extent that Thompson secured the
big contract for brick and as he was
a manufacturer OF brick, himself, this
was 70 be his reward for playing favor
ito. Some Of Thompson's opponents
claim 1t was case of ''you tickle me
and I'll tickle you" When it came
time TO deliver the goods a lot of
Thompson's brick were put on the
ground, but the city engineer with
reputation at stake and the welfare Of
the city at heart rejected a goodly
number Of the brick, or at least caus-
ed them to be rejected by council.
Then, Thompson, they say, sold these
brick for which the contractors or
rather the city was to pay him 50 for
81. The inquiry arose among several
people why the city should be made
pay 80 a Thousand for brick which 9TH
ers got for 81 a Thousand. Then came
the negotiations with the Hammond
Brick Company for brick and several
persons were meddlesome enough 10
intimate dicker here. At the Begin
ming IL was claimed the High Grade
Shale Brick Company would furnish a
portion of the brick, but why. that
company never did has not been salts
factorily explained to many who say
they would like to know. Later in
the winter the contractors desire to
surrender the job not nearly finished.
The street committee arranges plan
to take it of their hands and submits
the same to council. The plan retains
only a certain per cent for unfin-
ished work. 1t slides through
council, and both the con
tractors and street committee are
happy. But next day the council
learned that it had been tricked by Its
street committee and the plan was de-
clared of, and the wise are not wise
enough to know just how con-
tractors and street committee stand
toward each other whether estranged
or as ultimate as at the start. In nd
ditlon TO ali this the story goes that
some six months ago Siers started a
boom for Thompson for mayor and
pushed the canvass with might and
main. Next the news Is heard that
THOMPSON has sold his interest in a
brick plant and formed a company
with slers and two other members OF
council, both of whom we're aspirants
for reelection, for the purpose Of erect
ING and conducting ON an extensive
scsle a mammoth brick plant, per-
feet legitimate thing TO do, but
their enemies scented something In
the wind or at least imagined a whole
Iot They suspected there was asel-
Ash purpose and an evil motive lurking
arnnnd. Before and after the date Of
mis- organization, in fact they say,
! sor sir months almost secret midnight
conferences were held nearly every
night. InquIsitiye parties began to
crow suspicious again, and then came
the movement to bond the city for
$4,000 for paving and sewerage,
which. together with anticipated reve-
nues for next year, would aggregate
nearly SO, 600, all Of which the city
would expend next year. Here, the
ante-elsction story goes, was the