The Sunday globe., 1901-05-12

The ev ils of the District form of Gov
ernment is strikingly illustrated in the
extraordinary history of the ex-ash con-
tractor, w. w. Winfrey's connection
with the District Commissioners and
with the subordinates of these irrespon-
sible rulers OF more than three hundred
thousand DISTINGUISHED citizens.
Mr.. Winfrey claims that the sum of
$1,000 is due him by the District, and
that he cannot get penny Of it, as he is
debarred from suing the government,
and there is no other way open to him to
collect the money honestly due. 1t APP
pears that the first jolt given Mr.. Winfrey
was administered by the auditor, j. p.
Petit, and this was followed up by sys-
tematic discrimination and even perse-
cution on the part Of the auditor and
others. Mr.. Winfrey entrusted to au-
ditor Petit a District certified warrant
calling for s. 300, upon which he obtained
an advance of 81 100 to pay his employees,
pay for material, ETC., to carry out his
contract with the Commissioners. When
Mr. Winfrey called for the balance of
the $500, or the portion thereof which
he needed, auditor Petit refused to
honor his demand, and based his re-
fusal on the allegation that Mr.. Winfrey
was indebted to divers and sundry per-
sons in divers and different amounts, tor
labor performed, etc.
However, to simplify matters and give
the readers of The Globe the full benefit
of all the details, we will let Mr.. Winfrey
tell bis own story:
II asked the auditor who il was
that constituted him my guardian?
H.. 4
like any other business man, and paid
my debts as well as collected my credits
myself. / stood as well with the public
for honesty and fair dealing as auditor
Petit, and | couldn't understand why he
assumed the position of receiver in my
affairs. On investigation, however, / was
enlightened to a considerable degree and
had my eyes opened in a very, to me,
surprising manner. l ascertained that
Mr.. Petit undertook the collection of
bills for anyone whom he knew were
creditors of the contractors or of people
to whom money was due by the District.
When / demanded payment of money
subsequent to this transaction he in
formed me that l owed a certain person
a sum which he would deduct. did not
know the man mentioned, and | told Mr..
Petit so. He then accused me of trying
to beat the party out of their irmoney, when
promptly told him he lied. | hunted
up the person who claimed / owed him,
aud ascertained that he was given the
bill to collect by lady to whom | was
indebted in small amount, and that
she sent the bill to the auditor because he
said he would collect il for her, and as
she understood, or it was implied, if she
didn't do so she wouldn't get her money.
"In the contract / then had | was en-
titled TO remove and keep certain fix
lures. The contract so specified, and
accordingly stored the material removed.
Shortly afterwards | was arrested at
midnight on warrant for stealing what
was my own property. was discharged,
of course, the next day, and I then, on
the advice OF my attorneys, sued for
$4,000 for false imprisonment When
the facts came to issue and the jury was
impanelled Judge McCOmas NOW Uni
ted States SenatOr) took the case from
the jury without hearing the testimony
and stated that the District could not be
sued and that if such suit was enter
tanned the District would be bankrupted,
or some such language. The fact of the
matter, it appears, was that l could not
sue the District, as the District was part
of the United States Government
"What did you do then, Mr.. Win
frey?"
"Nothing at all. | struggled along,
getting behind more and more every
day, as could get no money from the
District, until | finally went under,
when, out of sympathy, influential
friends secured me the PRIVILEGE of cart
ing the ashes, debris, etc., from the
school houses. finally made contract
for all the school buildings i'm the Dis
trict and was beginning again to build
up a little, when the assistant superin-
tendent of schools, b. +. Murch, decided
TO harrass me, and for over a month
l.
contract to do the very thing was work.
ing at and had made a contract with the
city to perform.
"Meautime / was informed by a resi-
dent of the neighborhoOd of a scandal
involving the assistant superintendent
laid ii before Gen. Harries, and the re-
suit, so far as l know, was his change
from assistant superintendent into prin-
cipal of the Franklin school,"
"But, Mr.. Winfrey, how does the Dis
trict come to owe you $4,000; is the SlO,-
900 you sued for as damages included?n
well, thereis another story coming in
this connection. l am, as stated, con-
tractor, and was working on the Wal
lach School building, 9TH and Penna.
Ave, under the Building Inspector,
Brady. There was a sub-inspector
named Hines, who Immediately super
intended the work and watched its pro-
gress. One day this person Hines left to
visit Upper Marlborough, where he re-
NAMED from Friday afternoon until the
following Tuesday. He had requested
that if Mr.. Brady inquired for him TO
state that he was around In the afternoon
and was only absent temporarily. You
see, he was getting 81 per diem, and he
didn't want to be docked. Now, while
he was away the building went on just
the same. When Mr.. Brady came out TO
make an estimate and inspect the work
he called on Hines for information
touching the amount OF underpinning
which had to be put in. Hines denied
that q certain portion of the walls had
such underpinning. This angered me,
as the work was done while he was away
and loafng, and l so informed Mr..
Brady. l had the floor cut and the
foundation uncovered TO show that the
was done. Mr.. Brady saw
for himself then and there that Hines
lied, and he knew that he was absent
from the job and was paid just the same.
My money was held up, here as In the
other jobs, until, as l have stated, these
District officials yroke down my stand
ing and crippled me IN my financial re-
sources by reason of holding up my
hard-earned money, not cent of which |
1 can recover. as they say the District |
can't be sued"
U"Is sub-Commissione Hines still in