The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-07
Sweeney HAD
POOR MEMORY
WAS STAR WITNESS AT CoUN-
CILMANIc HEARING.
Couldn't Remember Whether OF Not
He Had Ever Given Any Money
to Councilmen-Drew 500 from
Twenty-frst Ward Appropriation
and Paid It Over to p. w. CAL
lagher Because the Latter Said It
Was His--Number of Councilmen
Placed on Record.


of the Fourteenth ward. we're re-
arrested on Saturday. at the instance
Of the Municipal league on the charge
Of bribery and were thus made Joint
defendants with Councilmen Melvin,
McAndrew, O'Boyle, Coleman and
James.
Williams and Mccain, 1t will be re-
membered. We're not indicted and
when they entered into the agreement
with the league their cases were still
pending in Alderman Fuller's court.
The agreement, which they entered
into, Is said by the league authorities,
to have been different than the agree
ment entered into by the eleven indict-
ed councilmen, The league officials
say that Mccain and Williams agreed
to tell all they knew about city hall
rottenness and that by their falling
to do so at Thursdays hearing they
violated the agreement and were
therefore re-arrested.
AS soon as Mr.. Mccain heard there
was warrant out for his arrest he
went Immediately to the aldorman's
Office and offered bail, but the magis-
trate refused to accept it saying that
he would not take ball until he was
satisfied. after a hearing. thatthe evil
dence warranted his being held for
court.
SATURDAYS HEARING.
The hearing in the cases was re-
sumed on Saturday afternoon at .
o'clock and the star witness was ex-
Councilman Morgan Sweeney, now en-
ployed by the Scranton Railway COM
pany. He said he was employed by
the company to look after it's interests
generally and admitted finally that
part of his duty was to look after
city hail affairs and see that legisla-
ton unfavorable to the company was
STAYED Off.
lie couldn't remember, he said,
whether he had paid any money to
councilmen on behalf OF the Scranton
Railway company or whether the COM
pany had ever given him money to
give to councilmen. He wouldn'
swear, however, tina: he had never
distributed any money among the city
fathers.
He was asked about q letter which
was said to have been sent him by
Select Councilman Melvin while he
| was in Atlantic City, telling him to
come home and attend to business as
the Speedway Street railway ordin-
ance was pending in councils. Swee-
ney said he destroyed this letter. No
money was mentioned, he thought,
the letter being merely Of a friendly
nature.
He was then examined at length re-
garding a warrant for 500 on the
Twenty-first ward appropriation which
hn hn nj A
| 1899. From the questions asked by
Mr.. Torrey, who examined Sweeney, il
could be inferred that the prosecution
was endeavoring to prove that r. w.
| Gallagher, who was Sweeney's prede-
cessor in the employ of the company
had given Common Councilman Nor
| ton. OF the Twenty-first ward, 500 to
defray the expenses of his election
and that he recovered this by having
| Sweeney get a bill for 800 signed by
both the councilmen of the ward and
having a warrant for that amount
drawn and cashed
DREW THE MONEY.
Sweeney admitted drawing 800 on a
city warrant on the date mentioned
but claimed that it was for work ac-
the Twenty-first ward. He also ad-
mitted giving the 500 to Gallagher
Tle offered no explanation as to why
he gave the money TO Gallagher, en-
cept "that he (Gallaeher) said the
money was his and gave it to him.
Repeated questions failed to elicit any
other answer than "He said the money
was his and ! took his word for it,"
| Following Morgan came Carl Nc.
| Kinney, who Is already under indict-
ment on the charge of bribery. He
said that he was connected with the
Barber Asphalt company at the time
the repair contract was pending in
| councils and that his duty was to Sc
| cure sufficient votes to guarantee its
| passage. He said he never gave any
! money or other valuable consideration
| to any councilman for his vote and re.
peated this assertion second time.
He said that as a favor to w. w
| Scranton he also assisted in securing
| the passage of the ordinance award
| ing the ten-year electric light con.
! tract, but that he had given no coun-
Gilman any money in connection with
| 1t. He had no actual knowledge OF
| any cabal of twelve or fourteen coun-
cilmen banded together to milk" any
body who wanted to get any measure
| through councils.
The witnesses sworn after Mr. Nc.
Kinney were ex-Select Councilman "
j. Coyne, eX-Common Councilman NJ
| V. Morris and Select Councilman Il. c.
Melvin. 1t was apparent that thi
league was desirous of putting these
men on record as saying that no crook.