The Savannah morning news., 1903-04-18
FOXY FIRE FIGHTER
SIAGUIRE MAKES GOOD AT CAMPOS
INVESTIGATION.
PERSECUTION WAS CHARGED,
But FOREMAN WAS TOLD HE MUST
OBEY ORDERS.

For Two HOurs-CnmpOs Claimed
That His Brother Had Gotten Dis
pensntiOn For Him From Chair
man of Fire COmmittee-Fire Chief
One Too Many For FOreman-Niat-
ter Not Yet Closed - Maguire's
skirts Clear in Cable Case.
Behind closed doors in the Mayors
office fire department matters were un-
der investigation for mare than two
hours, yesterday. Foreman Joseph
Campos of Fire Station No. l was told
that he would have to obey the or
ders of his superior officers, and his
case was taken under further advise
ment.
At the noon hour two cases were dis
posed of by the Mayor but the lengthy
and most interesting session occurred
later in the day. At 4:3O o'clock the
Mayor and the Fire Committee met
and the Campos case was taken up,
along with the matter of the destruc-
ton of the fire department cable by
government dredge boat.
1t was after o'clock when the meet
ing adjourned. Those who conduct
ed the investigation pledged them
selves to absolute secrecy, but it is
known that Chief Mcguire was vim
dictated, in that Foreman Campos was
told that he must obey the orders of
his chief.
"The investigation is not yet over
hnd there is nothing to give out" said
Mayor Myers after the adjournment.
s'We have reached no decision and
will not make any statement"
II decline positively to have a word
to say. l don't know anything" said
Chief Mcguire.
Il will not talk on the subject or
discuss it in any manner. There is
nothing to be said" declared Alder
nan Robert L. Colding, chairman of
the Fire Committee.
And so on down the line all of
those who took part in the investiga-
ton declined to have anything to say.
They had all been bottled up in proper
sha&e.
Foreman Campos was charged by
Chief Mcguire with refusing to obey
orders and was alleged to have been
guilty of INSTRUMENTATION. He had been
instructed by his chief to do certain
] repair work and refused point blank
TO do anything of the sort. In defense
of his position the foreman claimed
/ that Chairman Colding of the Fire
I Committee had stated to his brother,
/ Chief Plumbing Inspector Frank Cam
/ pos, that he would not be required to
do the repair work.
He asserted that the chairman of
/ the Fire Committee had stated that
? H. N1xrh axF 70 sum- int nd md
pass upon the work done by other Off
GERS and members of the department.
AL of these statements were alleged
to have been made by Alderman Cold
ing to Foreman Campos' brother. While
the foreman offered no other defense
of the position that he had taken, he
had a great many other things to say.
Persecution Is Charged.
Foreman Campos made the open
charge that he had been prosecuted
by Chief Mcguire. He undertook to
4 show that in a great many cases the
chief had let men off who violated the
! rules, while others were punished
In a general sort of way he endeav-
Ored to show that there is system,
as it were, of persecution in the fire
department. 1t was shown by the fire
chief however, that in all of the cases
referred to by the foreman, proper and
satisfactory explanations had been
made to the Mayor.
In order to illustrate the manner as
Stunned by the chief in prosecuting some
of the men, recent transfers in the
department were called attention to.
These transfers, however, had been ap-
proved by the Fire Committee at regu-
larly held meetings. With this evil
dence Foreman Campos closed his de-
Tense.
CampOs Has a Remedy.
Mayor Myers stated to the foreman
that he had done wrong in not obey
ing the orders of the chief. He stated
that in the future he must, without
question. obey all orders given him by
his superior officers.
The Mayor told the foreman that If
he had reason to think or feel, that
he was being imposed upon he could
appeal to the Fire Committee, but that
he would have to obey orders at all
times.
This mild reprimand to Foreman
Eampos did not, however, end the in
Nestigation. The Mayor himself so
stated. No disposition was made of
the charge of characterization, and if
the foreman is adjudged guilty the
punishment will probably be inflicted
to-day.
Maguire's skirts Clear.
The investigation Of the destruction
of the fire alarm cable by a govern
ment dredge resulted in Chief Mcguire
being eXonerated. He showed to the
satisfaction of the Mayor that he had
done his full duty in the matter and
that he was in no manner to blame
for the destruction of the cable.
The fire chief stated to the Mayor
That he had received no word from the
United States engineers Office con-
corning the cable, although he had
been notified by an officer on the
dredge. He showed that this report
had been brought to the attention of
the Fire Committee and that bids were
being secured for the taking up of the
cable when it was destroyed by the
mud-digger. No word, however, had
ever been received from Capt. Gill
1ette's Office on the subject.
Ffremen in Fistcuffs.
At the noon session Mayor Myers in
Westigated a fight between Firemen
Russell and Hearn at Fire Station No.
A, on Barnard street. Although it had
been reported that the fight was the
outcome of the row between Chief
Mcguire and Foreman Campos the
men made a statement to the contrary
The alteration, they said, had grown
out of a discussion on an entirely diff
ferent subject. Both men expressed the
deepest regrets at the happening and
because of their past records in the
department they were let down with a
fine of 81 each. Although for quite a
number of years a member of the de-
spartment, Hearn had never before an