The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-02-13
FI1zClBBON TRIAL
CAUSES AMUSEMENT
Deputy Register Says Secretary
McCOnkey Ordered Stationery
Without a Requisition.
QUINN DEFENDS HIS CHIEF.
Right of Councilmen to Cross-Ex-
anime Il Witness Is Contested
Hearing Is Con-
tinued.
QUINN DEFENDS HIS CHIEF

Considerable, amusement was furnished
the spectators at yesterdays session OF the
City Council, in the trial of Patrick X.
FitzGibbon, the suspended City Register, by
the statement of the deputy register,
Thomas II. Quinn, that James G. McConkey
had on several occasions purchased sta
tionary from printers before filing requisl-
tons with the Register.
As Is known to those who have interested
themselves in the FitzGibbon trial. it was
Mr. McConkey, who. as Mayor Wellss in
vestigating secretary, gathered the evidence
upon which the charges were preferred
against the City Register.
FitzGibbon Is accused of having awarded
contracts for job printing in amounts in
excess Of 500, without advertising for bids,
and his attorney, Given Campbell. in an
effort to show that many such contracts
had been awarded by the heads Of city de-
partments without the knowledge OF the
City Register, had asked the witness II he
knew or any such work having been done.
quinn replied that McConkey had once
or0ered a record book from a local printing
establishment. and had not filed a requisi.
ton for the same until after the book had
been delivered.
Every one present, including the Council
men, laughed outright when they heard
ouinn's answer. ana 1t was fully a minute
before absolute quiet was restored and the
trail proce eded. Even Mr.. Mc,Onkey, sitting
t behind NC city ,r Attorney y yb-d perry sm pest xh rayiof.
torney Campbell repeated the witnesses
statement.
ONLY ONE WITNESS.
. Quinn was the only witness examined
yesterday. He was requested by the City
Attorney to take the stand shortly after
the Council convened at 4 O'Clock. and did
not leave 1t until two and one-half hours
later. when adjournment was announced.
His testimony on direct examination was
in line with tnat which he gave tuesday
afternoon. relative to the identity of certain
acquisitions for printing. which. 1t is al
legged. FftzGibbon ordered from various
firm, without going through the formality
OF advertising for bids. =.
This testimony involved a great deal of
repetition. there being several acquisitions
submitted for identification. The irksome
spell was broken, however. when Attorney
Campbell took the witness for cross-exam-
nation.
The fr1t thing Mr.. Campbell did was to
submit the copy of a letter. dated August
"a, 1901, shortly after FftzGibbon took his
to the various heads Of department, re.
questing them to exercise precaution and
judgment In ordering stationery. to watch
the prices paid for the same. and to notify
him FitzGibbon) In the event that they
thought the prices charged were exorbitant.
Ina a facsimile had been sent to the head
of every department of the Municipal Gov
inner
Witness was then asked regarding the
manner of awarding contracts on requisi-
lions containing more than one item. and
he replied that. on the advice Of former
had treated each item as an individual and
separate requisition. awarding them as DIFF
ferent contracts. He did not know whether
800 or not. as the City Register had ex-
ercised sole Jurisdiction in the matter of
giving out work Of this kind.
FitzGibbon and dictated by Joseph p.
then License Collector, was next introduced.
The ~eommunisation was to the effect that
license tags which he needed in an
emergency. and notified the City Register
tina he would make out a requisition for
TILT WITH HORNSBY.
A scrapbook. containing clippings Of ad-
vertisements for printing was then intro
aoe SHOW by it's contents that VIE FifzG Gnshen
had in the eighteen months he had held
office inserted twice as many advertise
ments for printing asl his predecessors had
The City Attorney objected to the admis-
sion of the book as evidence. on the
ground that the defendant was unable to
ments inserted by former City Registers.
President Hornsby also objected to the
because. he said. 1t was inmate
by the predecessors OF F1tzGibbon, as he
alone was on trial.
Councilman Horton saw the matter in a
different light. however. and he offered a
that it was the purpose of the Council to
obtain all the information possible relative
to the case at hand, and that Objectionable
evidence could be ignored later. The mo-
ton was carried.
The witness was ske II, In his opinion,
F1tzGibbon had been efficient and faithful
in the discharge of his onlcial duties. Quin
replied that he had.
aDid b ever receive anything Of value,