The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-05
WAITED IN Vain.
How Some East Eighth Avenue
People Were Fooled.
Why Mrs. Hughes and Mrs.
DeyO Signed Paving Petitions.
WOULDPAY THE TAXES
Say That Contractor Promised
to Take Care of First Year.
Now Find That lie Has Forgot
ten All About 1t.

As an echo of the old East Eighth
avenue paving difficulties come the
charges made by two widows living on
that street that NJ. w. Gilmore. a curb
ing contractor. secured their signatures
upon the original paving petition with
the promise that he would pay GER
tain part of their paving tax. and that
he has failed to keep his word No
effort is being made by these women,
who are helpless, to compel Gilmore to
live up to his agreement. They are not
disposed to even give the matter pub
licity. and are willing to allow it to be
forgotten.
In addition to these two women, Mrs
Deyo. of S12 East Eighth avenue, and
Mrs. Mary c. Hughes, of 42O East
Eighth. there is said to have been an
other. Mrs. Elizabeth Stiles, at 314 East
Eighth, who was compelled to give up
her home on account of the excessive
amount of tax assessed against her
property. Mrs. Stiles was otherwise
financially pressed and sold her prop
erty and left the neighborhood some
time ago. The additional tax imposed
on account of the paving has made the
Improvement a positive burden to
great number of property owners and
to these especially, since they derive no
benefit from it whatever.
There was a very bitter contest
among the paving contractors in To-
peka over the East Eighth avenue
pavement. The movement which re-
suited in securing it started before the
time when the city council forbade
paving contractors to solicit business
about town. Prior to that the con-
tractors were in the habit of working
up paving boom for street in or
der to keep business good. The con-
tractor generally drew a petition call
ing for the particular sort of material
handed by him. Several different pc
titions were circulated upon East
Eighth avenue, so that by the time they
reached the council there were three or
four sorts of material called for As
result of the conflict thus caused the
council ordered paving contractors to
stop circulating petitions, and has since
in some measure been successful in en-
forcing the order.
NJ. W. Gilmore received a contract for
part Of the work and carried It out to the
Mrs Hughes claim that he has never put
IN an appearance with the money that he
taxes due upon their property. This may
be purely an oversight on the part of Mr..
Gilmore. but the matter has been neglected
Ior long time. They have paid the first
installment of taxes upon their property
and are going upon the assumption that
they viii pay the rest. Mrs. Hughes de-
clares that she never expected Gilmore to
keep his word and is not surprised at his
failure to keep the agreement she alleges
he made.
Mrs. Deyo Of s12 East Eighth avenue said
70 reporter for the State Journal: when
the petition for the East Eighth avenue
paving was circulated Mr.. Gilmore repre-
scented the company which put in the
and did not intend to sign the petition for
II at all. I explained TO him my position
upon the proposition; but he urged me to
promise that II | would sign his petition
he would pay the first installment of paw
ing tax, and agreed. That is the last that
] have heard OF him or his promise. l did
not know but he might have gone to the
court house and settled up that part of
last fall found that had the whole thing
TO pay, and II did; The very same thing
occurred to Mrs. Elizabeth Stiles who lived
next door to me. Her taxes became so
heavy that I understand she was compen-
ed 10 give up her property. sell and move
away; l do not know much about Mrs.
stiles. circumstances or personal affairs,
but that is my understanding"
A very similar story is told by Mrs.
Mary c. Hughes; a widow, whose home Is
at 40 East Eighth street. Mrs. Hughes
was reluctant to discuss the matter, but
finally said:
Il was promised by Mr. Gilmore that the
company which he represented would nav
SIS number upon my taxes if 1 would
sign the paving petition. I had about made
up my mind TO sign the paving petition
any way. but ] concluded to let him pay
the money If he wanted to. because the
paving would be of no to me. I did
liot nave HuCil commence IN MS state
ment at the time and remarked to him
that 1 did not believe l would ever get the
money. Why, Mrs. Hughes he said do
look like the sort of a man who would
stand here and tell a deliberate falsehood p
NO said l. I don't know as you do He
said: I had as soon have my right hand
cut Off as to fail to keep this promise.
wen, I never received any of the money
that he promised and l have paid all the
taxes so far myself 1t wasn't 50 much of
q disappointment to me as 1t might have
been. but I felt very sorry on account of
one or two other widows living on this