The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-01-12

witness called by the attorneys for the
trustees He testified:
Il was the president of the Donelson
Construction company on June Z. 1902.
signed John e. Donelson, president to
| the agreement with Mr.. Drennen. Don't
think l wrote the words for the Donelson
Construction company on the agreement.
'On May 20, 1902, c. M. Burkhalter &
Co., the Pennington Construction COM
pany and the Donelson Construction COM
pany bid on the trunk sanitary sewer. We
bid on the construction of the entire sewer
--15A miles We were the lowest bidders,
but the commission voted to reject all bids
for the work. Some two or three days
later G. B. Burkhalter came to my office
and said that he had something to tell me.
HE said by giving up $4,000 we could
get the sewer contract. He said that d.
M. Bremen had been to him and told him
that $4,000 would get the contract. We
went to the store of Mr.. Bremen and dis
cussed the whole matter. As result we
refused to enter into the agreement to
nav him $4,000. We made a proposition
then to the commissioner to reduce our
bid.
"Mr. Drennen then told us that he
could show. US that we could not get
the contract for building the sewer
without paying him the amount he
asked for. then went to the office of
Chief Engineer Julian kendrick and
told him all that had happened"
The Ten Thousand.
Mr. Drennen said there were three
commissioners who would have to get the
$4,000 He told us that he was not to get
a penny of it. He repeated that we could
not get the contract without paying over
! to him $4,000 to be divided among the
three commissioners.
| I'VE then told Mr.. Drennen that our
bid had been made in competition to all
| other contractors in the United States
and that the price to be paid us by the
+! commission would not justify paying over
to him $4,000. We told Mr.. Drennen fur
| Their that we did not believe the members
of the commission could be influenced, and
we then presented our second bid.
Several Conversations.
| 1--WE had several conversations with Mr..
| Drennen and told him that we would
| have to raise our bid IL we gave up $4,000.
| He told us to go ahead and raise it, Mr..
Drennen told us that influence could be
brought to bear upon Engineer Kendrick
to have him make liberal specifications
| and estimates.
~ told Mr.. Drennen that he could do
nothing of the kind; that had known
EnQincer kenoriCk Tor long time ana
he was not that kind of a man. Mr..
Drennen replied to this by saying that
! If Mr.. kendrick did not do 1t, that he
could be replaced"
ION the third letting we had a consul
tation with Mr.. Drennen. and told him
| the contract was too cheap and that the
| agreement by which we were to pay over
| to him 10000 was off because he had
| failed to deliver the goods
| 1 did not understand that Mr.. Dren-
men was to finance the three firms. He
made us a proposition. after the contract
was let to supply the necessary material.
which proposition we refused to accept.
/ Mr.. Drennen did not undertake, as our
agent to sell the sanitary bonds. We
may have told him to take fixed price
| for them, just as we did Frank v. Evans
| and one or two others. If they could dis
pose of them.
~ do not know that Mr.. Drennen did
anything towards aiding us in securing
the contract. Cannot recall whether or
not he ever told us what the members of
the commission were willing to do in the
matter
II never authorized Mr.. Burkhalter to