The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-21
GOODS LOSTAT
MOHR BROS. FIRE
FIREMAN RUSSELL RESIGNS
AS RESULT OF INVEsTIG ALTON BY
FIRE DEPARTMENT OFFICIALS.

Goods Alleged to Belong to MOhr
Bros. Were Found in His Locker
at No. Engine House and Were
Turned Over to Superintendent
Mcguire - RusseIIs Resignation
and the Record of Investigation
to Be Turned over to the Mayor
TO-day-Insurance Men Com
planned to Mayor Myers Yester-
day, but Investigation Had Al
ready Been Made.
As a result of an investigation
which has been quietly going on in
the fire department for several days,
relative to charges that had been made
that member of the fire department
had stolen articles from the Mohr
Bros fire on the night of Aug. 49,
Fireman Robert T. Russell of No. 4
engine house wrote out his resigna-
ton as a member of the department
The resignation was handed to
Chairman Oliver of the Fire Commit
tee yesterday morning, and Alderman
Oliver later in the day turned it over
to Fire Chief Mcguire, who will sub
init it to the Mayor, together with a
record of the investigation which has
been made. The Mayor has the au-
thority to accept the resignation or to
reject it and discharge Russell from
the department. as he sees fit.
Insurance People Complained.
Messrs. Daniels and Train, insurance
men, called on Mayor Myers and
made charges against Russell, also in
timating that other members of the
department were implicated. Though
the matter had not been reported to
the Mayor, an investigation of the
case at that time had been completed
and Russell had resigned. The resig-
nation can be accepted only by the
Mayor, but Russell at once severed his
connection with the department with
out waiting for the resignation to
reach the Mayor.
Immediately after the visit of the
insurance men, Mayor Myers wrote to
Chief Mcguire calling for a full in
vestigation. The Mayor stated that
no such conduct as alleged would be
lOleIGleQ III lIle uGpdI lLiGIlI lOI d
moment. He said the matter would
be thoroughly investigated and that
any one either guilty of taking prop
erty from the building or of shielding
one who did take it, would be pun
ished.
Alleged stolen Goods.
Goods were taken from the locker of
Russell, which are alleged to have
come from Mohr Bros. These articles
were turned over to Chief Mcguire by
Foreman Mcfarland, and the chiel
summoned Russell before him. Ac-
cording to a letter which the fire chief
wrote Chairman Oliver in regard to
his interview with Russell the latter,
stated that he was the driver on No.
2 truck on the night of the fire, and
that when he returned to quarters a
negro boy called his attention to the
articles in the truck basket. He stat
ed that he had no idea how the things
got there and asserts that it was not
put there by him. He denied taking
anything at all from the building. He
says he told the boy to put the stuff
in his locker and that the boy did so.
The investigation, was conducted
quietly, as that was the only way that
the officials could hope to find out the
true state of affairs. 1t was start
ed by Alderman Oliver, upon infor-
nation furnished by a member of the
department. There have been all kinds
of wild rumors as to the amount OF
stuff stolen, but the evidence now avail
able discloses only articles of small
value.
Mayor Myers says he wants thor
ough investigation. Whether or not
the investigation made, which Alder
man Oliver and Chief Mcguire both say
was as thorough as they could make
it, will satisfy him remains to be seen.