Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-29
CLERK ON TRIAL
FOR SHORTCOMINGS
MANY WITNESSES ARE TO BE
EXAMINED
William MeollI of the Health Board
Accused by Superior Officers Of
Being incompetent and
InattentiVe

William McGill was put on trial be-
fore the civil service commission last
night on charges Of incompetency and
Decentralization and only two of the
one hundred witnesses subpoenaed in
the case testified between 1880 and IL
O'Clock.
The trial was held in the council
chamber, which is the only room In the
city hall large enough to accommodate
the tribunal.
The lobby was occupied by the array
of witnesses made up mainly OF city
officials, doctors and undertakers The
defense will seek to prove by these men,
who have much business with the
health department, that McGill was
competent.
Witness said he had reported the
defendants derelictions to the board
orally on previous occasions.
Secretary Sief testified that McGill
called him down before crowd of
people, for reporting for duty so early.
He cited cases where Maor Harper had
refused to pass on acquisitions because
they were not made out on regular
blanks. 1t developed that McGill had
neglected to order them, though 1t
was his duty.
He cited cases and filed exhibits
where because of carelessness and in
accuracy bills, vouchers and demands
were mixed, lost or not made out, and
footings and entries in the books were
wrong in one month. this was noted
by casual investigation. How the
other months entries Stood witness de-
clined to say as he did not investigate.
The prosecution will conclude tonight
oftar uvbipb MpCil will make his de-
fense.
Errors PerpIex Chief
DR.. Powers testified that McGill's
errors in the statistical tables ham
pered his work, as he could not use
them as a safe basis for calculations.
Eventually this work was given to an
other to do. McGill usually waited till
8 o'clock before reporting at the Of
flee mornings, while the present in
cumbent, Sief, reports before o'clock
generally in order to get much work
done before the invariable morning
rush.
DIR. Powers said he could not get
statistics he needed in order to get at
the average cost of quarantining, and
despite orders, McGill would send work
to the printers without submitting
proof sheets for approval to his su-
perior.
Commissioner Haynes, who presided,
and Commissioners Young and Edel-
man showed a disposition in question
ing Witnesses Powers and Sief, who is
secretary of the board at present, that
ordinary rules of evidence could be
modified in order to get at the real
facts and motives for certain acts.
Attorney Dockweiler tried to confine
the testimony to this years work,
though Attorney John Shenk of
City Attorney Hewitt's staff circum-
vented this repression to great ex-
tent.
Although the charges were filed by
Assistant Health officer Harris Garce-
Ion at the direction of the board of
health, McGilrs attorneys, Messrs.
Dockweiler and Foley, sought to con-
vict Health officer Powers of inspiring |
the charges and of entertaining an
animus against the man who has
served one-half of DR.. Powers term,
which is twelve years.
Raklng Up the Past
The trend of the prosecution mar
rowed down largely to the question
whether Mayor Harper's health board
shall take into account McGill's al
legged shortcomings under the McAleer
board. Most of the evidence of the
present board so far deals with what
happened in previous years, such as
carelessness and errors in keeping
books and records, doing politics, in
interfering with Dr. Powers and in
protecting inspectors whose removal
for drunkenness and otherwise the de-
partment sought.
In a word the department charges
that McGill is Walter Parker's go-be-
tween in the department and as such
is objectionable and defies authority of
his superiors.
Witnesses for Prosecution
For the prosecution the following wit
nesses were subpoenaed: DR.. L. NJ.
Powers John F. Nelson, R. A. Brown,
r. E. Drummond, Mic Queirolo, Henry
Sief, H. l Thomas, DR.. A. w. Moore,
DIR. c. B. Dickson, DR.. j. H. Seymour,
William Newell, George Miles, 7. H.
West and S. H. Parsons.
For the defense the witnesses are
DIR. ]. H. Trout, A. w, Hebbard,
steward county hospital; Leslie R.
Hewitt, city attorney; j. NJ. Armstrong,
S. A. Austin, NJ. M. Armstrong, c. NJ.
Beebe, c. w. Bonynge, Paul Bresee, H.
H. Burton, R. e. Chase, r. F. Clark,
e. A. Clark, George L. Cole, ]. B.
Cook, Robert V. Day, E. T. Dillon, j.
Park Dougall, ]. M. Dunsmoor and G.
S. Eddy.
Subpoena Many Doctors
The doctors subpoenaed by the de-
Tense were Drs. S. c. Edmiston, Alfred
Fellows, e. H. Garrett, A. F. Godin,
Frank Gordon, Ralph Hagan, r. F.
Hostreiter, G. L. Hutchinson, r.
S. Lanterman, j. A La Doux,
c. H. Lowell, E. c. Manning, w.
H. Hayne, ]. A. Metcalf, w. R. T. Nc
Lain, H. G. Mcneil, w. R. Maloney,
l.. j. Huff, C. w. Murpsy A. B. New
kirk, F. L. Norton, E. M. Palette, c. w.
Pierce S. j. Quint, Jules Roth, Leon J.
Roth, R. G. Russell, S. S. Salisbury, E.
o. Sawyer, E. e. Shepard, F. c. Shurt-
left, D. w. S. Keel, A. NJ. Smith, E. r.
Smith, w. H. Stearns, Dwight B. Steen,
c. G. Stivers, c. E. Stoner, ]. B. Tanner,
]. w. Trueworthy and A. Tyroler.
Undertakers, Too
In addition to these doctors the fol-
lowing undertakers and other civilians
were summoned by the defense: F.
E. Pierce, Dr. A. M. Bresee, Robert
Sharp, F. w. Chase, H. o. Unterkercher,
P. J. O'Connor, E. E. Overholtzer, w. H.
Sutch, Robert Garrett, James Curssen,
Dexter Samson, ]. w. Edwards, John r.
Paul, James Boylson, ]. H. Riedemann
and William Porter