Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1908-10-22

burg Shortly after arriving Roberts
mistook farmer dressed in carpen-
tiers overalls for Mr. Fogle, the
competing bidder, but finally got
him located and had one of
those talks that count. MIR.
Fogle then proceeded to the court
house and withdrew his bid, saying
that he wanted to correct it. Now
this bid was between $1,000 and
$4,000. Ask Mr. Fogle if this is not
correct. At o'clock the commissions
ers met at the auditors office, where
We're also the two bridge men and
several who We're onlookers only, and
then began the amusing part of the
comedy. Roberts braced himself up
and tried to look mad. and objected
to the board considering The bid
of his teaser (the agent of Fargo
company on the ground that he
| (Roberts) had furnished the plans
for the bridge, and that if others
were permitted to bid against him
the county would have to pay him
5000 for the plans. Now, the plans
that he wanted 5000 for are prints
or illustrations of the different kinds
of bridges that his company make,
and are furnished to all free OF
charge. They have value of about
10 cents and are not plans made for
these particular bridges. After some
wild attempts at being serious he
withdrew his objections and the bids
of the two gentlemen from the east
board About this time the county
auditor became excited and began
calling for Mr. Fogle to put in his
bid, and ran up and down the hall
! looking in the different offices and
calling MIR. Fogle's name, until
| bystander remarked to him that In
all probability Fogle's bid was worth
more to him i'm his pocket than 1t
| would be if placed with the commits
sioners, which caused the auditor to
exclaim: by Godfrey. hadn't
thought of that; see through it
now
4 Well. the bids were opened by the
auditor and as usual the Roberts bid
was found to be just little less
than his capper's.
At this point the commissioner who
writes the explanation for the board
stroked his whiskers and moved that
\ the bid of Roberts, of the Hennepin
Bridge Company, be accepted. The
chairman nipped the end of his mus
tache and put the question, and the
rest of the board voted i'm the affirm
ativc. as that was part of the play
The said Roberts now proceeded
to the office of the county treasurer,
where he prepared a contract for the
commissioners to sign, which had
clause therein as follows: ISL 800
to be paid upon the delivery of the
finished iron work at the nearest
railroad station.
Roberts now returns and places be-
/ fore the chairman the said contract
and bill against the county for
4 800 This bill the chairman i'm
mediatelv approved without any dis
cusson motion or action by the rest
of the members, and directed the
@l,n Co N
same. which, when so drawn, was
signed by him as chairman and deliv-
cred to the said Roberts, who immed-
lately took the same to G. A. HerOlz,
| county treasurer, who paid him the
1.5OO, and Roberts made off to the
train with the cOunty's money with
out even giving so much as bond for
\ the construction of the bridges, or
even having the finished iron work at
| the railroad station, as per the clause
contained i'm the contract.
From the time the commissioners
went into session until Roberts
emerged with the $1,000 in his
pocket not more than twenty minutes
| passed. AS to time, this job of rail
reading, money out of the county
funds beats all previous records.
Section 1899 of our Code forbids
the paying of any money on the
bridges until they are constructed.
approved and accepted by the board.
1 During all the above proceedings
there was no cali for legal advice al
4 though was present all the time.
Now. why do you say in your explain
alton that you acted on the advice
of the assistant states attorney?
why don't you say that it was
prearranged plan that had to be car
ried out to head off any injunction
proceedings that might be brought 10
prevent a payment being made on
/ YOUR illegal contract of previous
dateo II is fact that at this time
the Hennepin Bridge Company had
built bridge for the county that had
not been paid for; and, had you not
given them this Sl,:-aO in the manner
that you did, the payment OF the
same would have been enjoined until
these illegal contracts had been
looked into. And this is the real
reason for your railroading this
81 500 into the hands Of the Henne-
pin Bridge Company
Now, in this, who was your legal