The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-08
ELYTON'S CHARGE OF GRAFT PUNCTURED Breeding Claims a Misunder- standing Caused Trouble TWO MEN ARE CATECHlSED School Committee Consisting of Entire Board Accepts Plans for New
 Building-All Members
 Present.
TWO MEN ARE CATECHlSED

The graft charges over the Elyton school house proposition were aired last night at the meeting of the school house committee, composed of the entire coun- ell and the city attorney of Elyton. The investigation did not result in the naming of any alderman as being guilty of an attempt to graft.
 T. c. Buckshaw, a private secretary and confidential agent of R. s. Munger, made the allegation that some one was att tempting to get a "rake-off" his charges being made in a written statement SUD- mitted to the Mayor and Board of Alder men of Elyton.
 In this statement he said that H. D. Breeding, one of the competing architects on the plans for the school houses to be erected in Elyton, had approached him in reference to MT. Munger's selling the town a site, and requested him when making a price to '1nclude enough to take care of one of the aldermen having this matter in charge"
 Both MT. Buckshaw and Mr. Breeding were present at the meeting, which was attended by a large crowd of interested persons. MT. Breeding denied that he had mentioned the word aldermen in his con- versation with Mir Buckshaw; that he had understood that real estate agent was handling the business and the com mission he referred to would have been for this man.
 That part of Mir. Buckshaw's statement telling of this conversation reads as fol- lows:
 About that same time, the date of which I could not positively state, MT Breeding again called on me and asked if could make a price on what we had to sell. and told him we would not care to make a price, and he then stated to me and asked me if I made a price 70 add a sum over and above the price we expected to get, stating further that one of the aldermen having this matter in charge would expect a commission, but I told him again that we would not make a price. MT Breeding did not mention any name nor did he intimate who the alderman was.
 'In view of the fact that MT. Munger is a large landowner in Elyton, and real izing the fact that it was not right for an alderman to expect or want com- mission in a case of this kind, I com municated these facts in a verbal state ment to Mir D. H. Smith with view to putting the town on it's guard
 hot Mr Buckshaws statement was correct with the exception of the word aldermen" His words, he stated, were, ''The gentle man interested in the purchase of the school house lot"
 He also stated that he had no authority to handle the purchase of a site; that he simply did what he did on his own hook. He further stated that he had received the impression that real estate man his Identity unknown to him-was hand ling the business of purchasing a site for the committee. This impression, he said, he had gained by one of the aldermen having advised him that he had just been speaking to a real estate agent in regard to a site
 He llttlliiS Dl llit COilulllttt NdS called to order shortly after o'clock by Mayor Frank Smith The --rnittee was composed of the entire Board, l. dermen. consisting of c. M Bitz, W. A. Brown, Dan H. Smith, Thomas A. Alley and William M. Mariner, and City At torney Felix M. Blackburn.
 Clerk Frank B. Stevens then read tho mic Ir cJ, Buckshaw arrived at the city hall just after the conclusion of the reading and confirmed his written statement. He was asked a few questions by some of the aldermen.
 MT. Breeding was then asked what he had to say, and replied that he was ready to answer any questions, and was put through a heavy cross-examination by the members of the committee. He posi- lively denied that he had ever had any reference to any alderman.
 After this the regular business of the committee was taken up. A number of architects had submitted plans, but 1t was decided to throw out all except D. O. Whilldon's and one other. MT. Whilldon finally won out.
 This is for the $25, 900 school building, and according to MT. Whilldon's plans 1t will be a two-story structure. Some of the committee favored three-sto.y structure as submitted by another arch itect, but this was opposed by a majority of the members for various reasons.
 Another resolution was also adopted awarding the contract for the small build ing to be erected in the southern end of the town to Mir. Whilldon.
 that would be mutually beneficial and so on.
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