The San Francisco call., 1909-02-09
SORE SPOT
IN GRAFT INQUIRY
Supervisors Carefully Avoid
Mention of $1,000 Contract
to the O'Brien Company

REDWOOD CITY, Feb. s.-Battling
around the famous secret contract for
$2.992 which was granted TO the
OBrien construction company by the
last board of supervisors at a meeting
said to have been held in the Magnolia
into the various phases of the court
house contracts came to full stop late
this afternoon so far as any further
official action by the supervisors is con-
eerned P II. McEvoy, chairman of
the board and instigator of the pres
ent investigation, found himself ham
pered and dragged back in his efforts
on all sides, lawyers. contractors and
supervisors taking their part in the
delay game.
On account of the absence of Super
visor Jim Casey. the investigation was
postponed to the afternoon session.
McEvoy refusing to proceed without
the attendance of full board. Sub
penaes had been issued by the board
for the presence of Manager +. J. Am
veg of the Americana Hawaiian COM
pany. w. F. Hanrahan, c. T. Mccarthy
of the Pacific construction company,
Thomas w. Butcher. Victor Hoffman, r.
Earhart. Architect Glenn Allen. Auditor
". H. Underhill, Treasurer P. P. Cham
berlain. Superintendent Donald McKen-
zie, T. J. Guilfoy of the Guilfoy cornice
works, J. c. Nealon and J. J. OBrien of
the O'Brien construction company and
J. J. Phillips and w. A. Rainey of
Rainey & Phillips, stone contractors,
at the meeting
The first clash occurred when Chair
man McEvoy attempted to have all wit
nesses but those under examination
excluded from the room, Blackburn
George c. Ross, McEvoy. District At
torney Bullock and Cousin jim" Nea-
lon taking part in the discussion which
finally resulted in Bullock's ruling that
the board had no right to exclude any
one. f. j. Amweg was the first wit
| ness to be examined and testified that
the plans and specifications which were
| handed him for examination were the
same as he had figured on and that in
his bid for the courthouse he had not
bid on the erection of any stonewor<.
1. w Butcher, an unsuccessful hid
oer. gave practically the same testi
mony as Amweg. Allen was then nut
on the stand, where he spent ~bad
half hour under hot fire of Questions
McEvoy forced Allen to admit that he
had drawn plans for strengthening the
dome. This, touching upon the sore
spot of the $4,000 contract. drew forth
strenuous objections from Attorney n.
Z. Ross, appearing for the accused su-
pervlsors, as a line of improper uues-
tioning and the final statement Of
Allen that Il decline to answer on tho
ground that it is coming up in another
place."
Il get a commission on everything
that goes into the building both COM
ing and going" testified Allen. "Ac-
cording to my estimate there is
$e:4s.o4 due me, of which I have re-
ceived s6.46190."
j. j. OBrien stated that his firm had
done large amount of extra work
on the courthouse, including the stiffen
ing OF the dome, the bids for which
We're opened at a place unknown to
him. McEVoy's touching upon the sore
spot brought Blackburn to the rescue
with motion that all questions re-
garding the $4,000 contract be "cut out"
and which carried, with Coleman.
Blackburn, accused officials. and Fran.
els, son in law of Debenedetti. another
OF the accused, voting in the afirma-
tive.
Cousin Jim" Nealen got a bad start
by stating that he had never seen the
original specifications and then re-
tracing n moment later, when he ad-
mitted that the initiating on the orig
inal Of y. c. N" was his, which he
claimed was not unlawful in that it
was done before bids were awarded.
McEvoy bobbed up with the sugges-
tion that a resolution be adopted for
the benefit of the press that no altera-
ton had been made in the specifications
before its adoption and that no stone
work was included in the specifications
The comic opera finale drew forth the
quick votes of Coleman, Francis and
Blackburn on the motion and the reso-
luton was drawn up with great wealth
of detail by Bullock. to whom the per-
sonally pleasant task was delegated.