The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-02-23


at shop cost?'
at was understood that there was a
clique in Mobile always getting these
contracts, and it was for the purpose
of getting this clique broken up, if
possible, in this part of the country
DO you remember the ten minutes
recess MIR. Brown referred tor
Il was there during the recess, and
saw Mr.. Brown and Mr.. Allen, an
other bidder, at the side desk in the
big room. Both met at the desk. and
heard the statement that they would
try to work on an interest proposition
and try to down us on financial re-
sponsibility." .--
You don't remember who made the
statement
They were both talking together,
and l left Immediately for Judge Car
ter, to show that we were responsible. "a
He said that he did not know that
there was much of fight against the
company. Mr.. Blount went into the
room with the commissioners where
they were meeting. l tried to get In
but Mr.. Brown wouldn't let me-"
They were in private session."
Yes. SIR
Was that before recess or after?"
I understood it was afterward."
who is Allen?"
He represented the Moody Jail
Company, of Chattanooga"
IF PaTham made the offer to
Brown, could he gain by it?"
No sir, there was nothing to be
gained by it. We were the lowest bid
ders, and under the laws of Florida, as
understood it, the contract had to be
let to the Keynton Construction Com
pany. 1t would have not done any good
at all. There was no necessity for it.
We were the lowest responsible bid
ders.'
DO you know anything else in con-
nectfon with this natter"
Nothing except that l had been ap-
preached just before by Bowman
through third party (whom he said
was Rogers, a travelling salesman for
the Pittsburg Plate Glass Co., and a
personal friend), who claimed to rep
resent Bowman, and stated that if l
would throw over the Pauley Jail Com
pany he would give me $500 in cash.
l tried to get the same in writing but
was refused"
Was anybody present when such
offer was made?"
mo. 1t was on Wednesday night,
before the meeting of Saturday"
IF you wanted to throw the Pauley
Jail Company, could you have done
it,"
Yes sir, we were not legally bound
to them"
What interest had Rogers in the
matter?"
mo interest at all, except that he
was a personal friend of mine, an init
mate one, and Bowman knew it. He
said that he would not have received
a cent, and advised me to fight Bow
man to the last; that he was straining
every nerve and spending money to get
the contract from u.s.
Did anybody hear the conversation
between Mr.. Brown and Mr.. AIlen?'
Il do not know as they did. 1 was
too busy fighting for my own interests
to know"
COMMISSIONER DAVIS.
Commissioner Davis, sitting as a
spectator to the proceedings, was put
under oath and he testified along the
lines of the proceedings of the COM
missioners, detailing particularly the
manner of the letting of the contract.
Mr.. Davis had objected to giving the
Jail contract out because he thought
there was too much Of an expenditure
to be put in the county building, but
he had made the motion that the
Keynton company get the work at
length because that company had the
lowest bid in for the work He said
his idea was to let the contract in con-
formity with the first set of plans
which had been offered. He understood
that with the original set, there had
accompanied them bid from a Mobile
firm for the sum of $4,000. He said
that, while he did not state is as a fact,
he believed that, after the bids were
taken away and when they We're re-
turned, there had been such changes
as to run up the amount to the sum
for which the contract had been let.
From the first he had commended that
it was too much. He said that he had
talked with Mr.. Parnham, the Pauley
Jail Works man, and had been told
that certain changes could be made in
the plans of construction which would
cost the county few thousand dollars
less than as it stood at that time. Mr..
Davis said that he had mentioned it to
Mr.. Parham that things were report
ed not regular, and had been told by
Parham that the company he repre-
sented had come clean in the matter
and had not offered money to get any
job. What they did was in a clean
way and they went after it clean" He
said that he had never heard of any
offer of money.
When did you hear of Mr.. Browns
offer?"
Il saw it in the paper"
Had Mr.. Brown ever reported it?'
He never did to me, and not in any
session Of the board. I, as a member
of the board, never heard it if he did
Mr.. BROWN AGAIN.
The solicitor asked Mr.. Brown of his
connection and conversation with Mr..
Allen. Mr.. Brown said that he did not
remember what had been said about
the matter but recollected that Mr.. Al
len wanted the bids put off longer. The
question of interest, he believed, had
never been brought up. He said that
he had objected to the Keynton people
having it because they had never been
fully organized.
THE EXAMINATION CLOSED