The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-28
Mayor and Telephone
Company Investigating
Charge of Graft.
BELL COMPANY
HAS CONFESSIONS
Division Chief stringer, Who
Got City Contracts From
Thompson, Resigns Along
With Others-Mayor Tells
Exactly What He Has
Seen and Heard.

Evidence presented to Mayor D. C.
Richardson in an investigation which
has been quietly conducted for the pas.
ten days, shows that the city has paid
within the last Ave years about 100000
to John f. Stringer. until recently
Division Plant Chief of the Southern
Bell Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany on vouchers approved by City
Electrician William II. Thompson, on
accounts of the Fire Alarm and Police
Telegraph systems.
The telephone company, in a formal
letter to City Attorney Pollard, has de-
MED that 1T has made any contracts
TO do work for the city, or has author
lied any of its employees to do so.
stringer Has Resigned.
Witnesses before the Mayor have tes-
titled that for years past it has been
the custom of Superintendent Thon1p-
son, who directs both the Fire Alarm
and Police Telegraph Departments, to
employ Mr.. stringer without competi-
tive bids to erect fire alarm and police
patrol boxes, and 1t has been alleged
1 by some of these witnesses that work
has been done by employees of the tcies
phone company, and in part at least
with the use of company material.
Mr.. stringer and eight or ten of the
men whose names have been mentioned
to the Mayor are no longer in the en-
ploy of the telephone company. having
been allowed to resign" following an
| investigation made by the company
through Its chief counsel, Judge Pal
mer. of Atlanta, and Its local counsel.
Major william H. Sands.
Mayor Richardson said yesterday
that he had by no means concluded his
I inquiry, and that he would certainly
report his findings to the Fire and Po-
lice Boards, and if it seemed advisable.
to the City Council The whole matter
may be presented to the January grand
jury, which meets next Tuesday.
4 Mayor Richardson's Statement.
"The two chief points toward which
have directed my inquiry, stated the
Mayor were first to see whether the
city has secured value received for
work done by MIR. stringer; and second.
! to see, If possible whether there has
been any collusion or improper act on
the part of any city employee or Official.
Il 'As to the first point. Captain George
!; Pollock, clerk of the Police Depart
ment has furnished me copies of all
4 the bills and vouchers paid to Mr.,
j Strmger by the Police Board during
the past five years, aggregatinS about
\ $4,000. l have secured from Captain
L. S. Jones, clerk of the Fire Depart
ment, partial list of payments made
by the Board of Fire Commissioners to
Mr. Stringer. aggregatinG about Sl4,-
600, as far as we have gone; and Spe-
cial Accountant George S. Crenshaw is
4 endeavoring to ascertain whether other.
T payments have been made for private
school telephones or other city wtrins.
"At my request an expert electrician
has gone over the bills for the Police
Department, and In the main has found
the charges made by Mr.. StTinger rea-
sonable. 1t would seem from giancing
over them that prices have been re-
4 duced during the Years, The earlier
bills were for higher amounts for prac-
tically the Same character or WORK
than the more recent bills
No Evidence of Collusion.
80 far there has been no evidence
presented to me of any colluslon or to
show sthat any city employe got any
private profit from the contracts for
wiring. Mr., Thompson has testified
that he gave the contracts to Mr..
Stringer Without inviting bids. because
that had heen@found to- be the cneaper
way. In both the Police and Fire
Boards ii has been the custom to have
1.-The Superintendent make an estimate
of the cost of proposed extensions and.
when funds were available merely 70
order him TO have the work done, The
work was then entirely in the hands
of MIR Thompson Mr.. Thompson must
have known that Mr. Strinser was an
official OF the Bell Telephone Company. !.
in fact, Mr. stringer got his permits
for wiring and construction work from
the City Electrican's Office
'In the Police Board II had been our
Il understanding that the contracts AoF
wiring were with the Bell relsphone
Il i ,...tta tttFl. * N ~