The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-26
Backs Up Again, Saying He
Didn't Mean Any City Off
cial Grafted..
SAYS HE Is SATISFIED
THAT BILL is ALL RIGHT
Alleged Attempted Bribe Mat
ter of Ncracity Between
He and Koch.

! The charges Of graft and bribery made
| by Councilman Fcnstrom in connection
with the contract with the Campbell Build
ing company for the construction OF the
wooden stave pipe line were threshcd out
| Wednesday night by the special COM
mirtco Of councilmeu appointed for that
purpose but the report Of the commit
tee VIII not bc prepared until another
meeting is held next week.
! The evidence before the committee
showed that MIR. Fernstrom was wrong
on the graft charge in relation 10 the bill
| Of the Campbell company for extra work
on the pipe line between April l6 and
%. 1909, but the matter as TO him being
| offered bribc by "A representative of
| the company resolved itself into ques-
tIon vcracty as between Mr. Fcrnstrom
aud T.. Is. Koch foreman FOR the Camp
bell company. The former declared that
Mr.. Koch offered TO take care of him
II he would let up In his fight against
the company. and Koch was emphatic In
his declaration that he never even hintcd
at such thing i'll his talks with Mr..
Every member of the committee was
present on time and the investigation
proceeded without delay. Those present
at the investigation were CouncilmGn
Mckinney. Mulvoy, Moreton. Lyme. Hall.
Reed and Femstrom: City Attorney
Dinnny; +. r. Christensen, clerk OF the
board of public works: Mr.. Campbell OF
Koch, foreman for the company.
"Fernie'' Explains.
Mr. Fernstrom said that he did not
mean that any city official was guilty
of grating, but that the company put
I'm bill for work which he did not
think ii performed and for which II was
not entitled TO pay from the city. He
read from the records of the council and
board Of public works. showing that the
contract was taken away from the COM
rN~1 h1l fA.a M Irl - n
had put In a bill for extra work between
april IL and April 20. which 1t was not
entitled TO. He thought that that con-
Stlruted graft on thc part OF the COM
pany. He also contendcd that the com
pauy should not have been allowed any
thing for extra work when the pipes
broke near the railroad tracks. because
il was the fault of the construction work
for which tho contractor should have
been responsible.
Mr.. Campbell explained that when the
break in the pipes occurred. on or about
April /. he had to put men at work there
pumping water all the time. To keep 1t
away from the railroad tracks: because
the railroad company had notified him
that unless he did so il would put men
on the pumps and charge the expense
TO the city. After the board OF public
works notified him that II had taken
charge of the work he was compelled to
keep his men at the pumps from April
Is 10 April 20, until p j. Moran was
ready to take tho contract over. ma
IS how his men happened to he on tlfe
Job after the contract had been taken
away from the company.
Mr.. Campbell was corroborated in his
statements by Clerk Christensen, OF the
Gilman Hall. who had been down to in
spcct the pipe line In that period and
saw Mr. Campbeli's men working there.
This extra work for the five days men
toned amounted to $500, and IL was
shown by the records of the board that
the bill had been cut down 10 some eX-
tent. because it did not allow 80 a day
for the wages of a foreman in charge
Of the pumps,
Confesses Error.
Mr. Fcrnstrom freely confessed his
error in regard to that matter and was
satisfied that the bill was all right.
In regard TO the charge Of bribery; he
declared. Mr.. Koch walked up state
one night when he had introduced a
resolution in the council providing Tor
taking the contract away from the
Campbell company, and that Mr.. Koch
asked him not to be too hard on the
company and urged him not to go after
the company so hand and told him that
he would be taken care OF. Mr, FERN
strom took that as an offer to bribc him,
and told Mr.. Koch that the only way he
could fix him would be TO put bunch
OF men on the job and stop leaks In the
pipe line,
Mr. Koch was not present up to this
time. but Mr., Campbell sent for him and
the committee took a recess until his
arrival When asked in relation to the
conversation with Mr. Fernstrom he de-
nied emphatically that he ever had any
such talk or ever intimated such a thing
TO Mr.. Fernstrom He told OF the only
two conversations he ever had with Mr..
Fernstrom and said neither one OF those
was on State street between Third and
Fourth South streets. as Mr.. Fernstrom
stated.
Koch Interrogated.
A number of questions were asked Mr..
Koch by the members Of the commit
tee. Mr. Fernstrom and City Attorney
Dininny but he was always positive that
he had never made such a statement.
In view of the fact that MI Fern
stron made the charge of bribery and ii
was denied by Mr.. Koch, that question
is rather unsettled but. according TO the
rules of evidence, It would be UP to Mr.
Fernstrom to prove his charge by a
preponderance OF the evidence and, fail
ing in that, as lie did, the charge neces-
sarily would fall fiat
The report OF the committee VIII be
drawn UP some night next week.
Furniture Sale.
Warren Paul, Sc West 3rd South ST.