The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-11-15
SOME FACTS ON THE BIG BROWNE
ADDITION PAVING CONTRACT

Last April, few days before
the board Of public works awarded
the halt million dollar Brownies
edition paving Job, The Press an
nounced that there was to be a
"big meIon-cutting at the city hail."
After the bids were opened, and
the manner of the awarding of the
contract was observed, The Press
then announced that the "meion
nad been cut"
Just how the melon cutting"
was conducted was not SO clear at
The time. but it was apparent that
the Independent Asphalt company.
which bid around $4,000, had
been "double-crossed" in some way,
and the contract awarded to the ].
F. Hill Paving company at $1,000
lower.
Waiter the bids were opened on
the afternoon of April 4 1t was an
nounced by Mayor Pratt and the
board of public works that the
award would be made the following
afternoon at o'clock. For some
unknown reason the board of works
was convened into session the fol-
lowing morning at 10 ad the con-
tract awarded to Hill. 1t was af-
terward learned that a firm of law
yers were at work on a complaint,
which would have been filed at
noon, tying up the board of works
from awarding the contract.
In this connection the following
additional light has been thrown
on the deal by the Sullivan hear
ing:
s. A. Doyle. a private detective,
and right hand man Of w. c. DOno-
van, attorney, until the latter is al
legged to have framed up the deal
to trap the editor of The Press. tes-
titled that he heard Donovan say
on April 4, before the bids were
opened, in room at the st. Mich
olas. that the j. P. Hill Co. had Of
fered $4,000 for the Brownies ad-
dition contract. and that Donovan
said that he had "the dope" to
land the contract. Later Doyle
says Jack O'Brien came into the
conference, and that after discuss
ing the matter they asked Doyle
to help line up the Hill people.
Woyle declined to go into the deal.
After this conference. the repre-
sentative OF the Hill company was
called to Donovan's room at the
st. Nicholas, and then Doyle left.
Later Doyle was called over the
phone and told to go back to the
room to look for the purse of Mr..
Donovan. which he thought had
been lost. and that among other
things the purse contained a check
for $3.50 from O'Brien to Donovan.
Donovan, who took the stand IN
his own behalf, admitted being in
terested in the paving contract,
with O'Brien, but insisted that it
was in behalf of another company.
He. admitted having O'Brien's
check, but insisted that 1t had been
given for some purpose other than
the paving deal. He said, however.
that he expected to be compensate
ed for his work by O'Brien, for
whom he was laboring In trying to
get the paving contract. Among
others who visited Donovan's room
that day, according to him, was w.
II. Bourke, a real estate dealer and
warm personal friend of Mayor
Pratt.
Documentary evidence was In.
troduced by Attorney Robertson to
show that Bourke had at one time
been a partner Of Mayor Pratt and
II. d. Merritt in the operation Of a
rock crusher on North Division
street, said rock crusher being the
one that supplied the crushed rock
for the Washington street and Mis-
sion avenue bridges, under the
name of Willett & Camp. Docu-
mentary evidence was also intro
duced to show that Bourke was en-
ployed by Pratt's board of public
works to buy the sites for the four
new standpipes and the Lincoln
Heights reservoir. and that Bourke
negotiated a deal at $4,000, which
the board OF works, of which j. r.
O'Brien was then member. &C.
cepted and ordered the money
paid. Testimony was given to
show that this price had the APP
prevail of Mayor Pratt, but that the
deal was held up by City Comp
troller Farley. on the suggestion
of COuncilmen Lambert and Funk,
an dthat afterward the city coun-
Gil ordered the land purchased by