The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-02-14
MISS KATE BARNARD
SUED FOR DAMAGES
NEW YORK ENGINEER FILES A
SUIT FOR ALLEGED DAMAGES
IN AMOUNT OF $4,000.

Miss Kate Barnard was made
defendant in a $4,000 damage suit
filed in the district court Monday
afternoon by Dr.. Alexander Potter
the engineer who worked out the
plan for a new waterworkS system
for Oklahoma City, for which a bond
issue of $1,5O0,O00 will be voted on
Tuesday.
The suit arises from a speech
made by Miss Rarnard, who has been
commissioner of state charities and
and corrections for a number OF
years, delivered in the superior
court room in the court house Sat.
urday night. Two causes for action
are set forth in the suit in each OF
which damages in the sum of $4,000
| is asked.
| In the suit it is alleged that Miss
Barnard said in her speech Satur-
day night that DR., Potter, who
claims to be a hydraulic. sanitary
and civil engineer of more than
twenty-five years experience, is not
an engineer at all and is not recog.
nized as such by the American So
city OF Civil Engineers. 1t is also
alleged that she said Potter is
water and sewer bond floater and
should the bond issue pass in Okla
homa City he will receive per cent
of tle face value of the bonds, or
about $4,000.
TIL allegation is made that the
statements were false and that Miss
she made them, and that by reason
of her being well known in Okla
homa the defendants reputation here
and throughout the United States as
! an engineer is considerably injured
1t is further alleged that Miss Bar.
nard said that DR.. Potters new
waterworks and sewage system
scheme is an attempt to deceive
the public.
The second cause of action, as
given in the suit, is the story pub
lished in the Pointer of February
II, in which it is alleged Miss Bar
nard, over her signature, said Mr.
Potter's scheme to erect a new wa
ter works system is an attempt to
install a poison basin that will turn
Oklahoma's water supply into a lq-
uid sewage.
Miss Barnard, in reference to the
suit, gave the following statement:
Il found that Alexander Potter's
plans included the building of 2
dam and the storing up Of polluted
water-the Canadian river water, in
to which the sewer of Ell Reno is
now emptying and which has result
ed in more than 700 cases of typhoid
) in Oklahoma City in the last year
In few months Yukon, Kingfisher,
Woodard and other towns will be
emptying their sewage into this
same stream, thereby increasing the
danger and death to that portion OF
our citizens who are too poor to
buy individual drinking water.
When l protested against the
voting of bonds until these sewers
were removed, Mr.. Potter expressed
tho nniniop that thiS Cau,ooo sooulJ
be made perfectly safe by passing
it through chemicals after which it
would be fit for drinking purposes
Il used my prerogative and right
as taxpayer to wire New York
City to find what is Alexander Pot
ter's standing as an engineer The
answers were not satisfactory to
me, and | stated as much in a pub.
lie meeting at the court house. The
next day l made my public protest
against the voting of the bonds un-
til the sewers We're removed. | told
them If they would wait ten days
and pass law through the legisla-
ture compelling the use of sewer
farms, such as they have in Europe
and many states of America, thus
removing the sewers from our water
supply would then stand for the
bonds.
There is a great principle of JUS
tice involved in this struggle-name-
ly: if l have no right to inquire into
the official standing of man into
whose hands we are about TO pace
million and quarter of dollars
if have no right as a taxpayer and
as a humanitarian to inquire into
the standing of this man, then no
person who reads this letter has any
right 10 investigate the standing of