Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-07-16
KIDDER OusTED BY FORCE
Escorted from Water Depart
ment Office by Two Officers.
Made No Resistance and Declares lie
Is StlII Superintendent---Osc
Heininger Appointed Assistant
to Superintendent Wilson.

j. Frank Kidder superintendent of the
Burlington water department, deposed
from office by the new board of commits
sioners Saturday night, was removed by
force from the water department Office IN
the city hall shortly before two o'clock
Monday afternoon being escorted from
the premises by two policemen after he
had refused to give up possession when We =
uuested The act was accomplished with
out resistance on the part of Mr.. Kidder
or other sensational detail. Mr.. Kidder
has said at different times that he did not
recognize the authority of Commissioners
Fred s. Angus, David j. Leonard and +.
E. Grady. and it was not expected that ne
would leave the Office of his own accord
or surrender the keys.
About 1870 Monday Mr.. Angus, chair
man of the board of commissioners, went
to Mr.. Kidder and asked him to turn over
the office TO his successor, w. II. Wilson.
Mr.. Kidder refused to do so and Mr.. An
gus appealed to Mayor Burke for assist
ance The mayor obtained the assistance
of officers Bart O'Brien and Christopher
Miles and with Messrs. Angus and Wilson
went to the water ofllc and made demand
again upon Mr.. Kidder. Mr. l<idder re-
fused again and stated that he was still
Superintendent of the water department.
The officers were then directed to remove
MIR. Kidder. The former complied, each
pne taking an arm and Mr. Kidder, maxi
Ing no resistance, was led from the room.
He was asked, also. to give up the depart
ment keys but this he refused to do. Mr..
Kidder then left the building and went
over to the vaudeville show at The
Strong He later returned and went into
the lower office for a time, then went
home. He told a Free Press reporter
Mat ne was still superintendent Of the
water works and would continue as such
until his term expired in the spring. lie
said he would be around every day.
One of the first official acts of Supt.
Wilson was to appoint Oscar Hcininger
assistant superintendent. 1t will be re-
called that the water department investi-
cation was first begun when Mr. kidder
removed Mr.. Heininger from his position
In the department some time ago. The in
vestigation against Mr., l[iddcr and Com
missioners Rutter, Jones and Simays was
begun while the aldermanic committee, TO
whom the Heininger matter had been re-
ferred, was In session. One of the alleEa
tons against Mr.. Kidder was that he
had employed in Mr.. Heininger's place n
man who was not a voter and taxpayer.
This man left the employ of the depart
ment few days ago.
Whatever may he the ultimate outcome
of the case, the end is not In sight yet.
Mr.. Kidder has sought legal counsel. IA
have the deposed commissioners, and pro-
ceedngs in law, or equity or something
which applies to the case in hand will be
resortcd to before long. Just what the
nature of the proceedings will be has not
yet been announced but rumors of injunc-
lions are floating in the afr
After the new officials had obtained pos
session of the office they fortified their
claim by taking out all the old locks on
the doors and substituting new ones
which Of course bars out Mr.. Kidder ef-
fectualy should he attempt to enter
after hours, Policemen were stationed in
the upper and lower offices during the re-
mainder of the afternoon.