Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-05-28
WATER DEPARTMENT RUMPUS
Committee Considers Mayors
Charges against Superintendent.
New Phase of Hearing That Was Re-
gun TO Inquire into Oscar Heinin-
gers Removal from the
Department.

! partment and particularly the case of
| the discharge of Oscar Heininger and
| the charges brought by Mayor Burke
against superintendent j. Frank Kidder
| held another long meeting Teusday
night at the city clerks office hear
ing several OF the charges. The may
or gave intimation that the end was
not vet and that ne may have more to
say. Tuesday evening he presented eight
more charges, in addition to the fourteen
which he has already submitted.
The charges were taken up in the or
| der in which they were presented.
| The first, which was that the water
| department had purchased two carloads
! Of cement Of Spaulding, Kimball G. Co
| for which they had paid ut the rate Of
S1.52 per barrel when It could have been
purchased at sl.3O was taken up by the
| mayor. who submitted the report OF
former investigating committee on the
same subject. He gave as his evidence
the report OF that committee which was
to the effect that In December of 1911
and January Of 1912 the department had
purchased in small lots about so bags
OF cement The report recommended that
| there had undoubtedly been a violation
of the city ordinance because Of the fact
that one OF the members OF the water
commission, Mr.. Rutter was also MEM
Der of the firm from which the cement
had been purchased and that the stuff
had not been bought by competitive bid,
the price being above the limit provided
by city charter which fixes s25 as the
limit to which city officials may sell to
the city except by competitive bid The
report also recommended that pur-
chasing agent would be a good thing for
the city and further stated that there
was no evidence of an intentional viola
ton of the charter This constituted the
mayors evidence on charges one and
two. the latter being that Mr.. Rutter
being a member Of the commission, the
purchase of the cement was a misap-
preparation Of funds.
The next seven charges were not taken
up because the evidence of the mayor.
which is largely documentary. was not
at hand, the people who are working
on the books of the department for the
figures necessary not having completed
their labors
Charge number ten, which sets forth
that Miss Kitte Mccartney. long-ti
employe of the department, had been
discharged without notice and cause.
was gone into at length Miss McCafrey
appearing in her own behalf as a wit
ness against Mr.. kidder. She said that
Mr.. Kidder was very agreeable to her
until DR.. ]. w. Courtney became a water
commissioner, which was In 1911. The
first friction began when Miss Mccartney
asked for a raise in salary. She said
that she did not get it and she told Mr.
Kidder he evidently did not want her to
have it and he replied that he had seen
to 1t with the water commissioners that
she did not get II. Miss Mccartney said
that she had objected to DR.. Courtney's
knowing the combination of the big safe,
whereupon Mr.. Kidder forbade her to
lock the safe and that it was always
unlocked thereafter and the books were
accessible to DR.. Courtney and Tom, Dick
and Harry, or whoever wanted to see
them. She said that Mr.. Kidder had
told her to take charge of the office
that he didn't want to be around when
people came there as she knew more
about the business than no did.
She said she knew that there was
trouble in the air and one day she asked
charges were against her. Mr.. Kidder
told her that she was quarreing with
the boys downstairs. Miss McCanrey
then called them by phone to step up
stairs and they responded, whereupon
Mr.. Kidder asked her If ne wanted him
to throw her out of the office and told
the boys to go downstairs to their work
She insisted on knowing what the trouble
was and Mr. Kidder told her that was
me of the things she could keep think
ing about. He told her not to sneak
about the affair that had just happened
In February of 1912 Mr.. Kidder came In
with Oscar Heinnger one day and told
her that her sister. Miss Agnes Nc
Canrey, who was also employed there,
was going to get through. He gave no
reason why. Miss Mccartney then tele-
phoned to Mayor Roberts, who advised
her to remain until he came down.
Thereupon Mr.. Itidder remarked to Ag-
nes: How long are you going to stayp'
and lifted his hand as If to strike her.
She replied. "kidder, you hit me If you
dare" and he took down his hand. 1nen
Mr.. Kidder called Officer John Ryan
from the police office to come W and
ioHaii uHui she nad gone.
Miss Agnes McCaffrey corroborated
what her sister had said.
The mayor on being asked to give his |
evidence on charge II, which questions
whether Mr. Kidder is a gentleman and fit |
TO occupy the office he does, related some
circumstances to prove his assertion of |
conduct. He first told how
Mr.. kidder had abused the whole Masonic |
fraternity at one time when he was an |
alderman and the representative of the |
Nasons had appeared before the board of |
civil authority on the question of how
much the Masonic Temple should be as
sessed for on the tax list. He also related
how Mr. Kidder had once, at a board
meeting, threatened Alderman Mccartney
with carrying him home over to Jail in a
oushel basket, and also how he told the
mayor Mt recent meeting of the present
committee he would crawl down the may
ors throat after the mayor had merely
expressed himself on the subject of
whether or not the committee should go
nto executive session. In this connec-
lon Alderman Buell. of the committee
asked the mayor II Mr.. Kidder hadn't
spoken as he did because the mayor had
Interrupted him when he (Mr. Kidder) |
vas speaking The mayor said he was
willing to abide by the decision OF the
committee as to what took place,
On the same charge of ungentemanly
conduct Mrs. Mary Cassidy, widow OF
william Cassidy. foreman in the depart
nent for many years. testified that she
,nce called on Mr. Kldder to have some
,ills rectified and that when she went into
he Office Mr. Kidder asked her IL she