The Detroit times., 1914-10-17
Declares He Told Brennan He
Would Support Petition il
There Was Nothing Crook
ed About Them
TESTIMONY DEALS WITH
FOOT BRIDGE QUESTION
Large Crowd on Hand, Expect
!. ing to Hear Story Of Events
on Day Of Arrest

4 Aid. Thomas Il. Gilman, charged
! with accepting bribe, again took
I the stand in his own defense, when
|, court opened Saturday morning.
I The days testimony was expected
4 10 furnish many thrills as the alder
4 man Ii nearing that portion OF his
1 story relative to the alleged payment
!, OF the bribe and his subsequent ar
Z rest by Burns detectives, and large
crowd was on hand when court
4 opened.
"Mr. Gilman, were you ever on the
!. witness stand before?" was McNa-
mara's first question.
mo, SIR"
I did original Harbaugh-ave. petit
tion provide for overhead bridges for
4 foot passengers?"
Il understood that the petition for
1 closing Harbaugh-ave-"
/ Mcnamara showed him the petition.
l Gilman read the petition and com
/ pleted his answer by saying, Yea,
! SIR"
4. AFTER that petition was refused and
Y a new one for crossing At grade
was there any provision for foot pas
! sengers In thatf"
Gilman looked over the petition
1 and answered. mo. sir"
did you talk with Brennan abou,
provision for foot passengers after
Z the June II petition was granted -
Il said 10 the committee In Mr.
Brennan's presence that they would
| have to build bridges II permission
was granted to lay tracks across the
street"
Gilman, In answer to questions,
said the Wabash had fve or six
tracks across the street before the
passage OF the petition. After It's
passage the company built four or
l Ave more. He could not recall any
| discussion between himself and wa
| bash oficials as to whether one or
two bridges should be built at Har'
baugh-ave.
II insisted that two bridges be built.
1 and they subsequently We're" said
1 Gilman. "They allow foot passengers
10 cross over the entire trackage.
On the witness stand. Friday after
I noon, Aid. Gilman testified that on
| the morning of July 9--two days be
| fore the alleged bribe agreement was
4 made, he told Brennan In the pres
ence of Attorney Lathrop, OF the Wa
! bash, that he would not vote for the
] Wabash petitions II he found that any
money was being used to bribe the
| aldermen.
The indicted alderman artfully got
! all the dramatic effect possible into
/ the utterance of this startling state
] ment. He had answered question
I put to him by Mcnamara In this man
!, ner: 81 said all right, Mr.. Brennan
!. will vote and do all can for the
resolution Mcnamara got half way
through another question when the
witness interrupted In q low, hesitat
ing voice. saying: y said something
/ else to Brennan that day."
what was ity interrogated McNa
mara with seeming impatience.
Aid. Gilman Strengthened up In the
witness chair, cleared his throat and
with his eyes slanted at the jurors
related the anti-graft warning he gave
brennan. This conversation took
place in the corridor Of the city hal
directly In front of the corporation
counsel's once.
Continuing the personal narrative
begun In the morning, Gilman. under
the direction OF his counsel. Mr.. Nc
Namara, In the afternoon related his
I yersion OF the events leading up tC
July IL. He stated that he was men
toned as a candidate for mayor or
the Republican tcket In 1912, and
was preparing to enter the race wher
the trap was sprung. He. related his
friendship wit hAndrew III. Green, jr.
and told how Green's friendship cool
cd when he (Glinnan) actively oppos
] ed the Thompson.Hally street cal
franchise which was defeated on Jan
I %. 1912. Then he told how he found
| the wabash petitions In his mail DO,
IN the city hall and presented then
/ 10 the common council on May z
1919. His first meeting with Brennan
| he said. was outside the door Of thu
| council committee room when Bren
,,an stopped him and introduced him
zelf as real estate agent Of the Wa
bash railroad. The second time h'
saw Brennan was in a meeting Of tn
committee on streets. Brennan invit
ed him 10 >go out In his car to. view
the Harbaugh-ave. site. mentioned II
one OF the petitions. On the way on
| Gilman said Brennan told him tina
s-T.-... a frfov,I ~ Iov 0o,,ld and /,