New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-16
district Attorney to Lay
Testimony Before the
Grand Jury.
e 600 DEMAND MADE,
SAYS UPTEGRAFF
Price of Commissioners Vote
Signal Company's President
Asserts He Was Told.

District Attorney Perkins TOOK q
,,rd last night in the investigation
=, .As affairs Of Public Service Com
,,.,;oner Robert c. Wood by the
rhompson committee. He announced
,s,. be would Immediately obtain a
,o,y Of the testimony Of ". D. Upte-
yrsf. president Of the Union Switch
,,d Signal Company, Of Pittsburgh, for
N. purpose of laying II before the
rr,nd fury. Mr.. Perkins said he would
no. wait for any corroboration of the
testimony Of the signal company presi-
d,nt before taking action. as he deemed
,his unnecessary in view Of the lstter's
statements.
Mr. Uptegraf's testimony caused q
sensation. He told the committee Of
hOw, early In July year ago, Sidney
G. Johnson, then general sales man
sger Of the Union company, had asked
5000 from the company for the pur-
pose Of paying il 10 Public Service
Commissioner Wood. This was less
han two months after the latter had
beeems Commissioner
The demand Of Johnson was refused,
he said, and the sales manager then
carried his ease before a meeting Of
tn, board Of directors Of the company,
With the result that Johnson and Colo
mel Prout, president Of the company,
we're asked for their designations,
which were given at once.
Bargain with Wood Alleged.
Mr.. Uptegrsff declared that Johnson
bad told him that he had an arrange
msnt with Wood by which he was 70
pay him the money, in return for which
Wood was 10 vote for the award Of the
Centre Street loop signal contract to
he Union company. Later in his tes-
trony Mr.. Uptegraf said that John
son had told him that he had arranged
or vyreed 70 pay Commissioner Wood
he 5000 IL the Centre Street loop
signal contract were awarded 20 the
Union company.
Commissioner Wood last night de-
esred that the statement made by Mr..
Upkgraf was false.
This statement is absolutely false"
he said. at is all news to me.
revss heard of it before, and / know
nothing whatever about it,"
Johnson has notified the Thompson
committee that he will appear before
L this morning. and Mr.. Uptegraff has
s2reed to produce John L. McCune and
Thomas Dodd, both OF whom were di-
Iaetors OF the Union Company at the
Tine Johnson is alleged 10 have asked
for th. $4,000 and both Of whom were
present at the meeting when the pay
nsrt Of the sum came mp.
Travis II. Whitney, secretary Of the
Public Service Commission, followed
Nr Up;egrsff on the stand with the
statement that Commissioner Wood
bed up the awarding Of the Centre
Street loop contract so long that he
arbitrarily took IL from him and placed
u before the entire Commission with
cut even consulting Wood, who had
the contract In charged.
Tells Of Inside Information.
Nr. Whitney said that Wood appsr-
sntly had some inside information on
ns signal contract, because at least
no days before the awards were filed
Eiih the Commission, Wood asked
Chairman Mccall 70 assign him TO the
etss. No hearings were held By Wood,
Sr. Whitney said, but he did hold two
conferences, ct one OF which Johnson
sas present. While the case was in
Woods hands, he said, the Union
sSiteh and Signal Company filed pro-
test against the award of the contract
. the Federal Company, which was the
l'xeSt bidder.
No report on the contract was ever
made by Wood, Mr.. Whitney said. not
,7en 70 the full commission, which on
.sly 30, last year, after the contract
lad been taken out of Woods hands,
ase unanimously awarded IL 70 the
FEDERAL Company. The bids for the
.antrsct were fled on July 2, Mr
Whitney said.
Another development Of the hearing
as the fact that on May 9, two weeks
'tfore Wood became Public Service
.onmisfioner, he received a check for
p 800 from the Union Switch and Sig
~ Company, through Johnson, for his
orts In landing q contract with a
,znsas City railroad. Mr. Uptegraf
'fifsd 20 this, and produced John
on's letter recommending IL, together
~ the check and voucher for its pay
rent.
Story Impresses Committee.
VI. Uptsgrsh tols his story In a
wet, undramaie way that impressed
4s members Of the committee with his
.oteriiy. lie said the demand for the
i'DoO came from johnson early IN July
AL year, which was the time that Com
his'loner Wood had the Centre Street
COP contract assigned 20 him.
Now. vas there an OCCASION" Dep
~ Attorney General Lewis ASKED,
after your election when you had
one Engagement with Nr John1on
fsisrenes 20 eHpcnditurcs which he
'1o planned 70 make in reference %
ssy."
Ter" Mr Uptsgrsf replied.
.V-you may tell " what there was
ss1pf that An the latter part of
.shs or early pan Of July Nr. Johnson
hisd 1000, and wanted 20 know
sns, hs wanted u for. After some it
~ TINE, not very long, ! war told that
:. Nsnteo the $1,000 for the purpose
paying u 70 Mr. Wood
S~-foB UNDERWOOD - the time that