The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-09-15
CASE Of THE VOLUSIA
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
They Were Arbitrarily Removed from
Office Without an Opportunity to
Answer Charges Against Them

The following was written for the
DeLand News by Charles F. Bing-
man, chairman of the recently sus-
pended board of county commission
ers. His account is borne out by
the various newspaper correspond
ents at Tallahassee, and is not dis
puted by even the governors partl-
sans.
On August oath Governor Cats
sent a telegraphic order to me as
chairman of the board of county COM
missioners not to award certain con-
tracts advertised for and summoned
the entire board to appear before him,
the governor, on Tuesday, August 28,
at Tallahassee, to answer charges
, preferred against the said board OF
county commissioners for malfeasance
| and misfeasance in office. Of the
membership Of the board, DR.. L. B.
Bouchelle had gone to Fort Ogle-
/ thorpe. Ca, to serve on the medical
| staff of the United States service. DR..
w. z. Haymans had sold his property
at Osteen and had then already made
/ arrangements to take charge of ex-
tensive turpentine properties in the
state of Georgia. Commissioner G. 0.
Codrington decided not to go to Talla-
| hassee but wrote instead letter to
the governor declining to respond to
his. the governors, invitation. This
letter has had statewide publicity and
most readers are familiar with 1t.
This then left Commissioner Duncan
Mcbride, myself and Mr.. Bert Fish
attorney for the board, to take up the
Journey to Tallahassee, where we re-
ported in due time, only to find that
the governor had left the previous
evening for Jacksonville. We wa1tec
| for him to return Tuesday and Wed
nesday, when word was received thai
the hearing was postponed until the
, following Wednesday, and we return
ed home. Later / received furthe1
: telegraphic order from the governor
: ordering the board to appear befor'
) him Tuesday, Sept 4th We returned
, ! and reported at the state capitol at
! in the morning only to be informe'
that those who had presented tn
charges against the board of com
missioners would arrive on the after
noon train. and we were summoned t
appear at 8 o'clock that afternoon.
When we arrived in the governor
: office at the appointed time we foun
d facing US as our accusers three al
!. torneys, one newspaper publisher an
S a former county commissioner
n Volusia county, namely, Isaac 4
: Stewart, his son, Tom B. Stewal
both attorneys from DeLand, Dav
Sholtz, attorney, H. C. Sparkmal
publisher, and W. d. Bradshaw all {
Daytona. A mass of documents an
IS papers alleged charges and specifics
: tions. apparently three months in til
: making, were piled up on the tabl
h These it was stated contained count
; vouchers, records and testimony, a
h serting that many contracts had bee
8 made in violation of law, that count
# funds had been paid out on iHeg
Ie contracts and that other numerol
acts of malfeasance had been con
mitted. The presentation of only pa
of all these papers and alleys
charges took until 6 O'Clock. III
session then adjourned until s o'clo'
that evening. When at the openir
of the proceedings | pointed out
the governor that we had never be-
presented with copies of any of the
charges and did not know what t
nature of them were, he stated tn
Y we would know as soon as they we
read. / then requested that Mr.. BE
A Fish as attorney for the board of t
rs Volusia county commissioners repI
rk sented US and act as our legal a
n wiser, to which the governor conser
nd ed.
in From the state capitol to the LIE
hotel is some distance. Coming a
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