The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1917-10-05
GRAFT
IN PUMPING
Site DEAL.
Connolly Bares Alleged
Plan To Milk City
of $4,000


Judge Connolly frst presentment
OF facts ELECTED by him sitting a. a
grand jury has been issued II is q
broadside aimed al the common
council and virtually charges thRt
conspiracy existed among certain
members 10 rob the city OF tSs 200
In The purchase OF a sitl for sew
axe pumping station sn Connors
creek
The statement was fssRed BY
Judge Connolly tate Thursday even.
ing after he had cited q Lewis Car.
ter lawyer and real estate dealer.
for contempt off, court in refusing 90
answer questions concerning the
deai Carter had engineered a trans
action by which the common council
proposed 20 purchase the sewer sta
lion site for saS.000 The records
show thar Myron - White" OF
hicagO. obtained an option on the
property a short time before il was
$50. 00u for the land 10 be used as a
site for a factory and for Tho option
he iS alleged 70 have paid 81 POO
Carter acted for MIR. White" IN this
natter. and was also Whites agent
In tho transaction with the council
sewer committee In the grand FURY
Investigation on Thursday " hen Car
fer refused 10 answer questions.
James ~ Pound. special pros ecutor.
declared that Mr. White" was a
myth
In his presentment Judge Connolly
draws attention 10 the fact that Al
Herman schultz. chairman OF the
council sewer committee. had his Of
hce with Carter in the Majestic
building fIc declares IL was not
necessary for the council committee
tO deal thru an agent as large signs
adorned the property Offering II for
sale directly by the owners or their
agents. or the IL acres in the sta.
i3'acres were owned by Edwin Den
hy and was offered for sale az S4S.
300 a little more than four acrt
WAS offered FOR sale by Stephen Cor
BY and wife for SIS. 500. making $50,
600 va all
Mr. Carter, according 70 the pre-
sentiment, is the only man who has
ever seen Mr. White" ard Carter
does not know his address. altho
acting as agent for him and aitho
the papers covering the transaction
indicate that White has already IN.
Vested 1920 IN the property which
be stands 10 lose Investigation Is
said to show that Whites name does
not appear In any Chicago directory,
sltho ne WAS Of sufficient import.
ance TO purchase factory sites.
All ~ these circumstances, the
proscntment says. show that the
whole transaction is 40 saturated
with deception and concealment as
20 merit close scrutiny"
Had il not been for the action OF
Mavor Marx In vetoing the proposal
TO purchase tho land az S9s, ,0OG the
city would have been cheated out of
$4,000 City Engineer Hubbell Sc
lected tho property as the best avail
able site The sewer committee rec.
commended that IL be purchased and
tho council adopted tho recommen.
dation Meanwhile agents for tho
owners OF the property had commun
icat"d with Mayor Marx and no We
t''' iNt iuFtndhf. Inc mayor kNNf
a. his reason that he believed the
CITY should purchase property by
condemnation proceedings only. but
his private reason was that he knew
IN excessive price was being charg
ed Tor the land. .
The sewer committee. piqued ~
The action of the mayor. refused 20
consider the site any further and
would not adopt hts suggestion Of
recommending condemnation pro
ceedings. but instead ordered the
city engineer 20 report on the avail.
ability OF another site in the neigh.
borhood. Engineers said this land
was so high that II would cost $500.
900 10 excayate II. Later. however.
The committee dropped consideration
II