The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1918-06-28

er questioning Kirtley admitted that
there was no actual money spent N
al oy the state in the road work in
question and that there wasn't much
cooperation but that Allen Merrjtr
mad supervised the engineering work
Lhereon, but neither the state NOV
iederal government had given a pen.
ny toward footing the bills which the
county always paid. Then followed
mass OF unimportant details of the
methods of keeping the accounts of
the commissioners office as to road
DOCKS, etc, when Glennon asked
about the schedule and descriptjon
or county property required of the
commissioners TO be listed and re-
ported for the year 1917. Kirtley
said that requirement was not com
piled with.
hlrtley finally gave way to Coun-
V Engineer Merritt, who said the
state highway commission had had
nothing whatever to do with the So
called Lemhi valley highway. He
had done the survey work thereon
for the county. He knew of no state
highway engineer having a thing 10
do with the work Lemhi county
paid all the bills under a contract
had with H. H. Boomer and to him
as county engineer and surveyor. for
surveying the actual construction.
There was no cooperation between
the county and the state and federal
government, so far, as he knew. On
cross examination he admitted that
the Lemhi valley highway was des-
lgnated as state highway in 1917.
He admitted that the object of the
survey was to get state and federal
aid for the project. Further than this
Merritt's testimony did not have i'm
portance. There were other wit
nesses including Assessor White to
show that record testimony as to the
assessment of a constable's bonds
man and State Highway Chairman
Brodhead, but not until the defense
had failed in its effort to get a non
suit and when defendant Mckinney
was put on the stand Wednesday
morning did the plaintiffs begin to
score again. 1t was claimed that Nc
Kinney proved to be the star witness
for the plaintiffs on the cross ques-
tions put to him by Judge Stevens,
who assumed command at this stage
of the case. The former jurist was
at his ease and called witness famil-
ilarly by his first name, friendly like
Friendly Relations
"Now, PeteE' said Stevens, "this
bill you rendered against the county
for expenses covered a part of your
expenses only and you just Jumped
it in one sum-" Yes, that was it,"
was the reply. You had the items
covering it, however, didn't you?"
Again there was a willing affirm
ative answer, when Mckinney said,
81 have the items here now" at the
same time pulling from his inside
pocket a memorandum written on a
scrap of paper. And when did you
make out that account" was asked
DAY before yesterday" was the
answer"
The same witness when presented
with the bill in question as it was
pointed out to him that he had never
even signed it still identified it as
his own. His lawyers brought
out the fact from him that he was
ready to swear to the bill now. From
Mckinney also Judge Stevens seem
ed to get information he desired as
to the method of working the Lemhi
valley road. which was to the effect
that the county commissioners hired
H. H. Boomer to do the work at pri-
vate employment and that Boomer
had hired other men and put on the
Job his own teams. This contract
with Boomer was a verbal one, en-
tered into by the commissioners one
evening at the Shenon hotel in Sal
mon. The county paid the bills and
got nothing from the state or federal
government in the way of reimburse
mert. the money for the county TO
foot the bills having been derived
/ from the diversion or use of $4,000
from the bond sale that amounted to
$150,000.
The county TOOK of the engineer
, ing forces before the work was COM
pIeted, Mckinney said, because the
funds were about run out. Mckinney
testified at length about road signs
and fire notices and his associates
on the board to the same effect IN
what they had to say. The hearing
was brought TO a close with the tes'
timony of Seth Ball and ". NJ. Car
penter to the effect that they with
Mrs. Emma r. Yearian had appeared
'as self apnointed committee 10