The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-10-28
RUMORS
ARE CIRCULATED;
MASON LEAVES CITY
Grand Jury May Investigate
Connection Between CON-
miSSi0ners Private and Of
fiCiaI Business.

"lt shall be felony for any member
OF the legislative council to become
interested, directly or indirectly, near
ly or remotely, In an contract OF any
klno made IN behalf Of the city, and
upon conviction, the guilty party shall
suffer Imprisonment In the state penl'
tentiary at hard labor for not less than
five years nor more than 10 years, and
shall be forever rendered infamous and
Ineligible to any office Of honor or profit
In this state" PAGE 40, Section 8,
Huphey's Digest Of the laws, ordinances
and contracts OF the city Of Memphis
Sec, 7, Chap, II, acts 1879, as amended
See chap. s5 acts 1soS.)
A. d. Mason, city commissioner, left
the city Monday night following the
report that the grand jury might on
Tuesday take cognizance Of a bond
transaction in which the city was a
party and in which the firm of which
Mr. Mason is member is said to
have profited indirectly or remote
H.p
This is the second hurried trip Com
missioner Mason has taken when tho
political sea became rough, The first
time he went to New York and tele-
graphed his resignation back to Mayor
MonteVerde. Instead of accepting his
resignation the mayor urged him TO
come on back and put Commissioners
Quinn at the head OF the police depart
ment and displace Commissioner Mil
ler
Monteverde and Quinn met the train
on which Mason arrived at Collierville
and accompanied him to Memphis. They
told him the only thing he could do In
the face Of the reports that we're cir
culated about him was to go through
with the program, which he did.
In this last furry some of Commits
sioner Mason's church friends advised
him that the conduct OF Commissioners
Quinn was calculated to precipitate
trouble and urged him to vote to trans
fer Quinn and relieve the police de-
partment of his insidious influence.
Meanwhile Commissioner Mason had
heard that the grand jury was con.
templating an investigation OF his trans
actions as member OF an insurance
firm with the city government of which
he Is a commissioner and again he was
advised by Quinn that the rumored
grand jury investigation was threat
TO force him to, vote to remove Quinr
from the police department a
Thereupon Mr.. Mason Is quoted 81
saying that they may indict from. nov
Until doomsday, but | VIII not join ii
any effort to remove Mr.. Quinn.
The grounds some have suggested al
sufficient to secure an indictment fol
a. VOCATION OF lTG SetIlOI Oh ING
quoted above, have reference to a bono
made by the Union and Planters Banl
and Trust company for the city de.
posts. The city commission awarded
the city deposits to the bank and the
bank gave the bond to Mr.. Mason't
firm. The bank pays the premium
The bank of course was not solicited
for the bond and the question of where
|'the bond would be placed did not enter
into consideration OF the award Of the
funds to the bank as the city deposit
tory.
Just what relation the reported #
fort to indict Commissioner Mason hat
with the threatened custer against
Commissioner Quinn, If 1t has any, is
not known.
One report is that under direction
from Mayor Monteverde and Commits.
sioner Quinn the police were ordered
to close the dives after Sheriff Perry
started closing them and that after,
ward the divekeepers, gamblers anC
joint proprietors we're notified that only
those that contributed to the campaign
fund for j. j. Williams would be per
mitted to operate. II anyone is disposed
to press the custer II Ia believed thai
ample grounds will be found to warraslt
the action.
zone report has it that Mr.. Mason has
gore to Cincinnati on another insurance
matter.