The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-10-21
COUNCIL NOT CONVINCED
Evidence Against Sanitary Inspector
Akin Was Not Strong
Enough

Feeling that there was not conc1us-
i've evidence shown to establish the
guilt of Mr. j. w. Akin, and not wish
ing him to remain in suspense until
further investigation could be made,
the city council by a secret ballot
voted last night that Mr.. Akin was
not guilty.
The council chamber was filled to
capacity when the time of the meet
ing came and the late arrivals had to
stand in the hall ard hear what little
they could through the open door. The
roll of councilmen was called at 7:30
with all members present. Mayor
Anderson and City Attorney Hooker
were present in the interest Of the in
vestigation.
Mr.. Akin first called in three of his
negro workmen who testified that
they had given Mr.. Akin authority to
endorse their checks and get the cash
for them before paying them off. The
negroes said it saved them consider
able trouble to have their money in
cash instead of the checks. In cross
examination of each of these negros
Mayor Anderson found that none of
them knew Will Taylor. One of the
three testified that he had seen
tall, yellow, rather slender negro with
Mr.. Akin, but did not know him per-
sonally.
The next witness was w. A. Ander-
son, an old negro working in the san
itary department. Anderson testified
that he had seen the tall, thin, yellow
negro with Mr.. Akin when he made
his rounds of the work but Anderson
did not know the negro's name nor
where he lived. Anderson said he had
no. seen the missing man. for the last
two weeks. Anderson has been work
ing with Mr.. Akin for the past three
years and said that this unknown ne
gro had been seen on the job off and
on for almost a year.
Mr.. Akin next called negro barber
and pressing club proprietor, named
Dave Dickson. Dickson testified that
he knew Will Taylor. He said he first
saw him in his barber shop sometime
about last March but that he did not
know his name until some time in
May, when Taylor told him he wanted
a shave and haircut on credit and
then told him he was working with
the sanitary department and would
get his money Saturday He said that
Will Taylor was in his shop two or
three times weeB from then on un-
til the last of August or the first of
September, and that he had not seen
him since then. He described Taylor
as being about five feet 10 inches in
height, brown skinned and weighing
something less than $50 pounds. He
said that Taylor never went with any
other negroes so far as he knew and
that he always came to the shop alone.
He said Taylor would talk to the other
men in the shop but was rather quiet
ard did not bother with anybody else
He knew of no friends of Taylor's,
nor did he know where Taylor lived
while in 0cala. He said that he had
also seen Taylor loafing in Green's
place.
This was the last witness that Mr..
Akin desired to place on the stand.
Mayor Anderson and the council then
questioned Mr.. Akin for a short
while Mr.. Akin stated that the rea-
sen Will Taylor was not known to
any of the other workers in the sani-
tary department was because Taylor
was working in the sewers. He fur
ther stated that he had not found it
necessary to have regular man for
the sewers until within the last year
but that now small fine roots were be-
ginning to grow through the sewer
pipes and that it took one mans time
to keep them cleaned out. He said that
Taylor was in the sewers and in the
fiushers most of the time and this
gave very little opportunity for the
other workmen to know him. Mr.. Akin
did not know where Taylor lived.
Mayor Anderson stated that he had
spent the entire day searching for
someone who knew VIII Taylor He
had questioned fifty or seventy-five
negroes with not a single man having
seen or heard of him. He asked that
the council continue the investigation
luntil some one could be found who
Icculd produce Win Taylor.
| It was the opinion of the council in
"A general talk that II Mr.. Akin was
lguiIty he should be discharged at