The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-10-18
OCALA FLORIDA. TUESDAY, OCTOBER Is. 1921
WHY | WAS FIRED


signed as city street superintendent.
/ want to correct this statement. /
did not resign, but was fired. The |
facts in the case are these:
About IL o'clock Sunday afternoon
Messrs. D. E. McIver and A. T.
Thomas were in conversation in front |
of the Munroe & Chambliss Bank I
walked across the street intending to |
tell them of progress being made on
the construction of the oil tank at the
light plant. Mr.. McIver turned and
walked off as / approached. l spoke
to Mr.. Thomas. His reply was 81 do
not like bit the way you are
acting" | asked what about. He re-
piled, "The manner in which you
have handled the Akin matter, and
the publicity given it" l said, "You
told me to find VIII Taylor, didn't
you?" He replied, "Yes, but / didn't
expect you to play detective. I've got
you hired to build streets, and moth
ing else. If you can't attend to that
and let my business alone you can get
off the job. | am alderman in this
town. l said, 'If my actions have
become so unsatisfactory to you, you
may put man in my place" He said
he had man to take the place to-
morrow (Monday) morning.
The Akin matter referred to above
/ desire to make myself plain upon.
Five weeks ago Mr. Akin asked me to
look after his men while he was abb
sent on visit for week. On begin
ming the work Monday morning |
went to the clerks cffice to get copy
IF his last weeks pay roll so as to be
able to check the men out and know
where each one was working. | went
en- the job and located all the men
except one, Will Taylor. asked the
men on the job as to where Will was
working and no one seemed to know
him, saying there was no such man on
the job. / returned to the city build
ing, think he might have been a
man only employed for one week and
had been laid off, but in looking over
the records I found that he had been
OH the pay roll since April. Then
thinking that he might be on some
job that I knew nothing of, and that
he might show up Saturday for his
pay, / reported the matter to Mr..
Thomas, who said that would be all
right,
When Mr. Akin returned | noticed
that on Wednesday he will Taylor)
went back on the pay roll. reported
this matter to Mr.. Thomas. He told
me that if there was such man for
me to locate him and find out where
he was at work | found Will Taylor
working for Messrs. Ray & Thomson
as a mortar mixer on the Costello
building on West Broadway, and he
stated that he had been working for
the same firm for at least five months.
| Mr.. Thomson of the firm verified
| Willis statement. The following week
Will Taylor was again on the pay
roll, which l reported to Mr.. Thomas
and he said he would look after it.
then went to the Munroe & Chambliss
Bank and told Mr.. j. NJ Thomas, vice
president, that there was city check
passing through the bank made pay
i able and endorsed by Will Taylor
and that I wanted to locate this vii
Taylor. Later he reported to me that
i this check was endorsed and casheG
i by Mr.. Akin. The following week
j another pay check was issued to Viii
| Taylor for full time. | stopped Mr.
4 =. Z. T..cmas in order to talk ovel
| ne mate. with him. He said that
would have to e--e~se him as he wa:
not anle to attend to business thai
day, and he would see me next week
/ went to Mr.. Gordon and told hin
that there was man named VII
i Taylor supposed to be working To-
Mr.. Akin, and that wanted to 10
4 cate him to have talk with him. Mr.
| Gordon reported that Taylor coult
Lot be found | then put the matte
, before the city attorney, Mr.. F. r
Hooker. who advised me to report tn
{ matter to Mr.. Thomas. I told hin
Mr.. Thomas was sick. Then he toll
NE to report it to the president of tn
council, which l did.
In retiring from my position a
street superintendent feel that tn
E lpublic is entitled to full explanation
| of the facts as they are.
II ]. R. Martin.
rLo Geo, xryoc xxraU aware that M1