San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-03-29
# RANK YOUN c
IS ACQUITTED
OF MISCONDUCT.
Black, Wright and Rieden
Consider City Employe
Innocent.
PFElFFER HOLDS OUT
Wright Says Defendant
Was Told He Was Not
Violating Charter.

Frank l.. Young. head of tine sewer
construction department for the city,
was acquitted by the council We'd
nesday afternoon, following his trial
on charges OF official misconduct filed
| by j. Is. Banks, a time-keepCr i'll the
| engineering apartment. Mayor Black
and Commissioners Wright and RicdCn
voted 10 acauit Young, while Commits
siOncr Pfeiffer voted for conviction.
| Commissioner Ray Lambert, who is
recovering from an attack of influ-
enza. was not at the meeting.
Young was tried on two counts, first
that he had loaned Manuel Silva, Il
pipe layer in the sewer department, to
Il contractor and had appropriated 80
cents of Silva's daily wage to his per-
sonal use. and second that he had
received IS each on manhOles installed
for the city by the Elder Construction
Company.
ACung. on the stand. emphatically
denied having accepted money from
Silva and established the fact that the
SIS received from the construction COM
pany was royalty on patented
maphOle designed nv him, and for
which he and his wife held the patent
rights.
Wright Explains Vote.
Commissioner Phil Wright. in ex-
planning his vote for the acquittal
of Young. expressed the belief that the
defendant was in violation of the city
charter when he became interested i'll
any contract which any man had with
the city. and that it made no differ
ence whether it was Young or his wife
who was interested.
However. Commissioner Wright
said. he was advised by the assist
Iant city attorney that he was not in viO-
lation of the charter. Young was un-
easy about the first opinion given hin
and went to the assistant city attor-
ney for a second opinion. citing See
ton IL OF the city charter. He was
advised that he was not violating that
section. We all admit that Rieden
knew these forms were being used by
the city and that the city was not pay
ing Young a cent for them. Rieden
was bound TO know that the contract
ors were using the same forms. Where
city officials knew what was going
on and didn't stop it, We can't dis
charge this man for it. don't believe
in making Young the goat. He is my
! political enemy. but that doesn't keep
me from giving him iusticc.'
Wright Offers Resolution.
When the vote had been taken.
Commissioner Wright offered Il reSo-
luton prohibiting any city official or
employe from. in the future. being in
terested directly or indirectly in any
contract which anyone may have with
| the city. City commissioners and fore
men were instructed TO see that its
terms and those of Section IL of the
city charter are complied with.
Only one witness was placed on the
stand during the afternoon, j. ID.
DunsmOre. superintendent of streets
for the northern half of the city.
Dunsmore testified that the list of
collections turned in by Young showed
that Manuel Silva had contributed
$3.50 to the Rieden for Reelection
Club. Defense objected 10 this testi-
mony. insisting that the record show
that the $3.50 had been collected by
Charles Davis. a foreman. and turned
over by him TO Young. Defense also
objected to placing Commissioned
Rieden on the stand TO testify TO Il
conversation Young claimed TO have
had with him relative TO renting out
manhole forms to A. ]. Monier.
The case was submitted without ar.
gument and the mayor and commits
siOners retired TO the formers office
where the verdict was reached within
q few minutes. Tho vote was later
taken in open council.