The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-01-04
Watt Ho!
Hoosier Mayor Still at
Large; Keeps Court
in Dark.
BY JOE COLLIER
Times stan Writer

Il l. Pursued by Circuit Court
minions and hunted desperately
by the Northern Indiana Power
Co., Mayor Clare w. H. Bangs Of
this city today remained i'm
pudently at large"
The Mayor, in fact, has re-
manned hippity-skippity in front
of the Huntington County Sheriff
every day since, from the very
moment of his inauguration,
Jan. l, he caused his appointed
officers, in violation of a court
order. to hook up municipality
manufactured electric power to
residences formerly served by the
Northern Indiana Power Co.
Although Sheriff o. E. johnson
claims he mas worn "a set of good
tires" off mis- car chasing rumors
that the Mayor was here or there,
all with no success, the Mayor has
been able to be Mayor in fact
while he lowered lin flight"
around the city.
Two of his appointees, James P.
Adkins, superintendent of util-
tiles, and Claude Cline, city attor-
ney, appeared in Circuit Court
last night, to show cause why they
should not be held in contempt.
but the Mayor, also cited to ap-
pear, was not there.
WTHEN his two subordinates
w entered the courtroom
packed with $50 of Huntington's
$4,000 citizens, they we're greeted
with spontaneous applause and a
couple of whistles from the gall
lery. After evidence was taken,
Judge Sumner Kenner announced
at 10 D. m. that arguments and
the decision would have to wait
until 9 tomorrow night.
The militant crowd laughed
when Mr.. Cline, on the witness
stand, mentioned that he had
been riding with Mayor Bangs in
the downtown district the night
before. Mayor Bangs was in his
auto riding over Huntington
County roads during the hearing,
debating to his stenographer eight
columns of news and editorial til
rade against the Northern Indi-
ana Power Co.'S actions.
The dictation appeared on the
streets half hour after the court
session in the Mayors Hunting
ton News, printed on presses, run,
because the power company
turned off his power, by an old
auto engine.
President of Huntington Col
lege from 1915 to 1919, and law
yer, Mayor Bangs has been . foe
of what he claims are unreaSor1-
able power rates for many of his
"A years.
LIE drew his election support
l. i through promises that he
would Immediately make munich
pal power available to residences
and commercial users. Jan. he
called a meeting of the council
for this purpose and its seven
members voted at l p. m. to in
Struct the Works Board to so eX-
tend facilities of the municipal
plant, in operation since 1885.
With the rules suspended, the
Works Board voted to extend the
facilities and, while hundreds
cheered, workmen began installa-
ton of municipal power in a
home. At 4:45 p. m, after this
was completed, the Sheriff served
contempt citations on Mr.. Adkins
and Mr.. Cline and had a restrain
ing order to serve on the Mayor.
City employees said they had
been called at weird hours and
told to do extraordinary things by
the Mayor, who appears to be
available to all but the Sheriff.
THE Mayor announced in his
Il paper that, he intended to
supervise the construction of addi-
tional municipal equipment, prom
Using that thus many needy and
deserving Huntington citizens will
have work for the winter"
In court last night company
lawyers were extremely sarcastic
about the mayors night and ram
bling sessions, calling him every
thing but Night Mayor.
Attorney Fred H. Bowers, rep
resenting the company. asked one
witness who admittedly had seen
the mayor. whether the honor
able Mayor said anything about
stopping this work that he's pur-
suing in the middle of the night"
The crowd laughed and the
witness said that the ,''last word
the mayor said was to stop the
work if it isn't legal"
To this, a large headline in the
mayors newspaper said last night:
Mayor Directs Work" and to-
day, as yesterday. city workmen
kept on stringing wires.