Show WILKERSOUTS CHARGES CONTRACTOR NOT READY TO PRO CIEtED AGAINST KELSEY The City Council Met as a Committee of the Whole antI Continued the Hearing Until AVcdnesdoy Evening Even-ing Next S Contractor Wilkinson was not prepared last night t prosecute the charges against City Engineer Kelsey It is now ten days since the complaint was filed with the council but when that body assembled In committee of the whole last night the contractor stated he was not prepared to g on Mr Kelsey on the other hand stated he was ready at anytime any-time tmeI was after S oclock before a sufficient suffi-cient number of members to constitute a quorum arrived and behind this apparent appar-ent lack of interest there is a story Contractor Con-tractor Wilkerson yesterday notified near ly every member of the council that it would be useless to go down as he was unable to present his case President Newell was among the number so no tilled and he in turn stated that there would be no meeting despite the fact that it had been regularly cahed While it was openly asserted by several of the in terested parties that the contractors main object in telling certain members not to attend was that he desired the presence of those friendly to his side it was pioiDaDiy wuhout inundation in fact for Mr Wrlkerson appeared ahd gave reasons for reaons wanting postponement Counciman Lloyd wa made chairman of the meeting which proved of short duration Wilkerson at prove addressed himself to the body and stated that he was sorry he was not ready to proceed with the hearing In the first place the notice of the meeting had not been served upon him until yesterday morning but the main reason was that his attorney Parley L Williams was out of the city He would therefore ask for a postponement postpone-ment until some time after next Monday night Attorney Straup representing the city engineer said he did not desire to take engneer any advantage of Mr Wilkerson but he submitted there were not sufficient charges against his client to a arrant any continuance The entnuance excuse suggested by Mr Wilkerson that his attorney was out of the city wa scarcely serious As was well known there were other members of Mr Williams firm who were well capable ca-pable of taking charge of the case The party who prefers charges said Mr Straup occupies a different position from that of a defendant and had Mr Wiker son really bee in earnest he would have had an attorney present then and thereIn there-In conclusion he thought upon the showing show-ing mae Engineer Kelsey was entitled to a discharge Newel moved for a postponement until next Friday night but it developed that the Republican party will then have one of its numberless primaries and a discussion dis-cussion waS precipitated Buckle said he had looked into the charges and frets satisfied there was nothing noth-ing in them ahd S far as he was concerned decide the mat cerned he was willing to deide ter right t en and there or at any times and that the accusations would not b sustained and that without a hearing After some further debate Wednesday night next was fixed as the time for investigating in-vestigating the matter and the session came to a close cme |