Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 February 1899 — ANOTHER LAWSUIT [ARTICLE]

ANOTHER LAWSUIT

Grow* Out or Jasper County’s White Elephant.—llelnzman Bros. Sue the County for $3,000. Jasper county has another lawsuit on her hands. Heinzman Bros., contractors on the new court house, have brought suit, seemingly to get rid of paying a subcontractor for roofing the court house. The complaint filed, after reciting the provisions of the contract, says the board of commissioners made an order requiring the contractors to purchase stone of the Consolidated Stone Co., “and the plaintiff’s” (Heinzman Bros.) “are informed and believe and charge the fact to be that said order was made in pursuance of some kind of an agreement between said Board and the said Consolidated Stone Co., whereby the or embers of. said Board should derive some individual benefit or advantage by reason of the stone for said building being taken from said quarry.” And in the next paragraph insinuations are made that the Board well knew that equally as good stone could have been had from other quarries than the Consolidated Stone Co., and for less money. The contractors disregarded this order and purchased stone of another company getting a large amount on the ground, when the “Board wrongfully and arbitrarily” refused to accept the same for no other reason than the same had not been purchased of said Consolidated Stone Co., but that after “much talk” and a delay of 60 days the Board received the non-Con-solidated Stone Co’s, stone. That a claim for $2,500 for damages is now pending before the Board for such delay. That the Board let contracts for carpenter work, ornamental plaster, an enormous flag pole, outside of the original plans, and the size and kind of slate and cornice was changed without plaintiff’s consent; that no written contract was entered into with these outside contractors, and that these contracts greatly delayed plaintiffs. They demand $1,764 for raising 7,350 tons above the three - foot air space left out of foundation by architects; $241.20 for lining certain radiator pockets with Tennessee marble instead of cement; $304.67 for preparing certain plans for grading, curbing, cement walks and approaches to court house and for newels and grade lines, etc.; $95.75 for lumber in preparation to lay corner stone. Plaintiffs made a contract with M. E. Humphries & Co., on April 3,1897, for $2,970, to furnish all slate and copper used on court house. The Board changed the size and kind of slate and substituted Terra Cotta for copper on combs of roof, paying therefor $2,000 extra and in addition to the $2,970, the original contract, when the change was worth only S4OO. This contract was to have been completed in 45 days, but delayed the job more than six months, to plaintiffs damage SI,OOO. Plaintiff has been sued by M. E. Humphries & Co., for $2,000, although plaintiff has tendered all that they agreed to Humphries & Co. An accounting with Humphries & Co.* is prayed for and judgment for $3,000 demanded. The complaint covers seventeen pages of type-written manuscript, including the exhibits.