Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 54, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 October 1912 — BONDSMEN ASKED TO MAKE GOOD [ARTICLE]

BONDSMEN ASKED TO MAKE GOOD

Amounts County Was Swindled Out of By Winamac Bridge Go. SUIT WAS FILED YESTERDAY At Winamac, Demanding S7OO for Swindle on Mjlroy Tp. f Bridge, And Other Actions Will Follow. Suit was filed yesterday, we understand, in the Pulaski circuit court against the Winamac Bridge Co., as a corporatioin, the members thereof as individuals and also the parties who signed the bond of the bridge company in the Mllroy township bridge in this county for graft in which C. L. Bader, president and general manager of the company, was tried and convicted over two years ago in the Jasper circuit court. The county commissioners had not required that one of the bondsmen in public contracts be a resifleßt of this county, hence it was necessary to file the cases in Pulaski county, where the bondsmen reside, and a change of venue will in all likelihood be taken from that county and court.

The title of this particular case filed yesterday is “State of Indiana, on relation of the Board of Commissioners of the County of Jasper and State of Indiana, vs. The Winamac Bridge Company (a corporation), Clinton L. Bader, George Frain, Elsie Hathaway, Morrow Hathaway, Frank P. Wade, Philip Dellinger, John W. Frain and George Wade.”

The complaint sets out the facts concerning the letting otf the contract for this 70 foot bridge, the bond of the bridge company to erect the bridge according to the plans and specifications, and the fact that the work as done was scaled down nearly one-half; that as a result thereof the county has been swindled out of several hundred dollars and a demand is made for judgment of $750. While the old Winamac Bridge Co. has busted up and is not in existence now, the company is liable on its bond l —which is supposed to be good—and it is from, this source that the commissioners expect to recover the some 52.500 .which the report of Prof. Smith of Purdue and other competent engined s show the people were swindled out of by this company on bridgas erected by It in Jasp®r county. The matter of bringing these actions has been under way for several months, but there were many minor details to look up before action could be brought intelligently. John A. Dunlap is the attorney to recover the amounts, and it is necessary to file separate suits on each individual bridge put up by this company, as there was a systematic steal in each and all of them. Other suits will follow a§ soon as the complaints can be drawn up.