ow recall their names. Some middle-aged man came in with
the Harris Brothers. He seemed to have free access to the room where the
salvage committee was in session, and ran back and forth two or three
times and held a conversation with the Harris Brothers in the hall. We
expected the bids to be opened at 1 o'clock. It was now some time after
1 o'clock. We were all waiting there when President Francis came in and
announced that they were going to lunch, and for us to come back later
on. We all left the room and I with several other gentlemen went to get
a little lunch. We were back in the anteroom of Mr. Taylor's office by
2.30 p. in. We waited there until 4 o'clock when Mr. Taylor's secretary
came into the room and requested all the bidders to go into the room
where the salvage committee was in session. The committee met in Mr.
Taylor's office. President Francis, Mr. Taylor, Samuel Kennard, Mr.
Holmes, and some other gentleman, I can not call his name now. President
Francis arose and said: "Gentlemen, the bids are all there on the table
and we will open them shortly." He asked how we wished the bids
handled--that is, whether we wanted them opened in our presence or in a
secret session of the Committee. Mr. H.S. Albrecht, of St. Louis,
immediately arose and stated that he wanted the bids opened in the
presence of the bidders present, as he wanted everything to be open and
above board. All the other bidders present requested that the bids be
opened in their presence, except Mr. Abraham Harris, president of the
Chicago House Wrecking Company, who arose and offered an objection to
the bids being opened in public, and stated that he did not want his bid
to be opened in public, but wanted it opened in private, for the reason
that he did not want everybody to know what his bid was; that if he was
the successful bidder his bid would be published and everybody would
know what it was, but if he was not the successful bidder he did not
want it known what amount he bid. President Francis held a whispered
conversation with several members of the committee and then turned to
the bidders and said: "Gentlemen, we have decided to open the bids in
secret session." He thus favored Mr. Harris and ignored the demand of
the other bidders. Mr. Albrecht again demanded that the bids be opened
in our presence. We were then told to repair to the anteroom and wait
until called for. While we were waiting in the anteroom Mr. Taylor's
secretary called M