. Taylor's office and asked if any action
would be taken on the bids that afternoon. We were informed that nothing
would be done with the bids that day, and that the salvage committee had
adjourned until the following Monday. I left St. Louis that night for
Chicago. I returned to St. Louis on Monday, November 14, 1904, arriving
there at 10 a. m. Mr. Krug remained in St. Louis all the time. When I
returned to St. Louis Mr. Krug and I went to Mr. Taylor's office. We
reached there about 10 a. m., Monday, November 14. We waited there until
about 2.30 or 3 p. m. While we were waiting in the anteroom Mr. Taylor's
private secretary came in and told us that all bids had been rejected.
We then left the grounds, and Mr. Krug and I returned to Chicago that
night.

I never saw by the papers or otherwise where new bids were requested
after the announcement that the first bids had been rejected. I watched
the papers very closely, as we were desirous of submitting a new bid
when called for.

From what I saw while I was in the anteroom and in the committee room I
am fully convinced that the Chicago House Wrecking Company was given
inside information as to what property was to be sold, and I consider
that they were given privileges and favored from the beginning of the
deal, in view of the fact that a majority of the bidders desired their
bids opened in public, while the Harris brothers protested against such
procedure, and they were sustained in their protest by the salvage
committee.

I have had considerable experience in handling bids and being present
when bids are opened, and I never before saw such proceedings as took
place in the meeting room of the salvage committee on November 10, 1904.

I am sure that had the Exposition Company properly advertised the sale
and furnished a list of the property to be disposed of, which I have
since seen published in a catalogue gotten out by the Chicago House
Wrecking Company and listed in the contract between the Exposition
Company and the Wrecking Company, was turned over to the Chicago House
Wrecking Company, that much higher bids would have been made, and
considerably more money realized from the sale than they received from
the Chicago House Wrecking Company.

Between the 15th and 20th of December, 1904, I came in possession of one
of the catalogues that the Chicago House Wrecking Company sent out,
showing all the property they had for disposal. It contained cuts and
descriptions and