Pittsburgh's Kline

Charles Howard Kline is the only man ever to be Mayor of Pittsburgh twice in succession. Last week he was convicted of malfeasance in office after an investigation into city purchasing methods begun last year (TIME, July 6). The trial was held at Butler, Pa., a change of venue having been granted the defendant because of high feeling about the case in Pittsburgh. Also convicted was onetime City Supplies Director Bertram L. Succop. Wartime infantry colonel, whom Mayor Kline dismissed when the investigation began but whose testimony at the trial exonerated the Mayor from "conspiracy" and "evil intent."

On one of his trips abroad, Mayor Kline was decorated by Premier Mussolini of Italy, a fact which he noted when defending himself against the specific charge of advancing $5,000 to a dealer who subsequently sold the city some second-hand trucks. One of the charges against onetime Director Succop was that he accepted "trick bids" from vendors of meat to city institutions. According to the prosecution, butchers manipulated such bids by offering fancy meats at 1-c- per lb., boiling meats at 30-c- to 50-c- per lb. The total bid would appear low, actually was high for the goods received since the city purchased no fancy meats.

Mayor Kline faces the penalty of a year in prison, $500 fine and removal from office. Both defendants asked retrial.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.