The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-24
THE FOLICE ''BRUTES."
Sentiments Of the Mayor and
Ex-Police Commissioners.
A DEMORALIZED FORCE
Who Is to Blame for the Cor
ruptiOn and Cruelty2

The public mind OF the city was never more In
terested IN local matter than 1t Is at present
corning the recent conduct Of police captains and
privates, as we'll as at the champi0ning which
these persons receive at the hands Of their supe-
riors, the Commissioners. There is but one idea
concerning the recent conduct of Captain Williams,
well as that OF the detective Leahy who is in the
Tombs for murder and is still a detecuve), and the
patrolmen Fitzpatrick and Tuohey, who Ielt justi-
ned in clubbing an inofrensive citizen within an
inch Of his life. Concerning the accusations
against Captains Williams, OF the Eighth pre-.
cnct; McCulagh, Of the Twenty-ninth, ana Cllnchy,
OF the Fourteenth, there are numerous women
who are engaged in the business OF keeping houses
OF i'll fame who express their Willingness to come
forward and swear to having paid these captains
of police sums of money to permit them to carry
on their Illicit trade, but only in case OF Legis.
lative Committee. They state, very truly, that
they do not care to 90 before the Police Board, for
they know well the accusations would be ignored
as to the guilt OF the ocials and they themselves be
subjected to persecution. This 1t would appear, Is
all that deters them from making revelations con-
corning the matter. On the other hand, it appears
to be useless to inform that respectable remnant
Of antiquity, known as superintendent Matsell of
the facts for he ignores them completely.
| Yesterday o HERALD reporter called on His
Honor Mayor Havemeyer, to ascertain his views Of
the recent police outrages as well as of the gentle
men whom he had appointed Police Commissioners.
The Mayor, as usual had
LITTLE HESITATION IN EXPRESSING
those views and the following interview took
place:-
REPORTER-Uave You paid much attention, Mr.
Mayor, to the recent police cupbings and other
outrages9
The MAYoR-Well, to tell you the truth, have
not, thought have heard people talk about them
good deal. suppose the Police Commissioners
able to take care of all this sort of thing That
Is what they are there for.
REPoRTER-But the fact OF the matter is that the
Commissioners rather appear to justify these out
RACES.
The MAYoR-I really don't see how they can do
that. suppose there can be no doubt that these
outrages have really taken place.
REPoRTER-One man was shot to death and
another one very nearly dubbed to death.
The MAYOk-Wen, they've been dismissed, Of
course. The Police Board can do nothing more.
KEPoRTER-Not one Of them has been dis
missed; simply suspended-that's all.
The MAYoR-That's very strange. Such men
shouldn't be permitted to remain on the force
REPoRTER-Mr. Commissioner Gardner's opIn-
ion that he doesn't want gentlemen on the force
may account for it. He says he wants policemen
The MAYoR-Well It was very wrong in Mr..
Gardner to have said anything like tnis-very
wrOng-and don't understand how he can have
said
SUCH INDUSTRIOUS THING
as this. Brutes are precisely what we don't want
the police force. The we have of such police
men as that the better When was Mayor OF New
submit to anything before resortng to the club.
policeman has no business to use it unless he
absolutely considers his life in danger. used to
tell them that they should not even use their
clubs If citizen splts In their face. They are
paid, not to resent their own quarrels but to keep
touch q man because he has q personal alteration
with him. They should be patient, longsunering
are not 1T Tor their positions; and II were COM
missioner wouldn't have them ten minutes on
the force: o. course, in body OF men numbering
over 1000, there will always creep in some bad
ones, who WI commit sctlons WHICH are --ss-.
Tsr IN NO Way JUsTIF1ABff. -s-srssa'S
But encouraging them to be brutes will only make
them worse, and average men are always apt
rather to abuse than use whatever authority they
may have.
conduct OF Captain Williams, Of the Eighth pre-
clnct, before the Board OF Education lew days
SINGER
The MAYoR-Yes believe he acted in rather
extraordinary manner; but then you know there
IS another side to the question: The police are not
forced to come down and answer the questions OF
REpoRTER-Captaln Williams did not come down
when the board OF Ed4cation asked e MN, ont only
by the other Board.
bly, asked him for information he could not give.
REPORTEE-The Information the Board OF Educa-
ton wanted was list OF houses Of Ill lame, which
Captain Williams had in his pocket and refused To
give up.
The MAY0R-The right way for the Board OF Edu-
cation 60 have done would have been to nave gone
to Captain Williams and asked him to close up the
houses which they considered were interfering
with the wellbeng OF their children, and nave
no doubt that some OF them did so, though tnere
are others--qulet places-wnich there Is no neGes-
sity OF interfering with, and no doubt captain VIII
liams would have done 1t.
RHPORTER-1he Board OF Education wanted the
owners and occupants indicted, so as to put an
end to their houses carried on Tor such purposes.
1t Is notorious that the faint attempt which was
made a month ago to close up some houses in
Greene street has simply resulted In three
quarters OF them being again
IN FULL BLAST.
The MAYoR-Yes, that's the trouble. Some
decided action would appear necessary, and, I'M
derstand me, don't, for one moment, defend this
policeman In his tns0lence to the Board OF Educa-
linn wanted thai