The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-05-11
CITY GOVERNMENT.
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE CITY
COUNCIL.
officers Gill and Rowe on Trial for Inef
ficiency.

Permission was granted j. Larochelle t.
erect and m aintain steam engine for sawin.
wood on Preble street.
Isaac n Sweetsir was appointed specia
policeman without pay.
An ord er that the committee on cemeterie
and public grounds be authorized to remove
tree in front of $50 Congress street, tree OF
Cedar street and one on Oxford street, wa
referred with power.
G. w. Arey, So Middle street, and N. M
Hall, Temple street were licensed as victualer
pool table at 154 Fore street.
Alphonso J.. Davis petitioned to erect
wooden building on Boyd street. Referred
Alderman Deering moved the salary bill b.
asked for from the Common Council where hi
claimed it ought not to have been sent. The
Mayor could see no propriety in asking for it!
return as it could be taken up after the Coun
Gil had acted on it. Mr.. behring's motion was
not seconded.
An order was passed fixing the Mayor.
salary at 81, 800.
An ordinance entitled an ordinance tt
amend section So of the ordinance on streets
laid on the table at the astmeeting, was taken
from the table, read twice and passed to be
engrossed.
st. Lawrence Railroad having declined to pay
the interest ON its bonds due May I'd according
to the agreement of 1861 that the May or be
instructed 10 see the proper steps were taken
for the payment.
An order to purchase pair of horses at q
cost not exceeding 5000, and charge the cost Of
same to the street appropriation, the horses te
be used in the fire department was passed.
The Aldermen receded and concurred with
the Council in passing the salary bill.
X. Mcdonald was granted permission te
maintain steam engine at 227 Federal street
IN COMMON COUNCIL.
The papers passed at the regular monthly
meeting in the Board of Mayor and Alder
men but which failed to reach this board, were
passed in concurrence.
The salary bill was amended by placing the
salary of the City Physician at $500, the
salary of last year, and adding to the order fix
ing the salaries the clause "no subordinate
city officer shall be entitled to any perquisites
except such as named in favor of the City
Clerk and Street Commissioner and as
amended returned to the upper board, having
been passed unanimously in this board.
A petition of X. Mcdonald and others that
filthy and unhealthy matter be removed from
Moody street was accepted and an order
passed that the proper officers abate the
nuisance complained of.
IN JOINT CONVENTION.
In joint convention j. S. Adams and Herbert
R. Sargent were elected surveyors of lumber
E. L. Ring weigher of coal and iron, and T. j
Lynch weigher OF coal and measurer of wood
and bark.
THE POLICE EMRROGLIO.
The Mayor called up before the Board Of
Aldermen the matter of policemen Rowe and
Gill. COL Mattocks appeared for the defense
and Mr.. Hale for the city. The Mayor stated
that he received information of the men
sleeping on their beats and suspected them
He read the following letters in the case:
PORTLAND, March 10, 1881.
Hon: VIM. iSenter, Mayor.
Dear Sir: I have the honor to report police
officers George Fl. Gill and Elery w. Rowe
for neglect of duty, viz: On Wednesday
night. March 8, 1881, officer Gill entered the
stable of Fernald & Sawyer, without permits.
sion, at twenty-five minutes to eleven and
came out at twenty minutes past eleven; came
into the station to lunch: on going from lunch
went directly 10 said stable again, entering
the second time at ten minutes to one, aud re-
manned there until ten minutes past three
Officer Rowe was iii the stable several times
before lunch time, and from two o'clock tc
an tes of I'M do,
night Rowe went into the same stable at five
minutes to one and came out at ten minutes
past three; Gill went into the stable at half
past one aud came out at twenty minutes past
three. @. X. BRIDGES, City Marshal.
WitneSses-Deputy Marshals Jas. S. Black,
Jesse Crowell.
Copy of letters to E. w. Rowe and e. H. Gill
May 6, 1881
Dear Sir: On May 10th, I shall propose
your removal from the police force to this
Board of Alderma n, who will meet on that
evening at y o'clock, on the grounds of un.
faithfuluess and incapacity. Unfaithful-
ness by frequently sleeping on your beat and
in loafing away time unwarrantably Inca
pacity in not being able to do policeman =
duty. Respectfully,
w. SENTER, Mayor.
The Mayor continued, stating that he SYM
pathized with Mr.. Gill, whose father at the
time lay at the point of death. He suspended
the men for ten days without pay. After that
other reports came to him that the two officers
were not and had not been attending to their
duties, and he read a letter from Mr.. Edwin c.
Greeley, crossing tender on the Maine Cen
trail on Congress street, that the officers were
in the habit of sleeping in his signal house
and one from Mr.. George r. futile, that he
had seen them asleep on Hunters steps on
Congress street. The beat on which these
men are stationed, said tho Mayer, requires
but one efficient man; a good man could dc
all the work they have done. He read the
law regarding the app ointment and removal
of policemen.
Alderman ID eering wanted to know where
the Mayor got authority to ask the men for
their designations.
The Mayor replied that he did not ask them
to resign, but only suggested that they had
better.
Alderman Deering thought the com nittee
on police competent to decide whether the
case should come before the aldermen or not.
He said the committee had not been consulted
in che marter. He concluded by making a
motion that the matter be indefinitely post.
poned
This led to long discussion as to what the
law was, the Mayor deciding that it removed
the matter entirely from the hands of the
committee. After hearing the Mayor is
competent to remove, by and with the con.
sent of the aldermen. He then decided Mr.
IooiluS uIotou VI OTuor, duu on an
appeal by that gentleman the Mayor was
sustai ned, five to two-Tukesbury and Deer
ing voting in the negative.
The Mayor then read the following letter
from Mr.. Rowe, a precisely similar one having
been received from Mr.. Gill:
PORTLAND, May 8.
TO Hon. VIM. ,Senter, Mayor Of Portland
My Dear Sir-I am in receipt of yours 81
May 9th. AS the same does not give any idea
OF the specific offences and neglects ON account
of which you are to propose my removal. will
you please furnish me with statement as to
what specific acts Of mine, with time and place
of each, constitute the offences referred to
in your communication. 1 ask this that NAV
be able to properly prepare my defence and 1
also ask you to inform me whether they are not
the same charges for which was suspended
by you March IL. E. W. ROWE.
Officer Gill sent precisely similar letter.
Gen. Mattacks appeared for Mr.. Rowe. He
said the men were ready to meet all charges,
but as far as he could see no specific charges
had been made. The letter of the Mayor con.
tanned insufficient evidence for them to pre-.
pare for defence. He thought it a simple act
of justice that the men should have speciica-
lions and charges i'll writing so that they can
be prepared: He asked the Mayor to have the
charges preferred in writing. He thought il
hardly consistent for the Mayor to be judge
and prosecutor at the same time.
The Mayor replied that it was his duty a:
Mayor to prefer Ethe charges.
Mr.. Chapman here suggested that at the
last meeting certain MINOR city officers were
not chosen because the Council adjourned be-