The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-11-05
"EYlDENr CNOUKEDNEss.n
A Foolish Remark of Porter smith's-Tht
Real Facts.

Real Facts.
The Rcgis.Sr, Porter Smiths organ, in
its issue OF yesterday quotes Smith as say
ing, in reference to the watch OF Joseph
Schmidt, and the discharge OF Officers
Barum and Croughan:
HE had made minute inquiries into
the case, and had been convinced the
officers were guilty Of crookedness and de-
served TO be summarily dismissed from
the force"
The Register adds as an item Of news:
THE whole matter has been laid before
Sheriff Handlan and Prosecuting Attor-
ney Jordan, and it may be- that later de-
velopments will lend additional interest to
the story"
The statement quoted from Smith, and
the other statement given OH the Registers
own authorityP do the two ex-otlicers
grave wrong. Tuesday evening tele-
gram wgE sent by this paper TO Chief
Blackmore, at Pittsburgh, inquiring II the
receipt held by Barum was genuine and
the case straight. This WAS not done be-
cause 1t was believed either Barum or
Cfoughan had been guilty OF any crooked
ness, but to make assurance doubly sure.
The telegram wasnotdelivered until yester-
day. Last tveningth following response
was received:
OFFICE OF CHIEF OF Police,
rIrTeaURGH, Pa, Nov. 4, 1885. !
To the Editor Of The MseIiOeneer.
SlR:-This morning l received tele-
gram from Wheeling, signed INrELLI.
q a n ins fVtsvn Iaa
Blrum for the Joseph Smith watch. I
would state to you that everything is
straight. Tho watch was in pawn in this
city for S?j, and Detective Gumbert told
Joe to collect Tor his (Gumbort's) trouble.
He told him h6 ught to get so from
Smith, ~ it was a valuable watch. Twill
also inform you how Joe came TO BE- in
this case. After Chief Smith was up to
flud out. what he could in the Grub case,
| think Ge.was not satisfied with what l
said to him about ii, and few days after
he cent telegram 70 my chief OF detec-
tiyes about the wa;ch, instead Of sending
to me. then notified ny men II they
found the watch to hand it over to me,
and l would send it to one OF Smiths sub.
ordlnstes. Yours very respectfully,
I. A. BLACKMoRE, Chief.
Before Porter Smith gets through ex-
planning to the friends Of Barum and
Croughan why 1t was that he bounced
these two men from his force, he will have
given more reasons than he did for being
at Cara Moss's house on the night OF July
1, Last. That was the night that he was
there drinking beer and in state Of COM
Portable fulness. A 6ght took place Oh
the outside, but Porter was too full TO
dare venture out and stop the racket. He
gave numerous varying reasons for being
IN the Moss house that night. lie is now
giving various reasons for bouncing two
Of the best men he had on tho force. In
additions to the reasons he published yes
terday in his personal organ, the Regttsr,
he told one party that Barum had gone to
Pittsburgh without his consent and had
not reported promptly once or twice, and
therefore he had bounced him. Blrum,
when he went to Pittsburgh aud was gone
longer than Smith says he expected him
to be, went up for the purpose Of paying
over to his brother 500 that he borrowed |
from him at the time Smith was making
his canvas, and which he used literally
in electIoneering for his ungrateiul Chief. |
Smith knew that he was going to Pitts |
burgh for that purpose at that time. The |
other occasion that Barum went to Pitts.
burgh he wen. up and back the same day |
and was not absent from his beat at all.
1t is doubtful il Smith has done anything
that hos estranged more OF his friends
than his unjust treatment Of Barutn and
Croughan.
The Register OF yesterday, in Tia account
Of the discharge Of the two officers, had
very gauzy paragraph about Oroughan
having in bis possession pair OF diamond
earrings. Those earrings he took to
Grubb's jewelry store to have broken
catch fixed. Mr.. Grub says that they
were brilliants, that had regular diamond
lustre when polished up, but with their
settings were not worth at the most more
than s. or Sc. The idea Of sane man
saying that he would get reward OF SIS
for pair Of diamonds like these, 0s 1t APP
pears from the Registers article that
Croughan did, is simply ludiCrous.