Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-14
A FARCICAL INVESTIGATION.
NO Facts brought Ont, but Plenty
40 Think About.

|
The committee, composed OF Councilmen
S. M. Perry. chairman. and J. Kuhrts and
E. W. Jones, members. appointed to inves
tigate the charges preferred against Chiei
of Police Davis by officer Fonck, met at the
Council Chambers yesterday afternoon at /.
O'Clock. Neither party was represented b.
counsel. With the exception of DR.. Baker
Health officer, ex-Chief King, ex-Chie
Cuddy and Mrs. Fonck, all the witnesses
called were police officers. All witnesse.
were placed under the rule, being excluded
with the exception of the one testifying.
DR.. Baker, the first witness called, knew
nothing about the charges, except by hear.
say, and refused to answer the question put
by Fonck, whether he had ever played him
self in gambling house, because it would
criminate him.
officer Fonck then took the stand. He
testified in substance that when Davis went
into office, Captain Keller came to him and
made him proposal, which he said eman-
ated from Chief Davis, to the effect that
they might as well make something out of
the Chinese gamblers. lie proposed that
they should 'letthem play and pay" Da-
Wis told Fonck the next day that he had no
objection to the Chinese gam mb1ing, but that
he would not let white men do So. Fonck
then sent for Chong Wo, Chinese gambler,
who came to his heuse to meet Chief Davis.
Instead OF the Chief, Keller came, and the
Chinaman refused to make his arrange.
ments with him. He wanted to deal with
the Chief personally. Fonck had no further
knowledge of what was done Afterwards,
excepting that the dens In Chinatown were
in full blast and not interfered with by toe
regular officers on duty. He charged that
In July last he found gambling house run
ming at ID N. .pring street, up stairs, and
advised the Chief 1t. The Chief offered
Fonck s25 to catch the gamblers. Fonck ex-
planned his plans to Davis, in which an un-
protected window played q great part.
Though the Chief offered him five men to
help in the raid. he could not avail himself
was then protected. The officer referred to
several other cases to prove that Davis was
aware that games were running aud in what
places. Finally he claimed he was pre-
pared to raid the gambling houses on the
selves who advised the gamblers on the
night before, so that they all closed up.
, he Chief forbade the witness positively TO
make any raid without his consent once
when he and Weed had pulled" forty
eight Cinnamon playing tan
Councilman kuhrts. Is 1t not fact that
you have made such charges against every
Chief of Police about election time?
A. 1t is not so | have only made one
Mr.. K1hrts made his usual reference to the
time he was in the Council before aud said
that Elk Chief Harris had also pulled off the
witnesses star
This the witness denied and explained
that 1t was quite another officer who had
thus been punished. He here took occasion
to tell the Committee that they were de
Tending the Chief, instead OF hearing
officer Benedict, called, said that any
thing of a confidential nature that had
passed between him and Davis or Fonck
he would not divulge. He admitted that
Davis had implied to him that as he was
goiag to keep the office only one
year he would make all he could. Capt.
Keller denied that it was he who approached
Fonck, but said that it was the latter
who wanted Keller to approach Davis in re-
gard to the Chinese gamblers, He denied
everything that Fonck had said, but could
not answer the pertinent question put by
Fcnck why he did not arrest him IL 1t was
he who was trying to get the Captain and
otherwise than by saying: "Your star has
been taken off half dozen times for disor-
derly conduct"
Mrs. Fonck testified that she saw Ket-
Ter at her house and overheard him say that
the Chief had sent him there to NIX the
Police Officer Weed testified that Davis
never put stop to the raids but wanted to
be notified He did not seem to like the
raid they had made on the Chinamen.
Police Officer Romans knew nothing
either one way or the other and that was
also Jackson's fix
Officer Horner never knew OF Davis OBJ
structing the men in raiding or OF taking
bribes to let gambling go on.
Q. Do you know whether there Is any
gambling going on now!
A. Only by hearsay. ! have never been
in one.
Councilman Jones: Are we to have hear
Fonck (excitedly) If you stand in with
the Chief then am gone! ITO Horner): Are
you not now collecting money for Chief
Davis from the Chinamen?"
A. Never in my life.
A. No. 1 have borrowed money of him
and returned 1t.
Q Did not you and Davis have CONVEX
sation last night friday in which 1t was
proposed to offer me 5000 to withdraw these
charges?
A. Never In my life.
Fonck wanted Chung Wo called but he
could not be got.
Ex-Chief King testified that Fonck had
been suspended by him for unruliness.
Fonck wanted to explain, but Coucilman
Kuhrtz interrupted him with snariy: ~
is not necessary, ] know all a1out IT.
Fonck was finally allowed to explain. "
cuts no figure in this case.
Officer Mannon knew nothing about gam
bling; had heard something somewhere
about such thing, but that was all.
CHE. che. Davis branded all the charges as
false in all particulars. he might have
made mistakes. Believed there was gam
bling going on, but 1t was hard to eaten the
gamblers He could only account for the
fact that the gamblers got scent Of the pro.
posed raid OF October IL by the fact That
some one might have overheard DR.. sinsa-
hotrub Failing hi m the afternoon OF the
18th that gambling ought to be stopped.
That evening several persons reported to
him that the dens were closed; none Oh
those who fold him were policemen.
Ex-Chief 4. ]. Cuddy testified as TO the
character of Fonck as an officer. lie SAID
that though he knew nothing against Fonck
he did not like him for an officer =,
This concluded the evidence, and the
committee adjourned to report at the Coun-
Gil meeting to morrow.