The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-04-09
THEY MEET AT LAST.
ItComes Late, But Then 1t Does Come
Fire and Police Commissioners
Take Up the Saltmarsh Case.
Their Scheme to Bring the Fugitive
Back Profound Secret.
President Hadden and His Attitude
In tho Affair.
Most of the Stealing Established, He
2 Says Occurred While He Was Sick
VIII tho Amount Be Paid and
Settle the Case9

discovered against Charles T. Saltmarsh, and
three days after that worthy had silently
siolen away the Board Of Fire and Police
Commissioners held a meeting to discuss the
case.
1t occurred yesterday morning in the
office of Chief of Police Davis, with closed
doors.
President MADDEN was seen by an APPEAL
reporter during the afternoon, but had little
to say concerning the meeting. He admitted
that it was held to consult about the Salt
marsh steal, and finally let go the informa-
ton that "saltmarsh will be captured and
brought back TO answer for his crime-if
there was anynl Mr.. Hadden further stated
that the commissioners had determined to
utilize every means TO accomplish this end,
under the laws of the State, but when re-
minded that the State had no money appro-
priated TO bring criminals back, and asked
where the money would come from, the
President said he didn't know-maybe the
Governor would offer reward. He did not
even say that use of the means at hand had
begun-merey that the commissioners had
so determined. II the police have COM
menced work at all, 10 any creditable extent
II was only done yesterday, and Of this there
Is no particular claim. For charity's sake,
give them credit for having begun yesterday,
and how does IL stand2 Saltmarsh, more
than likely, left here Friday morning
though IL Is claimed by some he left In the
afternoon Of that day. by this time. II he
went in that direction without delay, he
could have been near II not safe in, Canada.
President MADDEN could not find IL in his
heart 10 censure any one for any pars Of the
affair. lie claimed that most Of the stealage
40 far discovered took place during the pc
Rod Of his illness. According TO scrgt
Hackctt, the examination covered the latter
part OF 1887, up TO and including a part Of
June, 1885, and three months OF the present
year-a sort OF rambling investigation. Mr.
Hadden's explanation Of irIegularity In nit
timuses Is In this wise: One or more people
are cited TO appear for trial in the Police
Court for failure TO lay a sidwalk or comply
with the sanitary ordinances. They were
: not there, and when the cases were reached
lac would fine them. Mittimuses were then
made out and given 10 officers for collection
some OF them. may be. day or two after
ward. When the officer found his man he
sometimes discovered that the work for fail
ing to do which the party had been fined,
was done. The officer then, as was the case
numbers Of times telcphoncd him how the
matter stood, and asked what 10 do with the
mittimus Generally he would reply over
the wire 10 hold II up. Then the officer
would come 10 the station, announce what had
beef told him, and the Inducements were
made by Sa. tmarsh. "But instead OF sending
those mittimuses up 10 me 10 be signed in
court the next morning the station-house
keeper laid them away. In going over those
great stacks Of mittimuscs during this In.
yostigation," said Mr.. MADDEN, "and bring
ing them up for me 90 sign, | remembered
the circumstances surrounding eyory one Of
them. IL was no trouble at all. They
didn't hit me with hardly single one that
didn't know all about" The cases were
for about sixteen months or more.
Asked why Chief Davis and his associates
didu' arrest Satmarsh while ho was here,
when they frt found hc was wrong, Mr..
MADDEN SAID: Suppose they had arrested
him, and everything should have turned
ont all right That would have been n
pretty state, now, wouldn't itY'
But they had proof enough that every
thing was not all right" the point was In
sisted.
"well. don't know. suppose they
thought he wouldn't run away. I see what
you are after. You are working 10 the
point 10 show that there was extreme loose
ness In the matter"
That's the point exactly"
"Wcll, have done everything | conld.
There have been worse cases here than that
and they didn't kill us. Look, also. at the
IMAM Tate, Of Kentucky. After all the pre-
cautions taken he got away with hundreds
of thousands Of dollars"
But his accounts were investigated, In n
J way, az least once In n while. Here there
has been no investigation nj all. saltmarsh's
. tpllferings were 10 bold, that had there been
: 'nny investigations they could not have gone
ON very long could theyY
''No, suppose not. ID was long aud sys.
tcmntic pilfcring, such a. could be done by
Joe Williams over in the Trustees Office,
II he were 10 disposed"
aDo YOU mean 10 say that the County
Trustee could continue pilfering from the
city funds that long, Without being dis
coycrcdY'
why, certainly; be might be caught ~
we are continually checking the money
out"
than three days" interrupted Secretary Pull
len. 81 check up with him every day, and
he would be caught up with la three days
n there was anything wrong"
'Had any information ever reached you
that the regular investigation Of station
house business was 20 be taken up by the
Grand Jury IN May7 Did that prccipitate
an investigation by Chief Davis and the two
III never heard anything about e. I
thought the kick by Chastaine brought II
about
well, the Gand Jury was going TO take Il
mp IN May the oAncfh Tor " hhd nlfchdy
been selected, and the remaining prclimina-
riCs arranged
Experts Now what are cxpcrtsY'
"Why, men who know something Of book
keeping"
WHAT can they do with those booksg'
Probably more than Chief Davis and
Scrgcanis llaycr and llackott who know
nothing about books"
"wcll. the investigation Of them by the
Grand Jury may proceed, just ~ though
nothing had happened, aud as Il has right
TO do 10, | shall throw no stumbling block
IN the way. I'm mighty sorry the thing
has come up do not believe any one else
g. involved, nor do believe any citizen has
suffered, further than NJ n taxpayer. It's
lust one Of those things that, Il seems will
come up, In spite Of everything. There's
81 one thing viii say, that Il Il the iirst thing
In city Affairs the Grand Jury has touched
IN which there was anything wrong. / be-
lievc II does exist there"
FROM other things which Mr.. Hadden
said, II need not surprise the public II Salt
marsh. through some friendly agency
should turn up and pay over his shoriagr
In that event. as Mr.. MADDEN yeniurcd, I'VE