St. Paul daily globe., 1889-02-09
Sensational Stories Affecting
the Chief Of the Fire II
LaddieS. !
Assistant Kellihep Walks the
Plank at Short No af .
tiee. - /
Crafty Detectives Lay q Trap
and Quickly Snare Taeir
Prey. H

IeSteu tGSteIUdy dltSiuOOu III uiS OilCG
by Sheriff Bean on warrant sworn out
by John Black, chief of the fire depart
ment. The warrant practically accuses
Burns of an attempt to biackmail the
chief. Burns was taken to the nunici-
pal court and held in $1,000 bonds. his
attorney, Henry Johns, secured his
bonds last evening. and he was released
until Monday morning, when the trial
oc urs. His bondsmen are Messrs.
Foley and Donnelly.
The facts leading up to this arrest
date back to the coming to st. Paul of
/, Chief Black in 1888. when paid fire
department was organized. In weed
ing out incompetent members of the old
department, and owing to the fact that
he had been brought in from abroad,
Chief Black incurred the enmity of a
certain eIement which has
FOUGHT HIM EVER SINCE.
For year or more until late last fall
the trouble was very quiet. Suddenly
the st. Pau! Herald came out with an
article which in substance accused the
chief of leWdneSs with the wife Of a
fireman and of having thrashed the fire
man who was alleged to have given the
affair away. This article has been fol-
lowed by others every week, accusing
the chief of wife-beating, immortality
and good many other sins. Tie avowed
intention of these articles was to
prevent the reelection of Chief Black
this spring. None of these charges
were made openly, but were accom-
panied with the statement that they
could be proven at the proper time.
Last Monday eX-Detective n. W. King,
of Minneapolis. arrived in st. Paul, and,
with the aid OF Detective Quinlan, set a
trap for Burns. They made his ac-
quaintance, and in confidence he re-
Yealed that he intended to
PUBLISH ANOTHER ATTACK
on Black this week. King, as an old
friend of the chiefs, objected to this
and asked what it would cost to sup
press it. Burns, so King claims, offered
to keep it out for 500, upou which
King gave him $40 then and 800 after
wards. ten-dollar bill, two
twenties and fifty. 1t was all
marked So that it could be identified
Burns gave receipt for the money. in
which il was stated that he agreed mol
to publish an article upon Chief Black
for the amount received. Having their.
proof and, it is claimed, much more dam
aging testimony not revealed yet, the
detectives gave the signal for the arrest
which followed. The board Of fire COM
missioners will meet Mondcy night,
unless special meeting is held before.
Chief Black entered Central fire hall
called Second Assistant Chief Kelliher
to his office. The chief asked kelliher
if he had seen Burns at the Clarendon
that day and talked with him. Capt.
Kellher said that he had not, but upon
being asked second time the same
question made no answer. The Chief
asked Capt. Keliiher. What are you
trying to play me for."'
II am not trying to play you for any
thing was the response.
''YeS. yen are.
swell, what if | amp
"You met Burns at the Clarendon
hotel to-day" said Chief Black, ''and in
the presence of two witnesses said to
him.
Go ahead and get your warrant out
and we will subpoena his Blacks wife.
We will put her ON the stand and ask
her il her husband did not strike her.
Then she will have to tell the truth, ,and
we have got the s. of a b. Go
and hire Erwin, O'Brlen or some other
good attorney. will see that you are
paid
Kelliher neither denied nor affirmed
that he had said this, whereupon the
chief ordered him to give up his star.
which he refused to do. Chief Black
suspended him from further service,
and the captain left the department at
once.
Chief Black SAID last evening to a
representative of the GLOBE:
.'When the st. Paul Herald and this
man Burns first began their attacks |
did not deem them worthy OF notice,
understanding that their purpose was
not only blaekmail. but renewed effort
on the part Of a certain clique to remove
me from this department because [
chose to be chief and to run 1t for the
entire city and not their benefit. My
views as to the blackmail were con-
firmed when over six weeks ago [ was
approached and told that l could cause
the attacks to cease by
COMING DOWN WITH MONEY.
"When Burns began to be so abusive
that for my own protection, the good of
the department and the honor of de-
fenseleSs women, was forced to act, l
did so by entrapping Burns with the aid
of detectives into accepting money for
tiiC SuDptCSSftl vi tlClC IClOttltS W
me, and which was to have been pub
Iished this week. Since I have been
chief of thus fire department there has
been an element in the city whose sole
object has been to down John Black.
Everything that could be done to
hamper the departments work, to
SANDER my name and to inspire dissen-
sion in the department has been tried.
| NV private affairs and everything that
is sacred to man were the targets for
their foul SANDERS. Yet in all this time
they have never dared to bring
one public charge against me sus-
tanned by any evidence. | am
not worrying my head about them, and
as to their charges [ court the fullest
kind of an investigation. desire Moth
ing more than that they should face the
public and assert what they hitherto
have said behind my back. / suspended
Capt. Kelliher because he was false to
my administration and because he was
in collnsion with this man Burns. No
man can stay. in this department who
does not do his duty in the fullest sense
OF the word. The department belongs
to the city, and l am here to protect the
city's interests. AS long as | remain:
the department will be run for no one
but the city. | have taken decisive
steps to protect myself and to give this
element full swing for what they have
TO say"
Editor Burns was seen by GLOBE
reporter last evening and stated thatyhe
had employed counsel and would fight
his accusers in-the courts. He denied
emphaticaiIy having received money
from Chief Black or his agents. In
speaking of the charges against him he
said:
"But even had taken money to sup
press the publication of facts derog
atory to Chief Blacks reputation, there
would have been nothing criminal in
that. As to the charges published in
the Herald regarding the man who at
present is in charge Of the st. Paul fire
department, stand right where did
10 xrora xx-ritfnn oDI .,uhIichpd