The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-12-10
THE POLICE AND THEMAYOR
Orders Given to Close the
Gambling Houses.

The Mayor and police met at Polic'
Court Room yesterday for the pur
pose of investigating charges that had
been made against certain officers il
regard to being off duty, etc.
The only charge filed was that o.
the city marshal against Officer Jack
son for being off of his beat so he could
not be found on the night of Decem
Der 4th. The marshal claimed that
diligent search had been made on that
occasion for jackson and he could not
be found. jackson, however, claim
ed that he was on duty that night and
could prove it, but would not do SO
until some proof had been introduced
positively that he was not. The
claim that the Marshal was not able
to find him then, he did not regard as
proof that he was absent from duty.
The beat in question is on Main street
and is very large. The case was con.
tinued until next Saturday, when
another meeting will be held;
The mayor said that Sedalia had
long ago passed from the condition OF
village to that of a city and what
would answer then would not do at
all now and he should expect every
officer to live up to the rules in every
particular, under penalty of dismissal.
He said that a number of charges
against various officers had been
made to him, but all of the cases he
had investigated proved to be incor.
rect. He called particular attention
to Sections 2, 5 and 10. of the Rules
and Regulations, which are as follows {:
1.-The use of intoxicating liquors is
positively prohibited, and resorIing to
public houses, bawdy houses, saloons.
assignatiou or any other houses of q public
nature, unless called in officially, with not
be tolerated"
"5.-No policeman shall accept an invi-
tation to drink or 60 into saloon, for that
or any other purpose, except on official
business, under penalty OF being immed'
lately dismissed"
"l0-All members of the police force
shall be deemed to be always on duty"
81 am going to insist hereafter, +"
said the mayor, ''that every rule and
ordinance shall be enforced to the
letter. That is what the city pays for
and What it is entitled to have. There
are numerous bawdy and gambling
houses in this town which must be
broken up and driven out. / have
in my pockets now dozens of letters
complaining of these things. Some
of these gambling houses run on a
high scale and l have trustworthy in
formation that number of prominent
men, holding high places of trust are
losing large sums every night-one of
them 1 learn lost 81 900 in a single
night. The money may, or may not
be theirs and perhaps they can afford
to lose it, but that makes no differ
ence. 1t is your duty to close up
the places where such gambling is
done"
The Mayor got warmed up while
speaking on the gambling question
and said, 81 am going to give you
until our meeting next Saturday to
find out those places and if you do
not l will tell you where they are.
How you are to get at them, l don't
know, Lut l will tell you and you
must devise some way to reach them.
1 want the people to understand
that the police are working harmon
iously and except for a slackness of
iicipline which has ia some way crept
IN, the force is in good condition. 1
am proud of the force now. 81 am
satisfied that every charge or COM
plant that is or has been made by
he public originates through a
ack of dicipline and that from this
lime ON they will entirely cease and
he force will give perfect satisfaction.
The meeting occupied an hour
from II to 1 O'clock-and all of the
,ficers, except Bledsoe, were pres
ant