The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-13
THE SULLIVAN CASE.
Testimony Tends to Exonerate
the Lieutenant.
ORDERED THE FIGHT STOPPED.
Police Commissioners Investigate the
Charges Against the Onicer-No
Decision Reached.

deorge Shafer, one of the contestants. was
Killed, to take place in the Peoples thea
ter Saturday morning last. He produced
witnesses to prove that the moment he ar
rived at the theater he stopped the fight,
and he gave an account of himself as to
where he had been for the entire night. 1t
was evident the commissioners were in
favor OF reinstating the lieutenant, but
they deferred their findings until some fu-
ture time.
Although the board was adjourned to
meet at z 80 o'clock, it was $50 O'Clock be-
fore Mayor White called the commission
ers TO order. All were present except Mr..
Manning, who is in California. The in
vestigation was carried on in the house of
delegates hall. Officers were stationed at
the doors and none but witnesses were
allowed to be present.
At $50 O'Clock the following charges by
Chief Monroe were read by Deputy Clerk
Drown
have the honor to report that on February
8, 1891, suspended from duty Lieutenant Phil
Sullivan OF the police force of said city. pending
investigation, upon information furnished me
by the public press and certain individuals. tor
neglect OF duty, as follows: Said LieuteP=ns
sullivan was present at a certain prizefght or
sparring exhibition, which took place at a
public place OF amusement in said city. known
as the Peoples theater. on Saturday, February
Z, 1891. which said prizefight OF sparring ex-
hib1taon is reported to have resulted directly or
indirectly in the death of one of the contestants
and said Lieutenant Sullivan, as am informed,
witnessed said prizefight or sparring exhibition
while in the performance of his duty as a mem
Der of the police department of said city, and
did not terminate said prizefght or sparring
hibition, but permitted the same to continue
Lieutenant Sullivan was represented hy
no attorney. He conducted his own case
At the request of the board. City Attorney
Lyon, who was present, questioned the
witnesses.
j. G. Sturgeon, a railroadman, said:
Il was present at the Peoples theater
last Saturday morning and saw the whole
fight between Shafer and Doyle. | was in
the second box from the stage, on the left
hand side, and | also saw Lieutenant Sulli-
van there. 1t was about the sixth round
when / saw him come in. He called Con-
sidine and ordered the fight stopped"
Ibid you see him in the theaier before
he stopped the 6ght?'
'No. just saw him come in
Commissioner Ledgerwood asked:
WAS it hard or brutal fght?"
mo, it was a rocky affair-some slug
ging done. A couple Of old women would
have made better fight"
Charles p South, reporter of the Tcle-
graph, testified:
Il saw the fight. / was present in an
official capacity-as a reporter. I arrived
there about | 80 o'clock in the morning
and remained until 2:30. | knew there
was going to be a fight, for | saw it adver-
tised. / was detailed to be there. The
fight was a poor one, or would be con-
sidered such by men who are familiar with
prize-ring tactics. There was no show of
self-defense by either of the contestants
Each mans aim seemed TO be to hit the
other as hard as he could. 1t was slug
ging match. saw Lieutenant Sullivan
there. think it was at the beginning of
the sixth round. / think he was there
during the fifth round, but am not GER
tainn
"How long did the sixth round last?'
Il should judge three minutes. I think
the rounds were of three minutes dura-
ton. with one minute rests
"Were there many hard blows struck"
Yes; good many. Just how many I
would not say; but the men slugged each
other right and left"
Where did you see Lieutenant Sulli-
van?"
'.He came from the wings, on the stage.
on the left-hand side. Just at that mo-
ment they we're calling time for the sew
enth round. The two men had
gotten up from their corners and
were approaching each other. Con-
sidine, the referee, got between
the men. but he was too late. Doyle struck
CndIcT anu SndleT WAS knOckeu DOWN. y
the beginning OF the seventh round Shafer
was very weak and had to be showed from
his corner by his seconds
WAS Sullivan there all EVENING"
"He might have been, but did not see
him."
Martin Egan, also a reporter of the Telc-
graph, was called.
pany with Mr.. South. We were sent there
by our city editor. The men fought with
gloves. The fight was devoid of what
sporting men call science. It was a
brutal exhibition. Shafer was cut up con-
siderable He bled freely from the nose
and mouth and the bridge of his nose was
wounded. Doyle was also bleeding at the
nose. Shafer was very bloody His sec
onds squirted water on him with their
mouths while he fought and it spread the
blood so that il ran all over him. He was
a sickening sight. | saw Lieutenant Sui
Ivan there when went in lie was sitting
in the wings on the stage. There was
some wrestling by Japs before the fight
between Shaier and Doyle took place
While the wrestling was going on talked
with Sullivan. did not see him again. Be-
fore the fatal fight there was friendly fight
between a young colored man named Tur-
ner and a white man from San Francisco
named Mclaughlin. 1t was severe. The
fourth round was cut short. Had it con-
tinued a minute more, the white man,
who was very weak. would have been
knocked senseless.
Il never saw Lieutenant Sullivan again.
hut Just after the sixth round in the
Shafer- Doyle fight. heard and saw n CON-
motion. Some one said, Sullivan has
stopped the fight At the same moment
the two fighters were coming toward each
other. Considine attempted to stop them,
but he was too late. Doyle swung his arm
and hit Shafer blow on the side of the
head. Shafer was Knocked down. In my
opinion, If that last blow had not been
struck, Shafer would now be alive"
j. ID. Cave, ex-policemsn, testified that
while the light was going on in the Peo-
pies theater be saw Sullivan in front of
the Phoenix hotel. lie put him on to
petty thief, but Sullivan said:
II haven't got tinep have to go
over TO the Peoples theater and stop a
tight"
He came hack in about FIVE minutes and
said he had stopped the fight. We then
tracked the petty thief. He said 1t was
tough fight.
John Considine, one of the proprietors
of the Peoples theater, was called.
WAS there a fight at your place satur-
day morning2"
There was s sparring exhibition"
'Iou were referee ?"
s'No, sir. | was master of ceremonies"
You were not referee 2"
"No, sir.
cit is different thing them"
''IeS. sir"
aDid not you call time and act as referee
as well rs master of ceremonies as You
call it?"
sWell-yes"
"Did you see SULLIVAN"
Eyes, about the sixth round. The men