St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-08-09
LOOK AT HIS teeth.
The Pension Committee in
Doubt Of John Clark'S
Age.
Treasurer Miller Reads an
Affidavit and Is Sat
Upon.
General Damage About the
City by the Wind and
Rain.
The Chamber of Commerce
Launches Into Several
The Chamber of Commerce
Launches Into Several
BOOmS.

The trustees OF the police pension
fund met in the H.. .ior' S Office yesterday
afternoon. Over all hour was taken to
transact business which could have
been disposed of in less than ten min
utes. Those in attendance were Mayor
Wright, City Treasurer Miller, Aids.
Copeland, Cullen and Ingersoll and
Assemblymen Wolterstorff. SandelI,
Van Slyke and Pike. 1t was decided
that, as only five members of the board
attended the meeting ON July 16. the
business transacted would have to be
eliminated from the records, as it was
not passed upon by majority of the
trustees, the entire board numbering
twelve members.
Mayor Wright said neither John
Clark, ex-chief of police. nor Thomas
kenaley. eX-detective, had been given
warrants for their pensions because the
resolutions passed at the last meeting
had not been acted on by majority of
the board. This went all right until it
was found that the records of previous
meeting, held by the old board of trus-
tees, had passed on the question of
granting each of the men mentioned
pensions. When this fact was brought
10 light Mayor Wright changed his
views, aid said the reason he and Aid.
Copeland had refused to sign the war
rants was because they had been told
the parties were not entitled to
pensions owing to their not hay-
ing reached the age of fifty
years. ASsemblyman Sandell said
he had been Informed by police officers
that Mr.. Clark was not fifty years old.
The men who had volunteered this infor-
nation. he said. could be called to SUBJ
sfantiate their statements. He himself
mad looked up the matter by referring to
the history OF Ramsey county.published
ten or twelve years ago. and had
learned from that book that MIR. Clark
was born in 1915. The mayor said if
MIR. Clark was not fifty years cid the
pension should not be paid by the city,
Assemblyman Pike thought the board
had nothing more to do with the mat
ter, and if Mr.. Clark wanted the pen
sion he could go into the courts and col
lect it. Aid. Ingersoll thought, as
the president and secretary of the
board OF trustees had refused to
sign the warrants for the pensions of
Clark aud Kenaley. it was lot right to
make the men take the matter into the
courts. He was in favor of rules gov
ernlng the granting of pensions
by the board, and that they De
adopted. Aid. Cullen didn't see
any rules would help the board in the
present question. The old board of
trustees had granted the pensions,
and any rules adopted by the
present board would not apply in
this Case. Aid. IngersoIl said he
did not want TO do anything unfair
and he thought if the trustees had any
evidence that either Clark or Kenaley
were not entitled to pensions it should
be produced. The mayor thought it
necessary, under the circumstances.
that an investigation be made as to
whether Mr.. Clark was entitled TO 4
pension.
On motion of Aid. IngerSolI, MIR.
Clark was requested to present, at the
next meeting Of the board, aftidavits OF
the necessary facts under which he was
entitled to pension.
An affidavit was presented from
Thomas Kenaley to the effect that he
had been over twenty consecutive years
on the force, and was born III 1871. The
affidavit was drawn up in legal form
and duly signed by Mr.. Kenaley.
City Treasurer Miller. who it seems
is an expert on penmanship, created
something of a sensation by announcing
IidL tHC vi MI {.
Kenalev and that of the notary public
who witnessed the paper was all in the
same handwriting. A careful examna-
tiOD of the paper by the mayor and
other members resulted In the opinion
or Mr.. Miller as 20 the genuine
ness of Kenaley's signature be-
ing not concurred in. The affidavit
from Kenaley settled the matter as to
his pension, and he will, if Comptroller
McCardy feels satisfied it is all right,
get his $50 per month. A committee of
three, consisting of Aid. Ingersoll and
Cullen and Assemblyman WUlterstortf,
will draw up a set of rules governing
the granting of pensions. The action
| of the treasurer in investing $4,000 of
| the pension fund in certificates of in
debtednesS was ratified. The board will
meet the second Monday in each month
at the mayors office.
A petition that Caroline Costello he
placed on the pension roll was present
ed and referred to subcommittee
which is to be appointed. Mrs. Costello
| claims her husbands death resulted
from injuries received while attending
TO his duties as a member of the police
force, and that she was entitled to pen
sion such as provided for widows of
officers killed while in discharge of their
duties. The officer in question was de-
tailed as a poundmaster in the Sixth
ward, and. while unloading a quantity
! of hay at the DucaS street station fell
from a ladder and received injuries
from which he died some ten months
after.