The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-14
THE OFFENSE is CONDONED
Patrolmen Kelley and Crannon Pun
ished Lightly by the Board of Safety.
The Evidence Against Them. but It Didn't
Count-Hearing of the Charges Preferred
by J. T. P0wer-The Sentence.

Yesterday afternoon this board heard the
charges brought against patroImen Kelley
and CrannoD By Mr.. j. t. Power. proprietor
of the Washington market. on North Penn
%sylvania street. it being alleged that on
the night of Nov. so these officers exceeded
their authority, and were guilty of conduct
unbecominR officers. From the evidence
which was gwen before the board, yester-
day afternoon. but one deduction can be
drawn, and that is that patrolmen Kelley
and Crannon were guilty of interfering
with the rights and preroRatives of q pri-
vate citizen. First. the evidence showed
that on the night in question Mr. Power
went to the Observation-Disclosures depot
for the purpose Of taking q train for CHI
cago; that his employee. Mr.. FLOYD. who
had also been attending q party at DR..
Taylor's residence near By. drove to the
Union Station in q hack for the purpose of
buying tickets To Chicago for bimself and
Mr.. Power. the latter to JOIN him on the
train at the little depot; that while Mr..
Power was Quietly sitting i'm
station, waiting for the arrival
of the train, be heard the loud and bolster
Gus talk of . half dozen policemen, among
whom was q sergeant, copgregated In the
operators Office; that two OF these police
~men-Kelley and C~rannon-finaIly APP
preached him in . rude and abrupt man.
ner. the same as might DO used toward a
street 'vagrant or bum. and. after plying
him with questions winch they had no
right whatever to ask. and receiving in
formation regarding Mr.. Powers identity
that would have satisfied the most eau;
tious and ~scrupulous inspector OF
police employed by the French
Republic, uncerem6hiously ordered him
u. ,<.,I NJ tho a N m, a Tim m ar q
language that in itself should cause o police
officer to lose his buttons. This is q sum-
ming up of the evidence elected by the
trial of Kelley and Crannon yesterday. Yet
the Board of Public Safety did not consider
it of sufficient moment TO cause 1t to I'M
pose more than the most nominal punish
ment recognized for an infraction of the
police rules. The question now Is, what
sort of an offense would bring about the
dismissal of . police officer If his politics
were Of the right complexlonf
Before the commissioners court Mr..
Power was represented by A. j.
Beveriige, and patroImen Kelley and Gran
non by O. b. Orion. Merchant policeman
Wheately was the first witness called He
testified to having been present when the
difficulty occurred, and as to the alleged
rule of the station agent that no one shall
be- allowed In the waiting-room without
having o ticket. q rule which. IL seems. the
police department has undertaken to en-.
force regardless of consequences He said
that neither Kelley nor Crannon was
drunk, and that the agent had askedt them
to investigate Mr.. Powers antecedente,
present condition and future Intentions.
He then recounted the conversation that
took place between patrolman Kelley and
Mr.. Power, and listening to his dulcet
tones one could easily imagine that Kelley
WIS q gentleman of Chesterheldian grace
and magnanimous tongue. In reply to
Kelley's queries. according to witness
Wheately, Mr.. Power said it was none OF
his d-n business In reply to o direct
question Mr.. Wheately said he had often
been called upon by the station agent TO
unc~eremoniously eject from the waiting
'quiet. gentlemanlv people who were do
ing nothing" He denied that he had told
Mr.. Ballard, also o witness. q day or two
later, that he thought Kelley and Crannon
were drunk on the night in question.
Mr.. Power, the prosecuting witness,
was next called. His testimony was In eff
feet as follows: On the night OF. Nov. 30 l
attended o party at DR.. Taylor's residence.
and told MIR. Floyd. my agent. to meet me
at the Observation-Disclosures depot. both of
us intending to go 70 Chicago. The party
broke mn about II o'clock. and as the train
was due at the little depot at 1910. went
there. / asked the agent about the train,
and be said it was q few miDutes late. That
is all l said to aim. i then sat down in the
w~aiting-room. and MIR. Floyd came In.
Finding the train late, he said. as he had q
hack, would 90 to the Union Station and
purchase the tickets and gould Join
left / continued 70 sit In the w~aiting-room.
In the ticket-ofice were five policemen
who were laughing boisterously.. Finally
three of them went out. one being a ser
down so that he brushed up against me
said.
"Out of the city" said !. :.
"Well. see here, i want to know where"
lit Is none of your d-n busin ess,nI rhen
said.
Kelley then asked me some more aues-
tons. Have you authority to catechise
~passengersf" asked him.
.'You bet your life" said he.
He then asked me about Mr.. Floyd
where he lived. who ne was, etc. This was
after | had told him who l was. what bust
ness / was engaged In. aud where / was
| Union Station for the tickets. / told him
| Mr.. Floyd lived on Ruckle street, but
| didn't remember the number. He insisted
| that ] should know the number and Gran
non also had something TO say; "neateIy
then identified Mr.. Ballard, and be in turn
identified me, but it had no effect with
| Kelley. He got up and went out. n in a
few minutes came back and asked me in an
| offensive tone if l would tell him Mr..
Floyd's number. 1 reiterated that | did
not know 1t
cd d-n you. get out of here, then,
| Kelley exclaimed. and Crannon said,
| Yes. get out of here d-n quick
They were approaching me in q violent
manner, and / got NJ and went. | had to
stay out there a half hour before the train
arrived. / believe Kelley and Crannon
were drunk at the time by their manner
and actiona"
The witness was cross-examined by at
torney Orion. but nothing further Of O
| material nature was ELECTED. William p.
Ballard was next called. He went to'the
| little depot on the night in question TO 20
TO Chicago HIS testimony corroborated
that of Mr.. Power in all material points.
| He said the manner of the Off was rude
and abrupt; no thought their appearance
and action Indicated intoxication; he had
| identified Mr.. Power. etc.
Officer CranDon Testified that his sus-
| piciou had been aroused when MIR. Floyd
came in and whipered to Mr.. Power and
| left h~urriedly. He was not drunk, didn't
swear and didn't hear Kelley swear. He
denied that Wheately had identified Mr..
| Ballard, and the latter Mr.. Power. Mr..
Eloyd's testimony was that he was 90
! hoarse that he couldn't talk above n whis-
per and had to go near Dir. Power to make
him hear.
Patrolman Kelley launched his evidence
by the statement that some conspiracy at
tached TO the two men out there" In an
ewer to a direct question put by attorney
Beverage he said he "suspicioned them OF
dishonesty" As a whole Mr.. Kelley's testi-
mony was not strikingly lucid, and would
not reflect much credit upon his lntellectu-
ality If published verbatim. lie made an
honest effort, however, not to get mixed
up in cross-examinatlon.