Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-16
MAYOR VOEGTLY is MAD,
And Will Carry His Dispute With
Police officials to Councils.
POSITION OF MURPHY AND NUTH
A Threat That a Prominent Reformer Will
Also Be Arrested.
NO HEARING YET IN THE CLARK CASE

There is war to the knife among the
Allegheny authorities, and the Northsidel
who is not just now engaged in defending
himself against grave charges is busy
making grave charges against his neighbor.
The conflict between Mayor Voegtly and
Superintendent of Police Muth over the sus.
pension of Officer Clark, in which Chief Muir
phy has decided to take hand, and
the sudden and unexpected removal OF
Police Captain Bell have created a sensa-
tion which is second only to the arrest and
conviction of Mayor Wyman.
Even the Allegheny business men, who,
as rule, have no concern in the manage
ment of the city's affairs, have become to an
extent excited over the peculiar condition
of affairs over there, and yesterday many of
them found time to discuss the interesting
subject
The officials about Allegheny City Hall
evidenced marked interest in the matter
and all seem to be involuntarily lodging to
escape a stroke of the reform lightning.
They seem unable to decide just which one
of them will be called upon to answer be-
fore some Alderman to some charge of
crookedness.
They Blame 1t All on Rutan.
''It is evident to me now," City Hall
official said, last night, ''that Senator Rutan
is after us and that all of us who are not for
him must 60 to Jail.
Chief Murphy still refuses to give Officer
Ben Clark hearing on the case in which
he was suspended notwithstanding Mayor
Voegtly's demand. Yesterday the Chief
notified the Mayor in writing that the sus-
pended officer would be given hearing at
an early date and that the Mayor would be
notified in time to enable him to attend the
hearing in person. This, it is claimed, is
not satisfactory to the Mayor, but he has
not vet decided what course he will pursue
in the case.
The Mayor says he has been badly treated
by Chief Murphy, but he refuses to say
what he will do about it. The removal of
Captain Bell, the Mayor says, was sur
prise to him snd will not be allowed to pass
without a thorough examination. While
Mayor Voegtly refused to discuss the
trouble between himself and the Police
Department member of Councils, and an
intimate friend of the Mayor, said last
night:
More Movements Are Promised,
''The fight is fairly on now, and for the
next few weeks the fur will certainly fiv.
Chief Murphy, in an ugly temper after his
arrest has defied the Mayor and has counte-
nanced the removal from the force of Police
Captain Bell without trial and without Civ
ing any reason other than that the removed
officer was friend OF one of the CITY
Auditors. The fact is, Captain Bell was
removed because he supported Messrs
Park and May for delegates to the Repub-
lican State Convention against the wishes
and orders Of the Superintendent of Police.
81 had a talk on the subject with the
Mayor this afternoon. He is in an ugly
temper, and while he refuses to talk for
publication he told me with considerable
emphasis this afternoon that he would not
stop during his term until he had deter
mined the exact authority of the Mayor.
He will insist upon the reinstatement of
Officers Clark and Bell, and he will 60
farther and will ask for the re-
moval OF Chief Murphy and Superin-
tendent Muth. The Mayor certainly
means to go to the limit and think he will
show as much moral courage as has been
shown by Mayor Gourley of Pittsburg.
Fortunately the Allegheny Mayor has the
depend upon it that if the Chief and the
Superintendent far exceeded their authority
and have been prompted by spite or i'll feel
ing in their management of the police force,
the Councils will sustain the Mayor.
1t Will Come Before Councils.
''It is evident now that Councils will be
called upon to pass upon the trouble be-
tween the Mayor and the Chief of the De-
partment of Public Safety, and now rather
incline to the belief that unless the trouble
is patched up the Chief will certainly be re-
moved. Councils elected the Chief and
Councils enjoy the power of removing
him.
A close personal and political friend of
Chief Murphy's said last night that the
arrest of at least one of the prominent re-
formers of Allegheny would be made soon.
He also said that Chief Murphy had de-
cided to reorganize his police force to his
own liking, just to show his friends that he
was sticking with them and to serve notice
on his enemies that they had not alarmed
him.
Chief Murphy refused to talk on the
trouble Hast night further than to saw that
he was on friendly terms with the Mayor
and that he contemplated no serious trouble
from the suspension of Clark or the dis
missal of Captain Bell.
Claim to Have Plenty OF Evidence.
The reformers are positive that they have
sufficient evidence to convict Murphy, while
the Chief saws be is confident they cannot
harm him in the least. The intense interest
manifested in his arrest it is thought will
attract large. crowd to his hearing to-
morrow afternoon.
Superintendent Muth yesterday appointed
Frank Aiken, one of his detectives, to fill
temporarily the position vacated by the sus-
pension of Captain Bell The Superin-
tendent, in speaking of the case of the sus-
pended officer, said that when hearing is
held sufficient evidence will be produced to
show that the suspension was justifable and
not hastv action.
John Glenn, Assistant Superintendent of
Police in Allegheny, went before Alder
man Braun yesterday and entered bail in
the sum OF $500 for a hearing before Alder
man Schellman Thursday afternoon between
the hours of 3 and o'clock, to answer the
charges brought by Auditor McKirdy. w.
W. Speer was his bondsman.
A Reduction of Eastern Iron Rates.