Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-04-21
POLICEMEN AT THE GAS HOUSE.
Evidently FavorIte Lounging
Place for the Bluecoats.

for tho Sale of Specialized Others who
Yielded to the Seductive influence of
Its Glowing Furnaces.
The Board of Police Commissioners held
long and tedious session Monday night.
Mayor Wiley and Commissioner Lawson
were the only members present. The new
book of rules which is under consideration
by the board for the use Of the police de-
partment was again gone over and City
Solicitor Curtis was present to give an ex-
| haustive opinion upon the practicability of
the adoption of many OF the rules. 1t
was decided to make the further consdera-
ton OF the rules special order of bust
ness for meeting to be held Wednesday
afternoon. The board decided to allow the
erection Of speaking tubes to connect with
the office Of the chief of police and the
offices of the city detectives and Matron
Whites room in the EclSei building. The
contract for the erection of the speaking
tubes was awarded to Superintendent
Pierson.
The board then took up the matter of
charges preferred against Police Officers
Maxwell Mnhoney and Simon Cohen.
The charges were preferred by Police Cap
Mahoney was accused of leaving his post
of duty on the night of March 22d, and
was also accused of sleeping in the Viii
mington Coal Gas Company's house on the
night of March Both last. officer Cohen
was accused Of leaving his post of duty on
the night of March Goth last, and with
being. in the gas house when he should
have been on duty.
Chief Blackburn read the charges as pre-
fcrred by Captain Francis and Sergeant
Ingram and stated that he had had a talk
with both officers early in the evening. He
said that Mahoney had admitted to him
that he was off duty at the time referred
to, and was sleeping little while in the
gas house as charged. Cohen also admitted
the charge against him, he said. Although
i has been nearly four weeks since the
first charge was brought, the officers
claimed TO have been ignorant Of the accu-
sations brought against them until Monday
night. and could not account for this ap-
parent neglect of duty on the part of Cap
tain Francis and Sergeant Ingram in not
apprising the board of their disregard for
duties.
One of the specifications of the charges
brought against Officer Mahoney was not
read i'll full, nor was 1t substantiated by
fact. This specification was in writing
and was reported by Captain Francis
through Sergeant Ingram, his inferior Off
Ger. The latter in his allegations drawn
up in writing charged Officers Mahoney
and also White with being drunk and
using profane language on the night of
March I'D, last about 3 o'clock in the
morning. AS witnesses Sergeant Ingram
named Laura Frank, mistress of the house
No. 226 Orange street; Laura Anderson, an
inmate of the house and Ellen Gibbs,
colored who lives at the house. Chief
Blackburn stated that the first named
woman Laura Frank, was out of town and
could not be found while the other two
had since stated to him that they could
not swear that either White or Mahoney
was drunk or had used profane Language
Thus the most serious charge of all was
allowed to so by default, there being in
sufficient evidence to substantiate the
accusation. Officer Whites case was not
Investigated further.
officer Mahoney was then called and
asked by Mayor Wiley what he had to say
to the charges as preferred. He stated in
reference to the charge of his being off
duty on the night of March 22d, the charge
was correct. He did leave his district for
40 minutes to go to Front and Market
streets, where he met Officer White ana
transacted some business, the character of
which, not being asked, he did not state.
He had never received any instructions
i'll regard to his not leaving the district, he
said, and did not know that he was
violating any rules by doing so. When
asked by Mayor Wiley if he had been
drinking that night, Officer Mahoney
denied that any liquor had passed his lips.
asleep in the gas house on the night Of
March Both, last, Officer Mahoney ad-
mitted the charge. He said that he fell
into doze while sitting in chair but did
not fall fast asleep. It was the night of
the day James A. Bourke, the Irish Ma
tionalist, was buried lie said, and he had
been up all day at the funeral and was
very tired. On the previous night he had
been at his usual post of duty. He there
fore had had no sleep for "a hours. He
reported at one of the patrol boxes ut IL. 80
o'clock on the night above mentioned, at
another patrol box he sent in his report at
2.l5 a. m, as usual. He went into the gas
house, as is quite customary with the Off
GERS on the beat, and also with Captain
Francis and Sergeant Ingram, and re-
manned there from / o'clock until l.45 a.
m, He talked with Frank Dorsey. the
engineer, about Bourkes funeral, and
while Dorsey was absent from the office
he fell into quiet doze. At Lbs o'clock
he left the Office and, after going out on
his district short while, sent in his re-
port. Officer Mahoney also stated that it
had been customary for the officers to fire.
quent the gas house since the office was
erected there. He had gone there with
Captain Francis and Sergeant Ingram quite
often, he afterwards stated, as the place
was sometimes good place to make ar
rests. The officer was then allowed to go.
opinion that the patrol boxes didn't
amount to much as far as receiving re-
ports from the officers and telling where
10 lind them was concerned. Mayor Wiley
thought there was sufficient patrol boxes
in use but stated that in the absence of
any the officers would be sleeping all night.
Officer Cohen's case was called. He adj
mitted the charge of being off duty on the
night of March 30th and also stated that
he was in the gas house is or 20 minutes.
he went in the gas house by himself but
didnot see officer Mahoney there; although
he had heard of his being there. He had
gone after a glass of water. Officer Cohen
said he had been accustomed TO go into
the gas house as had all the other officers.
1t had been not unusual for the captain
and sergeants also 20 go to the gas house as
sometimes an important arrest was made
there.
Mayor Wiley then questioned Officer
Cohen as to whether or not lie had seen
Officer Mahoney act strangely at times
while on duty and some nights different
from other times. The officer replied that
he had.
The gauntlet thus thrown down by
Mayor Wiley was quickly taken up BY
Mr.. Lawson who resolved to find out lust
what significance these mysterious actions
on the part of Officer Mahoney had. In
reply TO Mr.. Lawsons sharp questions as
70 whether he had ever seen Officer Ma
honey drunk while on duty or take o
drink of liquor. Officer Cohen was forced
to admit that he hadn't. He had only
Judged of the officers condition by the
odor detected upon his breath.
Officer Cohen was then asked if he did |
not so to the gas house while OH duty
himself before now for the purpose Of |
making money: Namely, that of selling
spectaclcs TO certain employees in the gas
works while he had his uniform on. In |
reply to this interesting interrogation
officer Cohen stated that he had sold