St. Paul daily globe., 1893-01-19
a POAiCn EXPLOSION.
One Will Occur Today in the City
Hall

There will be an explosion, accom-
panied by Il loud report, IN the police
! department today, and under the debris
| will be buried what is left of Patrolman
| Tom West. of The south station, and one
| or two members Of the central station.
Sam Miles, an old man, past seventy
years OF age and palSied, filed charges
yesterday with the mayor, duplicating
| Patromdn W est. The charges were or
| such a scandalouS nature that il they
are true the patrOIman will be given his
walking papers Without ado. MI Miles
will have hearing brf0re the mayor
| this morning at II O'Clock.
| Miles is a cook and until recently has
been employed by f. l.. Larson, the
saloOnkeeper at the corner Of Third
avenue south and Washington. In some
way the Old man fell in with PatrOImln
| West. who, it is said, lured him into the
saloon kept by George 4. Thompson.
1908 Twenty avenue south. In
tnls saloon, or rather in the rear OF 1t.
was Il poker room, and west, with the
! proprietor Of the saloon, it is alleged by
! Miles, cheated him there out of Sl20 at
| cards. All this was done while West
was on duty as a police officer, and
GLOBE reporter WAS told last
night how lie managed to do it
| without detection by the Sergeants. He
| hired Il yOung fellow named John Rob
/ inSOn, who at one time was engaged in
| the lucrative business of dog-catcher,
| to act as "spotter." Robinson took up
his post oD the outside Of the saloon and
patrolled mp and down III front Of the
building. When he saw the sergeant
coming lie rushed into the poker room
and notified West, who dOnned his uni
form and hurried out, and when the
| sergeant came up he found his officer
patroiing up and down, swinging his
club and apparently attending to busi-
ness.
Miles also accuses West Of aiding III
fleeing him of $40 in money in poker
room, kept. he claims. by James II.
Houts, at 2525 Twenty-fourth avenue
south. West occupied a chair at the
poker table at this place with his uni
form on. 1t is also alleged that West
nducted poker room Of his own
short time ago. and assisted in winning
money away from unwary guests"
Suit was begun yesterday against
Thompson, the saloOnkeeper, by Miles.
West will also be made party to the
suit. Miles is at present penniless
and is being kept at the Annex hotel on
First avenue south at the expense of
Sergeant Krkham. The sergeant was
asked concerning the charges made by
Miles, but he declined to divulge the
information he had procured. Miles
was seen, and stated he was behOlden to
the police sergeant for his bread and
butter at the present time, and that
West was to blame for his lamentable
financial condition. He was very old,
and had a passion for play. but never
before had he been so lily treated as by
the policeman and his cronies.
Two central station patrolmen are to
be investigated for drunkenness and
blackmail. 1t is charged that one of
them went into Nine. Longs place, on
Washington avenue south, and forced
two women and man to give him $50
that they might avoid being arrested for
certain crimes they were supposed TO
have committed. Until these charges
can be Substantiated the names OF the
officers will be withheld. One of them
has been on the force for a number of
years, being appointed during the Ames
regime. Taking it all together, Mayor
Eustls has pretty big job on his hands
to Straighten out the police force and
bring affairs around to good working
order.