Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-02-20
FORMAL CHARGES MADE.
officer Thomas Conduct Willabe Investi
'h gated by the Police1ISoard.

Saeou ny Cho
Mayor Kilduff called the special meeting
of the board of police commissioners to
order last night. All the commissioners
were present and Chief Egan listened to
the proceedings with an attentive ear.
The mayor said: 81 have called this
meeting for the purpose of submitting for
your consideration matter which L con-
slider of vital importance to the city and
the police department. Last Friday j. ..
Lapalme, who is employed as a clerk at
Miller & Peck's, called upon me and made
a serious complaint against Officer George
r. Thomas. He accused the officer of
breaking up his home, alternating his wife
affections and unknown to him and with
out invitation from him, visiting his home
three or four times a week for the past
three months. Mr. Lapalme says that he
has never spoken to Thomas and that the
families are not on terms of friendship.
He lays the breaking up of his home and
departure of his wife at Thomas door.
There has been much talk about the mat
ter by the people and the press and in my
opinion the welfare of the department re-
quires that it should be looked into
Commissioner Cross asked if there We're
any specific charges against Officer
Thomas or if there was any one to prefer n
charge that he could substantive.
The mayor said there was nothing be-
You'd what Mr. Lapalme had said to him
and he supposed Mr. Lapalme was willing
to submit what he knows about the matter,
to the board in writing.
Mr. Goodrich said the charges were only
verbal
Commissioners Mcdonald and Kelley
thought that the matter had been made
| the subject of so much discussion and the
| fact of the aggrieved man calling in person
upon the mayor and making a complaint
| against the officer was sufficient to warrant
the board in investigating the matter, and
if Mr. Lapalme after being given a hearing
before the board could give them no good
reason for accusing the officer the case
| would be dismissed and this would be the
best vindication the officer could have.
Mr. Mcdonald moved that the board turn
itself into committee of the whole and
summon Mr. Lapalme in for hearing
Wednesday night.
Mr. Cross still continued to argue against
taking any action unless there was some
specific charge in writing
| 1t was evident from the actions of the
other members of the board that there was
not much logic in his argument and it net
tied the mayor, who asked the commission
er if he took the ground that the board had
not the right to investigate the charges
or to retain on the force man
charged with breaking up homes, without
inquiring whether the charges are true:
Mr. Cross said he did not and Commission
er McDonalds motion was then put and
carried and the clerk instructed to notify
Mr. Lapalme to appear before the board at
8 o'clock tomorrow night
In conversation with reporter this
morning, Mr. Lapalme stated that his case
against Officer Thomas was now in the
hands of his attorney, whose name at pres
ent he could not divulge. He would not
appear personally before the board, but
would send a written statement of the facts
| in the case