Birmingham age-herald., 1894-12-30
A BIG SENSATION
Sprung During the Lexow Investiga- tion Through Superintendent Byrnes' Announcement of
 His Resignation.

NEW YORK, Dec. 29.-The Lexow com mitlee continued it's hearings today and adjourned subject to the call of the chair man. The day was full of sensations and the climax was reached wheu Superintend- ent Byrnes announced that he had rendered his resignation from the police force. The announcement came at the conclusion of series of questions by MT. Golf as to disa- greene D ts between Mir. Byrnes aud the po- lice board, when he made the following statement:
 ssI cit assured that the commissioners wanted to get rid of me, but refrained from sense of duty to the citizens of New York. The views of the com mmlssloners do not agree with mine. Whatever the com missioners may do 1 will not interfere with them. 1 have been thirty-tWo years 1n the department and am willing to retre.'
 The sulerintendent then handed MT. Golf letter which he had sent [ o Mayor elect Strong on December 13, 1891. IL ran as follOws
 "DEAR SIR: appreciate as fully as any man can the tremendous responsibilities that will come upon you when you assume the duties of mayor and undertake the re- form of the various departments of the city government. l desire not to be an em- barrass ment in anything you propose to do with the police department. On the con trary l wish to aid you in any way l can. 1 assume you are now con Bdering what action you are going to take at the outset of your administration and what legislation will be required to make such action practicable. therefore now present you my request to be relieved from the post of superintendent. To be relieved at any time after the lst or January as you see fit.
 entirely free to command my services any time in regard to the >affairs of the police department with which have been so long connected. Your obedient servant,
 "THoMAs BYRNEs.' .''
 The reading of the letter caused a sensa- ton in court. The big superintendent sat back in his chair smilingly as Mir. Golf read his letter of resignstion. There was another long discussion as to the police force, the superintendent giving 1t as his opinion that 1t was necessary to reorganlze. This closed the story of the superinten d. ent, and the hearing of the Lexow com mittee was practically at an end.
 Preceding this climax MT. Byrnes under went a searching examination as to how much he is worth and as to how he ac- qured his fortune. He admitted that he is worth in real estate and personal prop erty 1850, coo, all excepting few thousand dollars acquired in stock speculatlons con con eSStsd GoalS had made ms s2so o'nos for h@ and since Jay Gould's death his son George had added $43, ,000 to Byrnes' wealth. He started from small begin ming and from bis savings and small 1n- heritance received in 1869 and S6000 made for him by Commodore Vanderbilt, Byrnes found himself worth about Sl5, ,0OO. Byrnes had gained Jay Gould's good will years ago.
 Gould rendered Byrnes a gift of money, which was declined. Shortly afterwards Gould offered to buy stocks and hold them for Byrnes, and Byrnes gave Gould Sl0, 900 to operate upon. Thence forward Byrnes' wealth grew constantly as long as he did not himself medde in the business.
 He said that when he undertook to dab ble in stocks upon bis own judgment he lost money. He is at present large stockholder of shares. The Goulds, how ever, were not the only people who had befriended him, but he declined to name others.
 intendent of police for earning the grati- tude of men who could give me valuable iD Dformation on stocks.'