The morning call., 1894-04-22
ALL IN SUSPENSE.
The Great Police Scandal
Hangs Fire.
Robinson Is Thought to Have Sprung
the Trap Which SO Neatly
Caught Captain Hall.

Acute bronchitis now affects Chief Of
Police Crowley and his physician has for
hidden him to talk. If providence had
reversed the judgment and sealed tue
mouths of large number of sergeants
instead Of intiictiDg silence upon their
superior the public would have been
spared a great deal of unreliable detail
about the police scandal.
The talk of the sergeants continues, but
so many statements have been made and
contradicted that they are beginning to
lack interest.
The Chief fuds his impaired vocal
organs great nuisance just at this time.
for whenever the name of his former se-
rotary is men toned in his presence he has
deep longing t give expression to his
feelings, and his efforts 10 obey his doctor
have not always been successful. Captain
Lees visited him last evening and he says
Chief Crowley used few very expressive
words when Hall was spoken Of Col,nel
Burns was also out to see the Chief and
learned from him something Of the state
of things at the bottom of al the scandal
of the past week. Burns says :hat he
approves Of the action Of the commission
and that he will cooperate with the other
members in the effpIt TO rid the depart
ment of all officers who cannot resist the
temptation which $40 gold piece exerts
He will vote with the other members OF
the board on next Monday night, y hen 1t
is expected that the official guillotlne Will
b. cut into active operation.
t1The questioned absorbing interest now
is as to who will be the victims. and the
very uncertainty of the matter is keeping
the entire department In state OF excite
meut that Is consuming. The Chief has
expressed the determination to Withhold
this important information, and Is his
wishes are being respected by the Com
missoners it is impossible to secure it.
Captain Halls attack upon Sergeant
Robinson has bad no effect, so far as
the board. He is still ursuing his work
in Chinatown and Is displaying great ac-
tivity with his new squad.
Those who have watched the progress of
the contention among the policemen have
arrived at the conclusion that RO bins on is
the "chleps man" and that to him is due
Halls overthrow. If this be true it ex-
plains very readily the bitterness of the
ex-cierk'S attack upon the new sergeant.
AS soon as Hail began to give vent to his
wrath at the blow he mad received he d.
rected his shafts at Robinson, who until
month ago occupied position at the South
ern police station. which OF necessity re-
moved MIN from an opportunity TO enter
into the schemes which have caused HalPo
ruin. The men never came into contact
with each other, and it was at first diff
cult TO see the animus of Halls onslaught.
But now that little more light has
been shed upon the obscurity OF this
point the motive seems TO be revenge.
According to the statements OF Harry
Hook and sothers who have been
elevated 10 the rank Of sergeant, Hall WAS
in the nabt of calling in the newly ap-
pointed supervisors of police districts and
intimating to them that he expected to
''hear from them" 1t is said that he
called Robinson in as soon as he had been
made sergeant and that the result was
that Robinson went to the Chief and made
known the state of things. He was then
Informed to 60 on and negotiate with Hall
and when the arrangements had gone far
enough to afford absolute evidence against
the captain the ak fell and Halls head
dropped into the basket.
Nobody who knows Robinson suspects
him of having made overlures to Hall in
good faith, and If he bargained with him
as charged it is believed to have been to
eutrap him. At all events it is known
that since the exposure Robinson has been
called in by the Chief and held in con-
sutation by the hour. The Chiefs abso-
lutte confidence in him Is considered very
good evidence that he knows just what
Robinson has been doing and how he
stands.
Chief Crowley declared that there was
nothing against Robinson as soon as he
was told of Halls charges, and he has
since paid no attention to what the latter
has said about this sergeant wHlle the In
vestigations which have been going on
have taken in the aspersions cast upon all
the others.
Captain Lees said yesterday that the
charge of corruption had been grossly ex-
aggerated, and that while some crooked
ness had been discovered it was not so wide
spread in the department as had appeared
from the general quarrel which had been
started among police sergeants. THANK
God," said he, Hall has not succeeded in
coTrupting the entire force and nobody
need think he has," He says that Hal
was in the habit of getting the Chiefs
mail early in the morning and opening i'm
pOrtant letters, some of which never
reached Chief Crowley's desk. Hall kept
better posted on the affairs of the depart
ment than its head and he gathered much
information IN this way. Captain Lees
says he caught the secretary at this prac-
tice once during Chief Crowley's absence
and reprimanded him for 1t. but that
when the Chief returned the matter took
the old course.
1t is expected that Chief Crowley will be
well enough by tomorrow night to appear
at the meeting of the Commissioners and
that there will be no postponement