The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-09-22
CIVIL SERVICE LEAKAGES.
CoMMIssIONER sHEEHAN WANTS TO
carr orr MIA UGHLIN.

| CdEB OFB MIA OhHbANs
s-pt. Byrues Deruss His cater Detective
| sad Says the Police Exantnation Pc
pers Are Not suMciertiy Susrded SD
Pass Throush Ms.y Dissrent Bs.ss
superintendent Byrnes made his report TO the
| Police Board yesterday the alleged frauds In
| the civil service examinations Of three candi-
dates for appointment on the police force The
| Investigation followed on a complaint made 10
Mayor Ciilroy by Daniel p. Hays and Lcmuel
skidmore Chairman and Commissioner Of the
| New York City Civil Service Supervisory Board.
| Mr.. Byrnes says that he got the examination
| papers OF the three men. and found no evidence
| OF fraud in the cases Of John Dolan and James
Crowley. All these papers are in their own
| handwriting, and are on the paper furnished TO
| candidates at the examination. That the papers
| on rules and regulations OF the Police Depart
| ment are more correct than tho others he thinks
may be accounted for by the fact that cand-
dates are supplied in advance with copies Of the
rules to study while they know nothing in adj
vance Of the scope Of the examination on other
subjects or the third case Mr.. Byrnes says:
81 am convinced that there was an attempt at
fraud in the papers Of William Thompson. Mr.
Phillips informed me that the examination on
rules and regulations Is not written upon the
kind of paper furnished TO the candidates by
the Civil Service Board; and find this exami-
nation is in an entirely different handwriting
from that of the other papers of this candidates
examination. When | showed this paper 10
Thompson he said he did not write 1t, never saw
It before, and had no idea as to how It came to
be passed Off as his work and put In among his
other examination papers. There Is some reason,
however.to doubt the truth OF Thompson's state
ment in this regard; for the paper in question
bears on its face some indications that he
did 1t before he saw 1t in this office, and that
he himself inserted some letters that were
omitted from words here and there by the
writer of the paper, and that he traced over
other letters that were originally written so as
to be scarcely legible. The fact that the paper
which was rated as Thompson's paper on rules
was written In handwriting different from the
rest of his papers could not possibly be dscov-
cred by the Police and Fire Department expert
examiners, because they had no other examina-
ton papers of the candidate before them with
which to make any comparison. When, how
ever, these papers were returned to the civil
servire rooms and compared with the candi-
dates other papers the fraud was readily de-
tected.
Mr.. Byrnes says that a candidate may. possi-
bly, obtain a knowledge beforehand OF the
questions from various sources. lie says:
when the Inspector of Police, who IL the ex-
notice from Mr. Phillips that a date has been set
foran examination, he prepares the questions on
rules and regnlatiSns and on city information
Phillips, who makes IA requisition on the Board
Of CltU, Record for the printing Of such
be required for the examination, trans
hitting with this requisiton q copy Of
Cdy Record. these questions, together with an
order to print the required number Of copies. are
where they pass from the hands OF whoever re-
cceves them TO the various persons in that estab
the II Of osesp
OF Chv Record, and thence to Mr.. Phillips. who
uted to the. candidates at the examination.
After the examination is over the papers Of
Civil Service Board by an attache thereof where
the papers on rules and regulations are sorted
up in a bundle, and sent to the expert examiner
Tor the Police RSepSrtmentr who has the as
examining them. They are then returned TO the
rooms Of the Civil Service Board and are, by the
clerks Of that Board, attached to the papers
Il viii in be- seem from the above that from tas
time the questions for the examination pre-
are number of sources through which II is
possible for candidates to obtain before the ex-
that there are several quarters in which II /,
possible to abstract or substituts examination |
THE last examination of candidates for ap-
Of the large lecture halls OF the College OF the
nearly siI hundred candidates examined. In |
spector Mclaughlin. who Is the expert exam |
or 1--we days elapsed after the examination be- |
fore the Papers on rules and regulations were
o snss no s ss
made while the papers on rules and |
ffS fGs s%s IN h rseSs SafrsG the tina.
per- up to the time he returned them |
:" rss IN s OF e Gs sss Board they
one had to them but himself Win naa r ao
gard To the four papers that were rated at Police
the parcel that was returned to the rooms OF the |
Civil Service Board. Inspector Mclaughlin |
the papers that were sent TO him; that he has no |
reason whatever To believe that the four papers
by him. and that II they were lost or distracted |
the loss or abstraction OF these papers occurred
while they were out Of his custody.
-" With the exception of the case of William
Thompson my investigation does not show any
direct evidence that there was any, abstraction
that the paper on rules that was rated as the
paper OF William Thompson was substituted, il
that substitution was made. IL each sheet OF
paper furnished to candidates was stamped or
mark could not be readily obliterated or coun-
terfeited, and the stamp or device for marking
tary OF the Civil service Board, and not allowed
10 pass out OF his possession the abstraction and
substitution Of examination papers would be
When the report had been read Commissioner
Sheehan remarked that he thought the Chief OF
the Detective Bureau should no longer represent
the Police Department on the Civil Service Ex-
amining Board, and that the present system OF
candidates should be changed.
There are rumors in and outside of the de-
said Mr.. Sheehan, OF the way these
are made and passed upon by the
examiner representing the Police Department.
move that any action taken by this Board rec
Dmmending the Chief Of the Detective Bureau
a examiner DO rescinded, and that hereafter II
the Board OF Police has any representative in
The Civil Service Board 1t should be represented
by the entire staff of Inspectors"
President Martin and Mr. Murray contended
that the Board OF Police had nothing whatever
~ do with appointing recommending any
member OF the force as a civil service examiner;
and that the appointment was made by the
Mayor
Commissioner Sheehan said he was positive
hat the Board had recommended the appoint |
nent OF Superintendent Byrnes when he was
Inspector, and he further recommended that
hereafter no person attached 10 the Police De- |
lArtment should represent the Police Depart |
nent in the Civil Service Examining Board
President Martin said he was not prepared TO
Iote on Mr.. Sheehans Recommendation at the
ime.
I'VE have no right to volunteer advice IN the |