The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-10-02

serious, as well 1t might be considering
the ordeal that was In store for them,
Before Chairman Lexow called the
Committee to order at II o'clock the few
spectators who had found their way into
the courtroom early In the morning had
en- put out to make room for the
clubbers, and the brigade of blueCoats
and brass buttons had every seat in the
place to itself
Major Kipp, the Chief Clerk of the
Police Board, and Complaint Clerk Pc;
tersen were on hand again with several
gripsacks filled with documents from
Headquarters, principally clubbing
charges. It was said.
Mr.. Goff was late in arriving. and
there was wait Of nearly a quarter Of
an hour after Chairman Lexow and
Senators Bradley, Pound and Robertson
OConnor and Saxton were the absentees
to-day.
Con Looked TIurried.
II was ll.15 when Mr.. Con came in
looking rather Hurried. He had con-
sultation with Mr.. Moss. who got up
and called out several times:
ter's office?"
No one responded and there was an
other wait, after which Mr.. Con rose
and said. very deliberately, that he pro-
posed to present some very important
testimony to-day, which went to the
very gist of the matter under investiga-
ton. as showing the relations of the
police to the citizens.
In the first place, he said. he wanted
to show the attitude OF the police to the
citizens of New York. as disturbers
and breakers of the peace, and as dan
gerous to the lives and safety Of the
citizens To do this he would show the
number of accusations of assaults upon
citizens by the police and the number
of convictions under such charges.
He had found only four convictions
during the last three years, although
more than 100 charges had been pre-
ferred and ninety convictions had.
In the second place. he preferred to
show by evidence of witnesses and rec
ords OF the Police Department that to
all intents and purposes the police
force OF New York was exempted from
the operation OF the law Of the land
Police Exempt from the LAW.
These men," said Mr.. Con, "can com
NIT felonies and misdemeanors, and have
done so for years and have gone un-
punished. II civilian had committed
these crimes his punishment would have
been State prison.
I'm other words, the operation Of the
stops short when It comes to the police
force. a police officer can brain citi-
zen, and all that he has to fear is
trial before the Police Commissioners.
In the third place we propose to
show that In the trials OF the police
perjuring committed by members OF the
force and their witnesses. is unmeas-
urable and UNPARALLELED. The air of the
trial-room at Police Headquarters is
blue with perjury. whenever these So
called trials are going on there"
These facts, Mr.. Gon said, would be
brought out by documentary evidence in
a large measure AMI he asked that the
Committee should listen patiently. Chair
man Lexow re3lir1 that he regarded the
line OF investigation taken up by the
counsel 4 the Committee as Of the
greatest importance and said that 1t
ousS: 70 receive the closest attention.
Lawyer Moss Testines.
Mr. Con- then called LAWYER Frank
Moss, his colleague. 10 the witness stand,
and he went into the history Of the
early efforts Of the Society for the Pre-
vCntiOn Of crime ard the business Mems
Organization, Of which he hal been a
member, 10 purify the TenderoIn Pre-
cinct IN the DAYS Of Captain, now In
sp"CtOr Williams
This was recognized as the FIRST gun in
the campaign which the Committee has
long threatened to inauEurate ngains'
the higher officials of the Police De
partment.