The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-10-30
He was not appointed police commission


He was not appointed police commission
er until March OF that year.
The Commissioner referring 70 me IacI
brought out by Mr.. Gof that no judge
had ever rendered decision declaring
pool-selllng Illegal, cited decision by
Judge Van Brunt, In the case OF Thomas
+. Wynne. The Court OF APpeas ,,is.' nau
upheld the decision. ~ IN glad you men
toned that case" said Mr.. Gpff. That's
the case of the Barclay-street pool seIier
who said ne was "A common carrier. IN
glad 20 hear that you base your acuoh on
MIR Com asked the Commissioner II he
had been present at the trial OF captain
O'Connor by the Police Board.
Mr. Sheehan replied aflrmatNeiy.
HAS there been any decision III mat
case.
why notT'
WHY no DECISION WAS REACHED.
"WeH. the board has changed since
then Commissioners Mclean ana NC
Clave have left, and the papers IN le the
case have been sent to Commissioners
Murray and KerWin. beheVe theE
have them yet; the testimony and some
other papers. Murray ana kerwlh are
the Republican members OF tne O@oatu. @
'fHave you ever taken any action
looking toward settlement of Captain
OConnors caseT'
81 have been ready to vote myself"
"Did you tell anybody soF'
81 did in an Interview ana personally
TO my colleagues"
Then Mr.. Con- entered a long examina-
tiOn concerning a number or cases WhlCh
tho records OF the department showed
had never been decided. The first was
that OF Captain OConnor. who was
under complaint OF assault on March
20 1891.
The commissioner said he had never
Of la oh
Of a number OF other cases which Mr..
| Goff cited Mr.. Sheehan admitted that
the Slavin trial had not been decided as
promptly as II should. have been. lie
thought Commissioner MCClaves absence
was responsible for the delay the VII,
ness said Of n number OF cases mentloheI
by Nh Gon, that the charges antedated
his appointment as commissioner
QUESTION or AUTHORITY.
4 long discussion ensued as TO whethcr
the police board had the authority TO
considered the question as to whether or
not n person had committed ielony
when he Is being tried for a bfeach oi
discipline. The commissioner sald thaJ
cases were on record where the misdeeds
of policemen had been brought 10 the at
tention Of the district attorneys, but ne
could cite no particular case. MT. con
mentioned the case OF william RWycI,
who was charged with assaulting Henry
Krass because the latter would not give
him So The witness did not remember
the case. He then thought nothing hah
baeu done 20 the policeman, though the
court had found nun SulIly Oh "SS""l' az"
Of oppression la ,,i,.o
no reason why the cases Of oConnor ana
cIa,in had not been disposed Of Then
-" attnrnev asked the commissioner If
he had not power to direct the SupeIlh-
tepdcut to prefer charges against the
~" rorlied the witness.
iT
charges against them as you dld o'Hei
officials ar captains"
i didn't do it. The board dld'
MR.. oorF PERSISTS.
"no Won consider the superintendent
under AJour SUPERIOR asked the 'hdIi
i'"Ii. "He is the executive head of the police
o5au dEnt non don't YOU consider you have con-
NO sir. we never try to control him
and never interfere with him. answered.
How many times during the two years
that Won have been commissioner HdNc
you heard that protection money WIS
being paid to the police for various loI!"7
of vice." asked Mr. LcXoW. .r
"Oh, l can't say was the repIy,, o1
have heard 1t less while nave ue'h o''
After some more sparring Mr.. Gof said;
"IuguppiOr Williams charged Dr IdI rs
hurst with falsehood. He said that ne
| had sent special officers 70 the aIleEtd
disorderly houses and coula stt mo, no eva Is
dpucc The courts convicted the men IS
not that proving Williams an olllcldl IldI
Mr. Sucehan dld not ihiuh so. re
said that il was possible that some on
the disorderly houses were started hN
the Society for the Prevention or nrime
iu order to make Inspector Williams
appear In the light Of an 'olhcil mar.
The Society for the Prevention OF
-, A
"Do YOU wish TO 20 on record as say
ing that the society Of which Dr Park
hurst Is president would organize us
orderly houses for the purpose OF PROV
ing a police officer a falslnerE
II didn't say that cried Mr.. Shechan.
boldly. "but | think that the Society Tor
rNc Prevention Of Crime would 90 any
thing 10 run down Inspector Williams
"Haye YOU ever heard II said Mr.. COR
asked with a smile. that every police
commissioner is corrupt and a bribe-
taker except Commissioner McLean!
SOME MORE INsISUtTIoNs.
The witness became angry at that. Il
won't say whether / heard II said or
not" he said. Il have read that some
Republican stump speakers had expressed
Themselves I'm such a manner, and proba-
lIv every one Of them are bribe-takerS
themselves. They lied. -,...., NJ
Gon that the people Of New York were
indebted TO Richard Croker for closing
the pool rooms continued MT. Fo1.
Il said he was always digging them
said Mr. Sheehan.
And so the fact remains that Richard
Croker a private CIuzru, hau t. iotre
thc commissioners to DO their duty
sncerci Mr.. Gon
81 didn't admit that" said Mr.. Shee-
han.
The Commissioner testified that he had
been aware for twenty years that corrup-
tion existed. but that 1t was impossible
to secure evidence enough to make
complaint or bring charges against oihctrS
to the grand Uries. Adjourned.
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