The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1894-04-09
YHE SZLUPAS CASE .
Councils Committee Investi-
gates the Charges.
STATEMENTS |
chief Burgess Burns Says That AN Arrest
at the AndrulSaitis Funeral Would Have
PrecpItated Riot-Chief of Police
O'Hara's Statements

There was a great gathering in the
Council chamber, Saturday night, to listen
to the investigation by the lamp and
watch committee of the charges made
against the borough officials by DR.. Szlu-
pas and the two Lithuanian societies pre-
sented in the petition published a few
days ago. The chamber was filed to its
full capacity and it was with difficulty
that the crowd was prevented from crowd
ing upon the desks of the chairman and
secretary.
The members of the committee were
Messrs. Dougherty, Gable Straughn,
Kane and Kerns, the first named gentle
man occupying the chair Upon motion
Of Mr.. Gable the committee requested w.
j. Watkins, of the HERALD, to act as
secretary and report the procee dings.
w. j. Whitehouse, Esq, of Pottsville,
occupied a seat in the rear part of the
chamber and remained there until late
hour. He took no part in the proceedings
1t is said he was there simply as a listener
in behalf of Charles Radziewicz and
others who contemplate prosecuting DR..
Szlupas and others in the near future on
some very serious charges
NJ. M. Burke, Esq, was in attendance
as counsel for Chief Burgess Burns, but
did not feel called upon to take part in the
proceedings
The investigation continued four hours
and half and the secretary took enough
testimony to fill every column of the
HERALD and lack of space prevents de
tailed report.
1t was fifteen minutes after the mid
night hour when the last witness was
allowed to retire. The committee took no
definite action, but will submit the testi-
mOny to the next meeting of the Borough
! Council and ask il to decide the case
1 Upon request of Mr.. Kane the charges
were read and then Chief Burgess Burrs
| stepped forward aud said that as far as he
was concerned he denied the charges. He
| said that DR.. Szlupas did not ask him for
| assistance until three-quarters of an hour
/ before the funeral took place, DR.. Szlupas
! said he was afraid there would be trouble
and Burns said he would see if he could
/ get the police. Burns added, Il got Police
men Casey and Walaitis and we stayed
| there, doing all we could in the interest
! of the borough until we got to the foot Of
| the hill | remained in front of the house
and made room for the pail bearers to
| get out. There was considerable excite
l ment about the place"
| Mr.. Burns denied that he told anyone
not to talk English but speak in the
| foreign language. He did all in his
| power to keep order and he saw that if he
| attempted to make an arrest he might be
compelled to draw a revolver and perhaps
| lives would have been lost.
| In answer to a question by Mr.. Kane,
the Chief Burgess said DR.. Szlupas didn't
| tell him why he anticipated trouble, but
| the three men the doctor sent for the
| Burgess said there would be trouble and
they would pay for protection. Mr..
| Burns said no one asked him to arrest
/ anybody, that when Mr.. Morgan came up
4 Mr.. Burns said "Who is that hollerng ?''
and just then three hundred people rushed
\ up the pavement. Burns stood there
coul dn't make an arrest, nor ten men
couldn't. You couldn't get through the
II crowd. It would tear you to pieces.
\ In answer to a question by Mr.. kerns,
DR. Szlupas said that seeing the crowds
before his premises he anticipated trouble
\ that stones were thrown against his
windows and into his yard, and that
caused him to send three men after
Burns who came up to the house al
about 10 minutes before o'clock.
N Mr.. Burns said there We're no stones
thrown between quarter past three
when he first got to the house, and the
time the funeral started.
4 DR.. Szlupas said he asked the Chief oI
U Police on Sunday (the preceding day. tC
put a man in front of the house because
there We're so many people there the
doctor couldn't get out of it. That was be
tween and Z p. m. The chief didn
II comply with the request. The doctor
said he anticipated trouble before his
Il premises, but not during the passage ol
the funeral
| Councilman Kane here commenced al
examination to have the doctor explain
why the remains OF the deceased We're no
taken to his home and after vigorous dis
1 lg1re ipT1 "a n V
I'll and Straughn was sustained.
| Mr.. Burns asked IF you didn't antiCi
pate trouble, how did you expect one to il
4 half hours notice - and DR. Szlupa
3 answered that if the Chief Burgess anC
I'll one of the policemen had made one arres
. all the crowd would have dispersed.
Chief of Police O'Hara was next allowed
to speak and he said as far as his knowl
edge was concerned the charges against
2 the police force were entirely false DIR
Sxlupas didn't ask him for protection a
= any time on Sunday and the Chief didn'
know when the funeral was to have takeI
E place. On Sunday night the Chief was
/ called into the DOCTORS house and tn,
people walked out quietly. There was n
trouble. The Chief was there until 1888
. D. m. At that time Mr. Szlupas said onl!
friends were in the house. The Chic
didn't ask the doctorif he anticipated an
trouble.
DIR. Szlupas said on Sunday night h
asked the Chief, at the corner of Cherr,
and West streets, for protection ant
| O'Hara said be couldn't detail a man be
cause there were so many people drunk il
the town. He offered to pay the expense
The doctor was obliged TO call upon Rev
e Morrison and Mr. Glover for protection
q and they kept guard instead of the police
Y MIR. O'llara said he would admit pre-
+ lection was asked on Sunday night an
he told Dr. Szlupas he couldn't deputiz
a man for particular place, but a ma
would be around there at different time'
In answer TO a question of Mr. Gable
[ he would acknowledge that the scenes o
| tho straats IN Monday were disgrapefu