The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-16
POLICE DISCIPLINE.
One Sergeant Reduced to the
Ranks and Another Rep
rlmanded-Hunt's Case.

The Police Commissioners yesterday after
noon and evening held a long session at
which Sergeant Thomas Harrington OF the
Second precinct was tried on three charges
and convicted. although he was ably defended
by Counsellor James Manning. Corporation
Attorney Spencer Weart appeared for the
Commissioners The first allegatio Ii against
Harrington wa that ON July % he wenH on
the excursions Of the Iavonia Social Club
without leave Of absence. lie said Com
missioner Feeney gave linn permission 1ogp
aud the commissioner c0rroborated tiiis
statement but said he did not give a written
permission as the rules Of the department
required. Harrington returned to the police
station at eleven O'Clock at night and went
on duty at twelve. A second charge was
that harrington failed to report for duty at
the signal boxes on the night of July %. He
admitted the allegation but said he suffered
that night from a congestiye chill, and that
the rules only required hin to occasionally
call up the police station from the signal
boxes and being i'll he omitted this duty as
he had done on other occasions. The third
charge was for making false and improper
entries in the blotter on the morning OF July
%. Harrington was shown the blotter and
his entries were almost illegible although
generally he writes unusually well. He
entered the names of two policemen with a
batch of six prisoners, and made the record
show that the policemen. or at least one of
them, was a prisoner. The entries on the
blotter were so mixed up that Chief Murphy
said he could not understand them. lille
the Chief was testifying, COMMISSIONS
Feeney asked him if he did not think the
entries were simply clerical errors.
81 think the entries were the work of a
man who was non m mentis," replied
the Chief, and Harrington, when he heard
this, looked as. if he wondered what non
compu mentis meant.
The testimony given during the trial
showed chat at twelve O'Clock Harrington
was apparently sober and well, but at twenty
minutes before two o'clock, when he made
the bad entries on the blotter, his condition
was not what it should have been. The
commissioners, after hearing all the evil
dence, reduced Harrington to the rank Of
patrolman.
JOHN HUNT.
That notorious blu coated rufian, John
Hunt, was placed on trial for conduct unhe-
coming an officer and a gentleman. 1t ap-
peared that on July Is al eight o'clock, Hunt
was driving on West Side avenue and ne saw
George A. Williams on the sidewalk.
Hunt sprang from his carriage ana ran up
to Williams, and, without q word Of warn
ing, struck him a violent blow on the mead,
knocking Williams unconscious.
LAWYER McCartin, N behalf of Huat.
asked the commissioners to dismiss the case
because it had been before Justice tCtiE,
who had discharged him. The commission
ers refused to dismiss the case, for they Uero
we'll aware of the many similar drnnksE.
rows that this rufian policeman has been en-
gagged in. George A. Williams, the cont
plainant, was called, but he failed to appear
as a witness. George W. Dodd of No. 10
Ocean avenue was called, and after
asking tine commissioners for pro
lection if he told all he knew. hs
related how he saw Hunt knock Williams
down. Dodd asked Hunt who he was, ana
received the reply, Sutton of Hobolau. .
Hunt was not in uniform. Dodd said furtner
that when he reached Police Headquarters
yesterday Hunt and two other men ap-
preached him, and he was asked MOTTO tes'
tify against Hunt. Dodd refused to comply
with the requests. The case was adjourned
until the next trial day, when Williams will
be compelled to appear.
ANOTHER TOUGH
Sergeant Thomas Kelly of the Seventh
precinct was tried on two charges. The first
was tina be had used language in the First
precinct station unbecoming an officer.
Kelly's brother had been locked up in the
First precinct for being drunk, and the
Sergeant tried to have him admitted to bail.
His brother was too drunk to be at large,
and Kelly was told so. He then asked who
had arrested his brother, and was told that
Detective McGinnis had dom so.
1.-The --- - I'll get square with
him for this" was the vigorous comment of
Sergeant Kelly.
The second charge was that on the evening
of July 5 Kelly had acted in an ungentle-
manly manner. Thomas White of No. II
Bostwick place testified teat he entered the
house at that number and that on July .
Kelly had threatened to lock him up if he
did not go into the house. White said that
a Mrs. Flaherty, who owned the house,
wanted to get into it and he refused to
admit her. Sergeant Kelly told her to
break open the rear door, which she did, and
the Sergeant and Policeman Williams went
to the house with her. On the second Aoor
she unlocked the door of a room that con.
tanned furniture and put in it the articles
she had in her arms
Mrs. Faherty testified that she rented the
house to White but reserved one room for
herself for q storage room. She said that
when white refused to admit her to the
house she went to the police station aud the
sergeant at the desk sent Policeman Viii
liams with her. Sergeant Kelly arrived
later. She said the sergeant did not use
threatening or improper language.
Kelly declared lie had never in his life
spoken to White. The Commissioner in
structed Chief Murphy to reprimand Kelly.
MINOR MATTERS.
Patrolman Alexander Gallagher of the
Seventh precinct was placed on trial on a
charge of not having reported the robbery
of Simon's market, No. 34 Summit avenue
on the night of August ,. For want of evil
dence the case was laid over.
Patrolman Reddy of the Fourth precinct
pleaded guilty to two charges of neglect OF
duty IN not reporting at the signal box for
duty andfor being off post. He was fined
ten days pay by the commissioners.
Driver Garvon of the Second precinct pa
troll wagon was assigned to patrol duty, and
Patrolman c.. H. Bunnell of the same pre-
cinct wa placed in charge of the patrol
wagon.
Sergeant Malone was transferred from the
Fifth to the First precinct: Sergeant Nc
Davitt from the Fourth to The Second pre-
cinct: Sergeant Solomon from the Second tt
the Fourth precinct; Sergeant Wilshuses
from the Second to the Sixth precinct; Ser
geant Coffin from the Sixth to the Second
precinct, and Sergeant Reardon from tht
First to the Fifth precinct.