The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-01-01
The Head Of the Police Board
viii Step Down.
STRONG WILL TAKE CHARGE
Many Tammany Officials Preparing
10 Leave. Senator Lexow Vehem-
emily Denies Report Concern
ing the Alleged "Let.Down"
of Supt. Byrnes.
By Southern Assooiated press,

within few days. Martin himself
made the announcement shortly be .
fore 1870 o'clock at the police head
| quarters.
When he announced his Intontion
to resign from the Police Board,
President Martin said:
| My friends know that | have
been anxious to retire from the Po-
lice Department for some time. This
position has never been cougenial to
me, and now that the investigation
OF tho department by the Lexow
Committee has been completed. |
intend to resign. L did not reslgn
under fire. My resignation will be
IN the hands of May or Strong with
III few dnys.
| Concerning the testimony given
by MIR. Byrnes before the Lexow
committee, | have this to say: AS
president OF this department l 40
not wish to enter into u controversy
Mt the superintendent or any one
else, but L emphatically deny that
the board or | personally have ever
done anything to Interfere with or
hamper tho superintendent in the
proper discharge of his duties"
| Tammany officials whose terms ex-
pre- TO morrow were prepari ng to
leave to day. Mayor Gllroy packed
up his private papers iu the Mayors
Office this morning and was ready
to go after the meeting Of the Board
OF Estimate and Appointments
which took final action on the do
partmeutAl estimate Tor 1896. The
| ho
completed his plans for tho future.
He might go to Eurore or to
Florida in Il few weeks for n vaca.
tion. After that he will probably
go into business. He declared to-
day that Tnmmany still hud a bright
future and that he would always be
ready 10 work for the organization.
Willis Holly, the Mayors secre
tary, has already gone to ALBANY,
where he will be the correspondent
OF n newspaper.
Other Iammany officials who were
making ready to move this morning
were Daniel Engehard, the Mayors
marshal; George b. Mcclellan,
president OF the Board of Aldermen; :;
Sheriff John b. Sexton, Coroners
Shea and Shultz, Recorder Smythe
anu Judge Trua of the Superior
| Court.
Mayor elect Strong will take pos
session OF the Mayors office at noon
to morrow. There will be proably
n little speech making, aud Mr..
Strong will be introduced to the
heads uf departments who will serve
under him until Mayors power of
removal bill is passed.
Senator LeXow this morning lust
AS he left for Albany, was asked
what he thought of some of the
more recent criticism of the com
mittee and more particularly with
reference To some of the sharp
things which have been said re-
gardiug tue examination of Supt.
Byrnes.
We'll" said he, i've expected
that we would be criticised whether
we hau Byrnes OF the stand or not
ana if we are criticised adversely
1t will not be unfair, but unjust.
Byrnes was asked to account for his
wealth and he did 50.
There was not bit Of evidence
to show that lie was guilty OF cor
rnptIon. And now, as n matter ui
fact, this city, this State, almost
every State IN the Union, was
scraped us with fine tooth comb, in
order to get some evidence against
him, but 1t could not be found. MIR.
| Bynes was questioned on all tue
lines upou which the committee or
its counsel had my Information.
''lf any one knew Anything con
cernlne the official career OF Mr..
Bylnes, they shonld have informed
us of iit. Why did not they
come forward with it? Byrnes as a
matter OF fact. challenged any one
inside or outside the department to
show that lie was ever guilty of n
slpS!e wrong act.
1T has been said" remarked Que
OF those who had heard the Sena
tors words, "tnRt the committee
and the superintendent understood
each other perfectly well before he
went on the stand aud that there
had been an agreement or under
standing OF some sort by which
Byrnes was to be let down easy"
"Any Que who says that, or any
thing like it," was the response to
thnt, "is simply making lie out of
whole cloth"
"Ihen there is no truth in that
report?"
"Not word"
i Mayor-elsct Strong has received q