The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-03-19
MANY INDICTMENTS FOUND.
GRAND JURY
MAKES IT'S PRESENTMENTS.

| III BeileVes Inat the Great Body OF sub
ordinate Officers of the New York Police
Force Afe Honest, But Scores the Su-
periors-Ex-Inspector Steers is Among
Those Who Were Indicted.
New York, March 1S.-The extraordi-
nary grand jury which was sworn in
on January and has been investigatig
the police department and the testimo-
ny taken before the Lexow senate COM
mittee came into court at / o'clock to-
day and handed big bundle of in
dictments to Justice George l.. Ingra-
ham.
1t is believed that there were twenty
five indictments in the package, but
Judge Ingraham refused to tell who
they were against. Bench warrants
were at once issued for those who had
been indicted.
The following Is the conclusion of the
presentment handed in:
I'm our opinion the great body of
subordinate police officers are honest
and capable men, and their assistance
in our investigation would doubtless
have proved valuable had we been able
to command it; but without proper or
ders, accompanied by honest and will
ing suggestions from their superiors
no aid Of this character was practical
BILE.
mo such orders were given, although
OF tha Inao oriy, IN ,f t1,a an
operation Of the executive officers of the
department was not only invited, but
directly requested.
Not only has this inactivity of the
force itself proved a source of difficulty,
but its attitude throughout has hinder
ed us far more, The impression was
created and supported by convincing
facts that our labors in ferreting out
and enabling the prosecution of un-
faithful officers instead of being APP
proved by the department was am at
tack upon It,"
The presentment, in referring to Su-
perintendent Byrnes, says:
"The enjoyment by the executive
head Of the force of considerable fortune
accumulated as a result of favors grant
ed in the performance of official duty
may we'll have caused decentralization
of the force under his command. The
distinction between such favors and d.
rect gratuities is not one that his sub
ordinates are likely to appreciate"
The jury further scores the police |
for its hostility to the investigation.
The grand jury to-day dismissed the
charges OF conspiracy against Agents |
Whitney and bennett of the Parkhurst |
society by Detective Sergeant Jacob |
Similar charges against Charles Liss
and Samuel Cohen were also dismissed. |
Another portion of the presentment |
reads as follows:
We have kept in mind your honor's
injunction to weigh with caution the
able character, and where we have
felt doubt of the trustworthiness of
evidence we have deemed it in public
interest to reject it entirely. The evil
dence has left no doubt in our minds |
that for years 1t has been the practice
Of many police captains in their re-
spective ppecincts to receive money
as bribes for protecting violators Of
law and to eXtort money from law
abiding citizens as the price of ex-
amption from police interference and
We believe that this prac-
lice has been carried to an extent un-
in the history of the city
and clear cases have been presented
n which by reason alone Of lapse of
line the law has precluded us from
hiding indictments"
It was said on the authority Of an
assistant district attorney that all of
he indictments handed down were
against members of the police force.
rive indictments were found against
Inspector Mclaughlin!
At least eleven police officers were in
licted, more than one indictment hav-
ng been found against some of them.
The indictments, 1t is reported, charge
he indicted men with bribery.
Among the officers believed to have
,een indicted are:
Inspector Mclaughlin and Captains
Murphy, Price, Siebert, Strauss
nd Schulz.
1t was also reported that indictments
lad been found against Captains
Delaney, Martens and Cross, ex-Inspec-
or steers, ex-Captains Doherty and
stephenson and several ward detec-
ives. Bench warrants We're issued for
he indicted men weresent to Superinten-
ent Byrnes for service. No arrests so
ar could be learned had been made at {
late hour but all of those against !
1hom indictments have been found
ave been notified to report at police 1
eadquarters tomorrow morning. They {
ill be taken thence to court 1t Is I
believed that the twenty-sev-
n indictments returned by the grand s
Try to-day represent only about half I
t the number contemplated by them c
viii Not Drop the Matter.