The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-01-04
LEXOW is THROUGH.
SuPERlNT ENOENT BYRNES IS THE
FINAL WITNESS.


Against the Force, Charges it tn Local
Politics. Declares HIS own Innocence of
Any Participant on I'm the Wickedness
and His Attempts to stop IL. and Closes
by Announcing His Resignation.
NEW YORK, Dec. 3l.-What will GOODWIN
in the history of this city as the Lexow
committee, but which technically is the SEN
ate committee for tho investigation Of the
police and other departments of New
York, has at iast closed its protracted and
successful sessions. 1t is doubtful If any
other like body appointed by the legisla-
ture of this state ever accomplished SO
much good work in the time that this
committee has consumed, or for that mat
ter in any length of time; for the results
of this investigation have been more far
reaching and conclusi of utter and ap-
palling corruption than was ever before
demonstrated here. The reports printed
in these dispatches have given q good idea
of the trend O the revelations.
Who Has Perjured Himself?
But to the moralist there is feature Of
all this swearing that is the saddest of all,
and it is one that should engage the atten-
ton of the publicist, and that is the
amount of perjury that has been done,
and the ease with which it has been done
without n blush or stammer. For
somebody is perjured. The direct contra
dictions under oath are not differences of
opinion; they are issues of fact, and such
also as n bad memory cannot excuse.
Some of the perjury has been acknowl-
edged later, bat most of it stands just as
given. But the case Is closed and the re-
port of the committee Is the next thing in
order, and n W York city, mt least, will
await this with impatience
Byrnes Announces His Resignation.
Superintendent Byrnes was the last
witness examined. just before he was
through answering Goff's questions
the superintendent handed letter to
Chairman Lexow aud said that it was
copy of one that he hal sent to Mayor
elect Strong early this month. 1t was his
resignation from the force, of which he
has been a member for tho last thirty-two
years. The superintendent said that on
two occasions since he was appointed in
Superintendent Murray's place he was
on the point of resigning, owing to the
continual conflict between the commits
sioners and himself. The superintendent,
he said, should have absolute charge of
the discipline of the department., but that
all his efforts in that direction were
frustrated by the commissioners. The de-
partment was honey combed with abuses,
which had been growing for thirty years
and they could only DC rcmedicd by radical
legislation.
Local Politicians to Blame for All.
Local politicians, he claimed were the
curse of the department., and as long as
politics was II factor in the force such "a
state of things would exist. Although he
had done his utmost to procure substan-
tial information rs to corruption and
bribery he was unable TO get it, and the
whole department was impregnated with
the belief that promotion had TO be bought
and merit was of no avail. He claimed to
have done q good deal towards helping
to bring about the exposures. He paid II
tribute to DR.. Parkhurst, who, he said
manufactured public scntiplont without
which it would have been impossible for
the committee to have acquired the infor
nation it dId.
jay Gould Was His Very Good Friend.
His wealth, which he estimated az $500,
900, was made by speculation, he said. in
y
of Jay Gould and his son George Ills
purchases of real estate were also very
profitable, and he claimed not to have u
bank account.
The above gives briefly but substantially
what Byrnes said as to the corruption in
the force His explanation of how be
made his money was the most interesting
of his testimony otherwise Byrncs said
he had been connected with the force
for about thirty-two years, and gave II list
of the property he held, and which he had
accumulated by buying stocks. said he:
"The late Jay Gould was my friend. ANA
he acted as my broker. He made for me
$3.50 600, and since his death his son George
has made Si2, 600"
He got his first money this way: "A
friend of Senator Palmer named Bur-
ridge, a very old man who lived IL Ouch.
ess county, left me S7,0JJ. l bought prop
crty and sold it and made some money
Old Commodore Vanderbilt asked me on
one occasion if had any money, AMI ]
said yes, had $1,000. IIeaskcd me for it
and brought il to him. About SIX or
twelve months aftcrward | got IS, 00O back,
as he had invested it very successfully for
me- This made me worth some $1,000 in
1870"
The witness then told u long story rs To
how he became acquainted with JAY
Govrd. 1t was through catching man
who wrote threatening letters Goult
offered him IA present. but he refused
Then Could lie said cfforcd to buy stocks
for him and did not want to accept any
margin, but Byrncs insi ,td. He put up
$1,000 with the result that the amount
was increased to $4,000. He said b
could not remember just where he g)t ;ha
$4,000 but htThad it all right. lac declared,
He had made scv ,ral attempts to sup.
press vice of all kinds but was so tici up
that his efforts were of no avail. lie had
never had dollar in his life that was not
obtained honestly. The interference of
Commissioner Martin with the captains
at the time of the 1892 election wa, then
referred to, MISREPRESENTATION Byrnes de-
scribcd the meeting He said thar Marion
insisted on addressing the force, and tod
them not TO allow Uatcd states mars.ais
to interfere with them Byrncs objected |
to this, and instructed the men exactly |
as to their duties
"But Commissioner Martha swora that
he went thcreat your request. II sAorc |
To what was false
4 Il