The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-10-09
GLASS TURNED ON LIGHT.
Some Secret History Regarding
the Fence
THE POLICE BOARD SESSION
A Committee to Investigate Rumored
Corruption
Charges Against Two Officers Dismissed-A
Final Mementc OF the Mayors East
ern Trip-Other Business

Cnlef or Pollce Glass yesterday for
lew moments lifted the curtain and
permitted the common herd 70 gaze int,
the mysterious and fascinating beyond
where those who enact roles serious ant
otherwise upon the stage of public events
are first compelled to learn and there
rehearse their several parts. The chic
was not IN the best OF humor when ht
unbosomed himself. That fac. was ap
parent in the manner in which he vic
iously paraded up and down the mayors
ante-room, occasionally Jerking his SEN
fences in the direction OF the board o.
police commissioners like Bengal tiger
whose fur has baen rubbed the wrong
way. Plainly the chief was ried and be
did not care who knew it.
The police board was holding its regu-
lar weekly session and the table had been
cleared of ali OF the formal business,
whei. Commissioner Guy Barham intro.
duced an old acquaintance all around,
in the object known to the public gen.
orally as The Fence
Barham told the board of a visit paid
him at his place of business few days
ago by Theodore Bauer, who came to in.
quire whether or not the intentions of
the police board regarding the aforesaid
fence are strictly honorable. He wanted
to know, in other words, whether or not
the board really intended to stand by it's
policy-its publicly declared policy and
not the other thing-and have the fence
removed. Bauer was informed, as has
been the rest of mankind time and again
within the past six weeks, that the board
and the council are most certainly in
earnest. The king of the tenderloin
wlnked the other eye as he bethought
himself of the board s double back action
reversible policy in the matter OF certain
saloon Licenses, and as he left Barham' S
Office he condescended to say that he
would in few days send one of the two
Shafer brothers around to see what could
be done. The Skaters own the land upon
which the fence is located. Bauer was
informed, so Barham told his colleagues,
that the fence must come down if it re-
quired the undivided attention of the
whole police apartment.
The chief had been fidgeting considera-
bly, in his seat during Barham' s recital,
and at the point where the former reiter
arose to his feet. He objected, he said,
to constant agitation of a subject which
was ruinous to the morals of the young
people of the city. He thought the board
should only discuss the social evil in pfi-
vate, where the vicious reporters could
not take notes of what was being said.
II have friend here" said the chief,
the Missouri legislature some years ago
Of the law which regulated the social evil
IN that state, by a systematic municipal
license, and l should very much like to
have this gentleman state his views upon
this question to this board. There ought
TO be law in this state licensing this
thing, and Without such statute you
can never solve this problem.
''One thing | might just as well have
understood" continued the chief, his ire
rising, land that is that this board must
not order me to do anything illegal. This
fence is upon private property, and so far
as that is concerned. it was ordered there
and at the time both and the city attor-
ney were of the opinion that q bill board
in the locality could do no particular
HARM
The cat was out of the bag at last and
fearful, perhaps, that he had not made
his job complete, the chief turned his
vocal batteries loose upon the mem bers
the W. C. I. U. and other forces which
have been in the van in the recent move
meut for local purity, accusing all OF
these various influences with having
within the past six weeks done m ore by
their agitation to make recruits for the
social evil than any other influence could
have done within six months.
The bars were by this time way down.
and the discussion of the subject became
general. No one called the chiefs hand,
and he left the stage the possessor OF the
Jackpot in the game, just as if there was
no board of police comm issioners or city
cnuncil anywhere within miles around.
Fearful that the board m light loose sight
OF the meat in his argument the chief
kept reiterating that under no circum
stances would he do anything which was
not sanctioned by the law. The mem
bers of the board did not apparently
think 1T at all peculiar that the chief,
wno is an executive officer purely, owing
his appointment to them as body,
should intimate that the council and the
board, either or both, would expect hin
to, in any manner, traDsgress the Law,
for his statements were permitted to pass
unnoticed. Commissioner Wlrsching, in
fact, unreservedly endorsed Glass, while
the other mem oers of the board tacitly
agreed with him, all but the mayor, who
structing Commissioner Barham in an
informal way to hunt up the Skaters and
find out if they would, like good boys, OF
their own accord, take the fence down
and out of sight. The chief did tell the
board openly that If he we're instructed
to place an extra force of officers IN the
diSreputable district he could break M