The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-19
POLICE IN NEED OF PUReING.
NEW YORK's GRAND JURY MAKES
ITS REPORT.

The Indictments Handed I'm Believed
to Number Tvyenty-Five-McLau
Inns Name Believed to lie in the
List-rhe Charges of Conspiracy
brought Against Agents of the
Parlhurst Society Dismissed-Po-
lice BalIS Detection of Crime.
New York March 1S-The extraordinary
grand jury which was sworn in on Jan
7, and has been investigating the police
department and the testimony taken be-
fore the Lexow Senate committee came
into court at o'clock to-day and
handed a big bundle Of indictments to
Justice Graham. 1t is believed that there
were twenty-five in the package, but
Justice Ingraham refused to tell whe
they were against. Bench warrants were
at once issued for those who had been in
dicted.
The extraordinary grand Jury dismissed
the charges of conspiracy brought against
Agents +. A. Whitney and Arthur Dem
nett of the Parkhurst society by Detective
Sergeant Jacob. Similar charges against
Charles Liss and Samuel Cohen were also
dismissed.
The jury say that in it's opinion the
great body Of subordinate police officers
are honest and capable men and their
assistance in the jury's investigation
would doubtless have proved most val
liable had the jury been able to command
1t.
The presentment then continues: THE
impression was created and supported by
most convincing facts that our labors in
ferreung out and enabling the prosecu-
ton Of unfaithful police officers, instead
of being approved by the department was
an attack upon it.
Those whose duty 1t was to aid in de-
tpcfing crime have cd IN mr. ffo
detection.
THE influence of this apparently rec
ognized antagonism upon large number
Of witnesses called before us was mani
fest.
MANY persons-themselves law-break-
ers-who had been the victims of ex-
tortion and blackmail in the past feared
to speak, being apprehensive that their
disclosures would be punished by greater
persecution hereafter
1T is manifest that we should not have
been confronted with this condition of
affairs had our investigation been at
tended by honest and sincere cooperation
Of the officials whose duty 1t is, and who
have the power to direct the services of
the entire force.
During our entire session no police
official, high or low, has volunteered one
particle of aid, ror has any evidence
whatever been forthcoming from police
circles except such as has been drawn
from unwilling witnesses and after per-
sistent efforts. Members of the force
with no other apparent motive than a
desire to shield their superiors, have pro-
fessed an ignorance of wrong doing with
which evidence showed them to be IA
miliar.
THE evidence has left in our minds
that for years 1T has been the practice of
many police captains in their respective
precincts to receive money as bribes
for protecting violators of the
law, and to extort money
From law abiding citizens as the
price of exemption from police fnterfer-
enee and annoyance. We believe that
this practice has been carried on to an
extent unprecedented in the history of
the city. Clear cases have been presented
in which, by reason alone of lapse of
time, the law has precluded us from
signing indictments
The enjoyment by the executive head
of the force of a considerable fortune
accumulated as the result of favors grant
ed as recognition Of the performance of
official duty, may well have caused demon
alization in the force under his command.
The distinction between the receipt
of such favors and the taking of direct
gratuities for official services is not one
his subordinates are likely to appreciate.
THE existence of the evils to which we
have referred evidences the absolute ne
cessity of radical reorganization of the
force by new men and new methods"
At least eleven police officers were in
diCted, more than one indictment having
been found against some of them The
indictments, which it is reported charge
the indicted men with bribery, and the
presentment are only a partial result of
the investigation. The grand jury has not
been discharged, but will continue its ses-
sions until the end of the term.
hn of Of he, 4 49,.
who are believed to have been indicted
are: a
William w. Mclaughlin, inspector; Jo-
seph b. Eakins, captain; NJ j. Murphy.
captain; James X. Price captain; Jacob
Sebert, captain; William Strauss, captain;
William Schultz, captain.
1t was also reported that indictments
had been found against Michael Doherty.
ex-captain, and John T. Stephenson, ex-
captain.
1t was stated that there were five indict-
ments filed against Inspector Mclaughlin
and that no Indictment had yet been filed
against Inspector Williams or Capt. Mea-
kim, who, it has been expected, would be
among the first indicted.
Bench warrants were issued for the in
dicted men, and sent to Superintendent
Byrnes for service No arrests were made
to-day, but all of those against whom
indictments have been found have been
AtgSAAN1 ~ ANPoAt at NoAAtt uCduQudFIeiS
at $3.50 o'clock tomorrow morning. They
will be taken TO the court of oyer and
terminer at II O'Clock. 1t is generally
believed that the twenty-seven indict-
ments returned by the grand jury to-day
represent only about one-half of the num-
Der contemplated by them and the re-
mainder will be handed down in a few
days.
Mr.. .Cptowne-Your fiat is heated by
steam, / believe?
Mr. FOurthnohr-No sir. H. ,,ot