The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-03-19
GRAND. JURY'S FINDINGS
AGENTS or THE PARKHURoT S0CIE.
TY ACQUITTED.
Tho Police DspsrtDebt Rebuksd for Not
Aiding the Jury-Subordinste Or
6csrs are Honest.

NEW YORK, March 1s-The extraordi-
| nary grand jury to-day dismissed the
charges of conspiracy brought against
agents Il. a. Whitney and Arthur Den
nett. of the Parkhurst Society, by Detec-
tive Sergeant Jacob. Similar charges
against Charles Liss and Samuel Cohen
| were also dismissed.
The jury says that in its opinion
the great body Of subordinate police Off
GERS are honest and capable men, and
their assistance in the jury's inyestisa-
ton would doubtless have proved most
valuable had they Che jury been able
10 command it. The presentment then
! continues:
NOT ASSISTED by THE oFFICrRs.
1.-THE impression was created and sup
| ported by the most convincing fdcts thdt
| our la bors in fcrreting out and enabling
| the prosecution OF unfaithful police OFF,
| GERS. instead of being approved by the
| department. was an attack upon H.
Those whose duty IL was TO aid In detec-
ting crime have united TO prevent It's de-
lection. The influence of this apparently
recognized antagonism upon large num-
Der OF Witnesses called before us was
manifest. Many persons. themselves law
breakers. who had been the victims OF
eXtortor and blackmail in the past, fear
ell to speak being apprehensive that
their disclosures would be punished by
greater persecution hereafter.
NO ONE VOLUNTEERED AID.
at is manifest that we should not have
been confronted with this condition of af-
fairs. and our investigation been attend
cd by honest and sincere cooperation of
the officials whose duty II 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 volun-
teered one particle of aid. nor has any
evidence whatever been forthcoming from
police circles, except such as has been
drawn from unwilling witnesses, and
after persistent effort.
Members of the force, with 10 other
apparent motive than desire TO shield
their superiors. have profcssed All ig
norancc of wrongdoing with which evil |
dence showed them I" be familiar.
Evidence has left no uoubt i'm our
minds that for years II has been me !
practice of many police captains in their |
respective precincts to receive money as |
brides for protecting violators of the |
law, and to cXtort money from law |
abiding citizens. as the price OF eXemp- |
ton from police interference and annoy |
ancc. We believe that ;his practice has |
been carried on 10 an extent unprecedont- |
ed in the history of the cit!. Clear
cases have been presented i'm which. by |
reason alone Of lapse of time. the law has |
precludcd us from signing indictments.
CAUSED DEMoRALIzATIoN.
THE enjoyment b. the executive head |
of the force of 4 considerable fortune. ac-
cumulated as the result of favcrs grant
ed as a recognition of the performance
of official duty, may we'll have caused
in the force under his
The distinction between the
receipt of such favors ana the taking OF
direct gratuitios for official services is
not one his subordinates are likely 10
appreciate.
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
are only a partial result
of the investigation. The grand jury has
been discharged, but will continue its ses-
sions until the end of the term.
The OFFICERS INDICTED.
Among the officers Of the department
who are believed to have been indicted
|
and Captains Joseph b. Eakns Michael
j. Murphy. James X. Price. Jacob Sic
bert. William Strauss William Schultz.
II was also reported that indictments
had been found against eX-Police Captain
Michael Doherty and ex-Captain John T.
stephenson.
1t was stated that there were five in
dictments filed against Inspector Me
Laughlin, and that no indictments had |
yet been filed against Inspector Williams
or Captain Meakim, who IL had been ex-
pected would be among the first indicted.
Bench warrants were issued for the in
1icted men and sent TO Superintendent
Byrnes for service. No arrests were made
to-day. but all of those against whom
have been found have been /
notified 10 report at Police Headquarters |
Al $3.50 O'Clock tomorrow morning They |
viii be taken to the Court of oyer and |
ferminer at II o'clock. 1t is generally |
believed that the twenty-seven indict-
nents returned by the grand jury to-day
epresent only about one-half of the num-
Der contemplated by them. and the re-
nainder will be handed down in a few
lays.
|