The morning call., 1895-01-20
EX.PatrOlman Shields Now Demands
a Hearing.
lie WAS BROKEN; OTHERS ESCAPED.
The Man Who Captured Murderer Fred
erickS Would Compel the Commits.
SiOnerS to Try Him.

liens, who saw in it the dawning of new
and welcome era. There were, however
| citizens who held that the cleansing had
| not been thorough, and that, while many
sergeants and patroimen were numbered
with the fallen stars, others, who were
| spared, ought to have shared similar
fate.
1t will be remembered that in the ante
| publication days gambling games were in
! full blast on Stockton and Third streets
| indecent exhibitions were given in the
Tenderloin district, and in Chinatown
! gamblers and lottery managers were ac-
cumulating wealth, while the police, con-
veniently silencing their consciences,
pocketed the brides given by the law
| breakers and shirked their duties.
| Chief Crowley hired detectives to watch
his own men, and the revelations they
made and the corruption they unearthed
made his, gray head shake with dismay.
| The investigation resulted in the dismissal
of Sergeants Johns, Witham and Coles and
a score or more of patrolmen.
I'VE will make many other changes"
| said the Commissioners at the time but
| then and there the shaking UP process
ended, and those whose official heads fell
| began to grumble and ask why they were
| not given more companions in their misery.
| Some OF them even limited that the Com
missioners feared to give the condemned
ones a public trial lest certain curious
and interesting facts connected with the
administration of the department should
| be brought to light.
A few of those who were dismissed, in
| their first wild outburst of pain and indig-
nation clamored for a trial, which was not
| granted because Chief Crowley said that
the evidence against the men was convinc-
| ing and complete.
| Among the men who were retired 'for
the good of the department" was William
| Shields. the officer who captured Murderer
! Fredericks before the body of young Her
rick, the bank cashier, had stiffened in
| death.
| Shields was a member of the Chinatown
| squad, then in charge of Sergeant Spillane
| He owed his appointment as policeman to
a clergyman, who recommended him highly
and appealed to the Commissioners in his
| behalf. When he was dismissed Shields
demanded an investigation, but it was re-
| fused.
THAT was the beginning of my hard
| luck" said Shields yesterday "When the
| Police Commissioners broke me / thought
that was bad enough. Now have gone
| broke in different ways. When [ left the
| force / bought a bakery route and many of
my old associates in the department gave
me their patronage, but at last fortune has
| turned against me and | belong to the
army of the unemployed.
This led the ex-policeman to remark that
now as he has no work to attend to he
! intends, if possible, to compel the Police
! Commissioners to give HIM a trial, and
promises not only to clear himself, but to
| show that many men of whose guilt the
Chief was fully aware are still members of
! the department.
'If I could cast off the cloud that was
| thrown upon me by the action of the
| Commissioners l think I could secure en-
| ployment without difficulty" said Shields
Yesterday. II have employed an attorney
and will in a few days petition the SUI
preme Court for writ of mandamus COM
| polling the Commissioners to produce
| what evidence they have against me. If
this fails l will find some other way of
clearing myself and making known the
facts about bribery in Chinatown.
81 am innocent of the charge of receiving
brides, and that was the charge that was
made against me and the others. Through
Officer Dodge, who was a member of the
squad, the Chief was told that the Chinese
gamblers paid each of us patrolmen $40
week and much larger amount to the SER
geant. On the day before my dismissal
Chief Crowley called me out of the ranks
and said [ was just the man he was look
ing for; 1
good officer. / am proud of your record
in the Fredericks case, and | want to keep
you in the department. Now, tell me how
much money you received in Chinatown
and will save you"
"'Chief,' / replied, L am innocent I
never received bride and I have nothing
to say about the others"
''Don't lie to me- said Crowley, excit-
edly Il know the truth. Dodge handled
the sack He received $50 week and the
rest of you received $40 each. You need
not try to cover up the guilt of any one. 1
know enough to send your sergeant to San
Quentin
"WeIl, I told him nothing, for I was in
nocent, and on the following day was dis
so much why did he not give his informa-
ton to the Grand Jury, and why did he
fear to make the facts public by giving us
a trial? believe that we were punished to
save others and if l can do it the truth
shall be made known"
"Shields knows well enough why he has
not been given an open trial in the matter
of the charges of bribery preferred against
him when he was sergeant of the China
town police squad" said Chief Crowley
last night in discussing the proposed suit
for writ of mandate to be filed by the ex-
sergeant against the Chief of Police.
''In the first place he did not ask for an
open TRIAL. w men ne desires TO know why
| do not go before the Grand Jury with
proofs that would send him to San Quentin
he is making very foolish query-one
that he can answer as we'll as /, if he wishes
it answered.
II care nothing about his writ of man.
date He was charged with an offense;
the Police Commission heard the evidence
and Shields was turned down. Should
explain why the evidence in full was not
carried to the Grand Jury should simply
be giving to the public the secret workings
of the Police Department, which the law
of the State protects me in keeping to N.Y.
self. II the condolences of citizens and the
members of the force, which the depart
ment and l as its Chief enjoy, and which
aid us in the doing of our whole duty to
the public, were to be violated we would
lose most valuable service, and the de-
lection of Irregularities in the department
would be impossible.
1.-The Police Commission is doing just the
sort of work that this committee of eleven
is talking so loudly of inaugurating. Ii
that committee can find any Irregularities
l court its investigation. In the past tif-
teen wears there have been 400 men turned
down in the Police Department. in this city,
and this man Shields is one of the 400
j T..