The Portland daily press., 1895-01-01

| And an Attempt to Investigate His Char
acter was Shut Off-The Doctor Gives
Full Credit though for all Other Work
He is Preparing Statement of the Re-
suits.
/ New York, Decem ber 3l.-Dr. Parkhurst
! spent most of the day in preparing a
statement on the results of the Lexow
investigation. This evening he went
| down town and had consultation con-
cerning the statement with Lawyer
form the executive committee of the So
ciety for the Prevention of Crime. In
his statement, DR.. Parkhurst says: I'm
] stating my position touching certain
questions now lying before the public
mind, l cannot express mvself too appre-
ciatively- of the splendid work that has
been done by the Senate committee and
| it's talented counsel. There has been
created Though their instrumentality
an epoch in the history of our city, and
there has been secured at the polls
municipal revolution chat would have
been impossible except through their
| agency or an agency OF similar Kind.
And it is but just that we 60 further
than this and recognize the work OF
| this committee and of its counsel as be-
| ing the influence which is contributing
very largely to similar municipal up
heavals throughout the entire country.
They have bored into the rotten tissue
of the police department with utter
Indifference as to the character, politi-
cal or otherwise, of what they struck.
Knowing that their report wo1ld have
to be rendered the first Of the new year,
we did. to be sure, grow little solicitous
lest they were not allowing sufficient
Late in November it was shown.the in
vestigation was not to be. pushed to its
close in the same energetic manner which
it had been. A good many days were
passed away with discussions which
wearied the public, and which made no
substantial additions to the knowledge
already gained, and which were fritter-
ing away the time that we knew ought
to be expended on the inspectors and
superintendent. We are justified in say
ing that while the committee stood up
to the rack magnificently through all
the earlier portions of the investigation,
they f1inched at the crisis. As long ago
| as when uMr. Moss attempted to adduce
evidence against Mr.. Byrnes in the Mari
ett matter. the Investigating committee
sprang to Byrues's defence. The pursuit
of lines that might have conducted to
the investigation of the character of
Byrnes was discouraged.
Now, the presumption is on the side of
the superintendent being as criminal as
any. other member of the force. so that
the hesitancy to examine him as Will
liams was handled, could mot proceed
from any prior conviction Of his inno-
cence. Wherever they have stuck in their
fork they have found rot, and whether
Byrnes be rotten or not, he has been in
the rot for 81 years, and has been the
executive head of the rot for the last
was against. him, SO that the indisposi-
tion to handle him thoroughly must
have been grounded in some other con-
sideration than that of his presumable
incredence. There are two ways in which
Byrnes has put the committe under OBJ
their independence. He put them under
obligations by consenting to help defeat
Tammany Hall, and lit is remembered
that the committee is an anti-Tammany
committee, and came down here for anti
Tammany purposes. The second way in
which the committee put themselves un-
der Obligations to him was by taking
him into their confidence and allowing
him to become confederate with them
in breaking down the force. To the de-
gree in which they obtained help from
Mr.. Byrnss they put themselves. practical
ly under obligations to protect Byrnes.
Now, know the language that Byrnes
used touching precisely this point, and
when l heard it knew that everything
was cup" SO far as a.square investigation
of him was concerned.
The statement of DR.. Parkhurst was
read to Byrnes tonight. The superin-
tendent said II have nothing at all to
say.at present. DR.. Parkhurst is real
nice man; that is my New YEARS. greet
ing to him."