The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-06-03
AN OFFICERS FALL.
Policeman Lowe Found Drunk aud
Unconscious in an Alley.
he SAYS He WAS DRUGGED

BY some Young Men Who Had KeE
or Beer IN the Alley Near the Trans-
fer Station and Accuses George
Burxhart OF Being Implicated in
His Misfortune.
The first affair rejecting discredit on
the present police management was the
conduct of Patrolman John Lowe Satur-
day night. Lowe was found in the alley
back of the First Baptist church in a
state of intoxicatiOn, when he was sup
posed to be on duty.
loves beat is on Kansas avenue, be-
tween Sixth and Ninth streets at night
In his stupor Lowe was evidently as
saulted, for when he was found his face
was bleeding from a cut on the forehead,
and his eye was swollen and discolored.
He claims he was kicked in the face by
some man who also took his star, club,
revolver and chain away from him.
Lowe and his friends claim that he is
the victim of a plot. One of his bIother
officers says, George Burghart and some
of the boys around Eighth and Kansas
avenues have been sore at Lowe because
he arrested them two or three months
ago. They had keg of beer around in
the alley Saturday night, and when Lowe
passed along they offered him a drink.
Lowe says he took just two glasses of
beer, and you know yourself that
wouldn't make a baby drunk. Lowe
says he felt a mum bness and stupor COM
ing over him that wasn't intoxication. He
thinks the boys who had it in for him
drugged his glass of beer. He walked
little ways further up the alley, but
fell down unconscious, and didn't re-
member anything more until some one
kicked him in the face. The
gang there has wanted to get
Lowe fired for a long time, and
l think they have taken this way of
getting him fired from the force"
This of course is loves side of it, and
the plea he will make in order to hold
his place. There are those, however,
who say that Lowe was drunk before he
entered the alley.
George Burghart was arrested this
morning charged with being the man
who kicked Lowe in the face. The war
rant reads for George Burghart, John
Doe, Richard Roe and others" The 9TH
ers have not been arrested. Burghart
protests that he knows nothing more
about the affair than that he was one of
those who searched for the lost policeman
Burghart says: Il closed my store at
! midnight Lowe had been around the
corner drunk and when Wellman and
joined in. found him face down, up
the alley near Ninth street He had
fallen near telegraph pole and think
| that is the way he hurt his face. He was
bruised and bleeding when l got there.
had nothing more to do with the case
except that some of the boys in the
crowd took his star, club and gun away
from him and turned them over to me.
gave them to the police.
"The fact that a man is a policeman
should not excuse him for getting drunk.
Even if he took only two glasses of beer
as he says, he had no business drinking
at all when he was on duty. I think it
| is just a case of plain drunk. l had
nothing more to do with the case than l
have told you"
This is not the first time Officer Lowe
has been drunk When he was on the
old force several years ago, it is said that
he was drunk one day and lay down on a
railroad track and went to sleep. Some
other officers found him and carried him
away, and within three minutes passen-
ger train dashed over the same track.
The case of Officer Lowe will be made
the subject of an investigation by the
! police commissioners this afternoon at 4
o'clock. Pending the investigation Lowe
has been dismissed by Chief Wilkerson.
Officer Lowe is q brother-in law of P. ].
Bone brake, the chairman of the board,
and also brother-in-law of Albert Ear
nest, the ex-councilman and Democratic
politician.
Lowe case is the sole topic of CONVEX
satiOn in police circles.