The morning times., 1896-01-01
TRIAL BOARD JUDGMENTS
Some Criticisms by Major Moore
and Mr.. TruesdeII.
POLICEMAN DUVALL'S CASE
He Was Tried for Intoxicntion and
Was Ordered to BE Dismissed From
the FOrce-Had Been Twice Guilty
of the Same Offen-e and Made No
Defense Whatever.

The Times yesterday received a letter
saying:
"A little over one year ago there were
seven men, some OF them with clear rec
ords dismissed from the police force. because
they belonged to n club that had bar
room keepers in 1t.
within the last two months two men
We're brought to the station, while on
duty, so drunk they had 10 be relieved from
duty, and they are allowed to stay on the
force by paying a fine of 500.
so the plblic can judge the justice of
trials before the trial boards
Times reporter called the attention of
Mai. Moore to these statements. He said:
Yes; there has been something of that
kind. / don't remember bat one man fined
$50 for drunkenness. That was Espey. over
in the Fifth. He came to the station so
drunk he had to be relieved but IL was
the iirst off-nse in a long and excellent
record. II was his first mistake. He had
oeen in i'll health. and IL is supposed he
tried TO get relief from his suffering by
III Aing liqaor, and took too much"
III there was another case" suggested
the reporter, 1T must have been for some
similar rcason?"
Yes; | assume that tie Commissioners,
the trial board and myselfare not all Idiots"
DIDN'T RECALL THE FACTS.
Commissioner Truesdell said he did not
recall the facts referred to. However, the
final action taken was not by him especially.
but by the Board of Commissioners. In
recent case when two recommendations of
dismissal made by the trial board had been
dsapproyed, Commissioner Ross, who is Il
lawyer, had taken the papers home with
hl!n, and had made u thorough examina-
tlon. In one case the recommendation OF
the trial board to remove the offender had
been entirely set aside, in the other Ii had
been modified to fine. The previous
good record in a long period OF service
ought to count much In II mans favor.
In one of these inst anccs t he man had been
long III the department without single blot
on his eScutcheon. The action taken was
by unanimous vote of the Commissioners.
The tr!ai board and the major and super
intendcnt OF police, he said, rendered no
verdict; they simply made recommendations.
The cases referred to, 1t is Understood,
are those OF Patrolmen Qualls and Espey.
Commissioner Truesdeli's position In
regard to the privileges OF newspaper re-
porters at the District building, is not
so broad as stated in The Times. He said
yesterday that, while he was not desrous
to make any public statement, the assertion
that he had threatened to exclude any
reporter from the privileges OF the building
IL criticisms of the Commissioners con-
tnued to appear in the paper was inac-
curate.
COULDN'T TOLERATE ABUSE.
What he did tell the offending reporter
was that no reporter would be allowed to
enjoy the special privileges of the Com
missioner's floor, including the use OF
the press room, and conversation with the
cir hs. "A tl.h nd a an
them. This would tend to bring them into
dlsrespect with their own employees, and
could not be tolerated. He recognized the
right OF newspapers to publish any criti-
csms they chose of the Commissioners
actions. but 1t should be done editorially
and not by the reporter who represented
the paper at the District building, and
enjoyed relations whit Commissioners
in somesense con Influential. Thereporterwas,
of course. at liberty to publish a correct
account OF any facts he obtained at the
building by preper means.
The article in regar rd to trial boari cases.
he said. contained misrepresentation, and
was pla nly aimed at him personally. with
n purpose to put him in a false light be-
fore the community.
Another case came out from the trial
board yesterday afternoon. 1t was that
of b. H. DuvalL OF No. 1111 c street
northeast. He was tried on December
IL on charges OF lntoNlCatiDn, ana as Il
result the Commissioners ordered that he
lie dismissed from the force, to take effect
from date. .rtt
DUVALL'S CASE.
Mfr. Duvall was first-classs private In
the Second precinct, and had been MEN,
ber OF the force several years. Commis
sioner Truesdell said Duvall had a very
bad record, and had twice before been
guilty of the same offense. Al the last
trial lie made no defense whatever.
The case of Foreman John A. Walsh, of
fire company No. l, who was recently dis
missed. will probably be taken up again.
Mr.. walsh's friends are making a great
effort to have the Commissioners recon
slider their action. and it was understood
the matter would be considered at the
last meeting of the board for the year, he'd
with closed doors, from 3 to $50 p. IN.
yesterday afternoon. They said at the close
nothing for publication had been said or
done.