The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-13
HIS TRIUMPH EPHEMERAL.
PatrOlman SkOOg Upheld by Com
mittee, But Removed WithaI,

For the first time in the history of
the present city administration one of
the council committees on police has
recommended Inconvenience in the
action of the mayor in removing a
patrolman from the police force. The
officer thus sustained by the committee
On police of the board of aldermen is
Fatrolman Oscar Skoog, who was re-
moved by the mayor Oct 20 last for
alleged neglect of duty.
The hearing in Skoog's case, which
began Wednesday afternoon, was re-
Sumed before the committee yesterday
afternoon, when Capt. Pottgieser,
Lieut.. William Hanft and Sergeant
William Ryan,. of the Margaret street
station, were present to Substantial
the charges Of neglect of duty which
caused the removal of Officer Skoog.
The members of the police committee
present were Aid. Bell, the chairman
. and Aid. Donahower, Lindahl and
Bjgelow. Officer Skoog and his wit
1esses were also on hand, and so was
S. A. Anderson. who appeared on be-
half of Skoog
The committee first Intercepted
Skoog's superior officers, Capt. Pott-
eieser, Lieut.. Hanft and Sergeant
Ryan, who were each of them sworn
in turn. According to their testimony,
Siloog had been inattentive to duty for
three or four months past, had been
reported therefor and reprimanded
His neglect of duty, according to the
officers, consisted in emitting to pull
his patrol box on two or three occa-
SONS, and his failure to answer the
SergeantS whistle on two or three 9TH
Ell occasions. Once Sergeant Ryan said
he saw Skoog step inside saloon, but
ne emerged therefrOm within such q
short space Of time as to preclude the
possibility, in Sergeant Ryan's judg-
ment, of his having taken a drink 1t
was not charged, however, that Skoog
was Incorporate. ~-5rEs-
Since July IL last four charges Of
neglect Of duty had been preferred
against Skoog. On the date named he
had neglected to pull his patrol box
at 1880 a. m. Skoog's excuse was that
ne had gone to q drug store to get
some medicine and take it to his sick
brother-1n-law. He was taken before
the chief and reprimanded for not
sending word to the station before he
offended to private matters.
In August Sergeant Ryan whistIed
IN vain for Skoog, and spent an hour
locking for him, but at last ran across
him returning from the Northern Pa
clf1c yards. Mr.. Skoog said that he
had been down at the boiler house
eating his midnight lunch. On g. sub
Sequent night Mr.. Skoog was eating
lbs lunch down near Swede hollow,
under the Seventh street bridge, when
ne failed to hear the sergeant's whistle
The specific complaint that caused
Skoog's dismissal was that Oct. 10,
Sergt. Ryan found him, while on duty.
sitting in Mississippi street barber
shop reading a newspaper Skoog's
explanation Of this was that, he had
stepped into the barber shop to get
warm, as it was a chilly day, and the
police had not then been provided with
overcoats. The barber was called and
he testified that Skoog did not remain
In his shop for three minutes.
The testimony concluded, Capt Pott-
gieser and Lieut., Hanft, in response to
questions said that Skoog was a good
officer a year ago, but that during the
past few months he had become care
less and reckless, and was addicted to
running around day times, instead of
getting the proper amount Of sleep
Aid. Lindahl wanted to know it, in
presenting the charges before the
mayor, it was urged as a reason for
Skoog's removal that his relatives
were Democrats Capt. Pottgieser re-
piled in the negative
The committee then retired and after
a few moments consultation decided by
a unanimous vote to recommend that
the action of the mayor in removing
Skoog be not concurred in.
The committee submitted it's report
to the board of aldermen in the even
ing. The board turned it down and by
a vote Of six to three, decided to con-
cur with the action of the mayor as re-
lated elsewhere in the account of the
proceedings.