New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-12
PARKER BEFORE THE MAYOR
HEARING OF THE CHARGES AGAINST THE
COMMISSIONER.
rrurr ROOT APPr,ARs FOR THE PRosECUT''"
AND GENERAL TRACY FOR MR.. PAhh""

COLONEL KIPP EXAMINED
pou,e Commissioner Andrew ID. Parker appear'u
yesterday before Mayor strong, VINO aPpo'"'e" nm
70 orco TO answer the charge or neglect Vi ""'''
Long before Mr.. Parker ard his counsel r.'',"'
pta,rtn e Tracy reached the CITY Hail. the
Navor's office was crowded with people WHO went
20 witness trial the Ike of which has not taken
,oco 4, this city I'm seventeen years. wheh Police
commissioners John A. Nichols and w. f. uSaiy)
Smith were summoned before Mayor Cooper ana
subsequently removed with the approval OF GOV
ernor I.ucius Robinson.
Mayor Strong presided. and TO all appearances
uos 81 fair and IMPARTIAL as well as dgnifed,
indigo CORPORATION Counsel Scott sat with the
Mayor to advise him on points OF la" during
mart ~ the session and Assistant Corporation
Counsel John Proctor Clarke occupied Mr. SCOTS
chair the rest OF the time. There were also present
Police Commissioners Grant and Andrews fo'co
Commissioner Roosevelt, who Is supposed 10 nav"
ra Their more TO do with preferring the charges thah
the other Commissioners. was also on hanh'
notable figure at the hearing yesterday was en-
chief Of Police Thomas By-nes. Commissioner
Parker il credited with being the member or che
Police Board who forced Mr.. Byrnes's retirement
from the force Ehhu Root represented the city
as prosecuting counsel
THO first witness called was Colonel William II.
Kipp the veteran chief clerk OF the Pohce Depart
mont Mr. Root asked Colonel Klpp to produce
,he minutes Of the meetings OF the Commissioners
of Police Colonel Klpp swore that meeting was
held on September 60 at which Mr. Parker was
present when resolution was adopted 10 hoiu
meetings twice week. Then. In answer 10 l"os-
tons, the witness testified that COMMISSIONER
Parker was absent from meetings held on October
l. T. H. .. November !. 5. and December TO- TO-
and 20 January g. 10. II. 20 81 and q.
Commissioner Roosevelt entered tho room while
Colonel Kip was tcstIfyIng and took the vacant
chair nearest TO Commissioner Parker. lie spoke
to nobody.
MIR PARKER'S ABSENCES.
Colonel Kip summarized the list Of Con''nS-
sioner Parkers absences by saying that ne was
absent from twenty-four out OF forty-sN regular
meetings and from ten ont of eighteen o'he' "'o'
ings While he was counting through the pages oil
tho m,nute-book. Mayor Strong made a JOKE IN
h,oor c.reral Tracy and Mr.. Root laughed.
/ Commissioner Parker sat apparently unin'eres'ei'
and Commissioner Grant changed seats with COM
miss oner Roosevelt - 49,
Mr. Root then took up the second specification
OF the charges and Colonel Kipp produced '''
~ cc,laints o. citizens that ini been referred TO
/ Commissioner Parker for investigation. lie S"'i
that no report on those complaints had been SUD
rnI,t.d 10 the Board and then told the usual mone
/ % nrocsdura in such cases how a report IL maze
! 70 the Board and the complaints Med IL 10 Gus
,omsry for the complaints 10 be handled 10y uih'I-
ent Commissioners rnch month. but ihere u u" rune
covering the custom
Commissioners Parker and Grant with Comms-
s,o,.- Roosevelt OK ofnco were tho Committee on
Pensions and 4, is charged thai Commissioner
Parker d'd no. act on certain aspirations 'or
pensions WITHIN the proper t!rne several instances
/ q, DELAY were described by Colonel k'pp u tnel
developed that Il was u-ua' "heh P'''''"-'
af.or trial received from The Commissioners VINO
,-od btrn 4, sentence ~ moro man Ave days pay
FOR all tho Commissioners 20 read IN" testimony
and 20 report on the justice OK ihe penhly '''ohe'
KIDD testified that IN several cases 'omn''''o'e'
Parker had failed 20 report.
The room was intentionally crowded ard Colo
mel Kipp and Mr. Root spoke IN tones 80 10" 'fat
1. ~. almos. impossible 20 hear what they SAID
No .ca-. were provided .or visitors not present on
business and n crowd Of about h'iy t'ooa w ana
absorbed the i!tile ar that ITO TWO ma -oV,n'u
u,,d,v. allowed TO penetrate from Tho Guy h@'
Park. ., w..
ve,rher Commissioner Parker nor General Tracy
took any part In the examination. bC;h made notes
every now arl then bn' they asked no au''"o"'
nor raised any objections Al inc -'''en'
docurnentary compiled from the minute DOCK anu
,,o,,i,r Of the Police Department Assistant t1erh
D.lsrne,or he.ped Colonel Kipp 20 ooaie tho items
as Mir Roo, called FOR them
/ Ar,e- Colone, Kipp had Identified his Endorsement,
on seyer"i q from 54r SoHener. 10 ond February
,s.i General Tracy started To- cross-eAaIn'ms
VIVA, business. he asked requires the '''''"''
/ Of AL four Commissioner
'Tromoiions and ret.remen'ss ,,o a. we'll by three
=
geT as ny nsers.,y Of four
Gan YOU instance occasion where the depart
menJ suffered by The absence OF Commissioners
P%5ksr?"
.TSs meetings were generally Of a routine ma
| ture?'
"Tse commissioners can inform themselves before.
hand the day before. OF me nature Vi ou''"''' -
come up al any meeting
..ii e' can learn in adyance II anything OF inn
cam ID
,rca,en Ii Came to You In advance Of the meetings
70 learn ihe.r probable lmportancs?
Il snppose he was not the only Commissioners
who sometimes absenied himself from the meet
rhe ohers were swsy s 5n ettdmmsm,..loner, VA.
done outside of the Board meeiingsY
How long DID the Board meetings last7'
Two or three hours" ,,,
Was that their average len ns,. Of dura''onF
How many mee,ngs has the present 5n,Ta O.,
P From nq how many a' was &f Parker ABSENT,
From forty-sIx OF them
NOTES OF TIE MEETINGS.
Colonel Kip admitted that he wrote up the min
uics OF The Board meetings from MS notes taken
IN .onghard.
General Tracy referred to the document given out
on March II by the Board on the resolution OF Com
missioner Roosevelt. answering the charges against
the police made by n newspaper. and asked Colonel
KIM n Mr. Parker not present at that meeting;
',lonel Kipp turned to the minute-book ana conId
nn1 no record Of his presence
..ud moi Mr. Parker speak against that document
beIns made public as a resolution OF the hoardf'
"I do not nnd IT In the minutes" he said.
well he did speak. II that Is conclusiveIy
proved VIII IT not shake your confidence IN the ac-
curacy OF your record!
1T viii not. Ny records are correct. -
When General Tracy began 10 cross-examne the
u-tn4ss on the question OF neglectlng 10 attend to
the complaints OF citizens Commissioners Roosevelt
and Andrews left their seats and held an animated
though whispered conference with Mr.. Root.
About twenty OF the complaints were referred 10
bv name and number and Colonel kipp described
the career each from the time II entered the lo-
Zee Department until IT was attended to by commas
soner Parker -,
General Tracy outlined the defence TO that par,
ticuar specification when he asked: suppSsi's ~,