The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-10-12
CHIEF GOSS ISN'T TALKING LIKE
HE DID THIRTY DAYS
AGO.
REFLECTION ON THE POLICE
NOW CAST BY THE VERY MAN
WHO is NOW AT IT'S
HEAD.
MAYOR DORIAN HEARD soMETH1N,
And Since That Some Other People
Seem to Have Heard It-Law-
Iessness in st. Paul.

There has been a clash between
| Mayor Griffin and Mayor Doran and
the officials of the police department.
| So strained have the relations become
that the evening organ has taken up
the cudgel on behalf of Mayor DoraE.
and last evening devoted considerable
space to calling down Mayor" Griffin
and his connection with the police de-
partment. Report has it that the chief
executive of the city has finally had
! his eyes opened to the way things
were running in the police department
and promptly called down Chief Goss.
! That official, in order to get even, shifts
the responsibility on other officials, and
right merry time is promised.
Some days ago Jailer John Harris
was called to the mayors office and
in the course of an extended converse
| ton the mayor inquired what appeared
to be the matter with the police. Har-
| ris, who is very frank in his converse
| ton, told the mayor a whole lot of
| things, and his honor started a little
| investigation, which resulted in the riot
act being read to the high officials in
| the department.
In order to show the condition Of af-
| fairs in the police department, it is
only necessary to peruse the following
articles from the evening organ Of the
| administration. One was published
about a month ago, and the other last
evening.
One month ago, or, to be exact, Sept.
| Z, the Dispatch published a hurrah in
terview with Chief Goss, which was
printed under the head Powder of the
| Gang" It was before Mayor DOran's
eyes were opened, and was perhaps as
much for his benefit as that of the Re
| publican readers of the Dispatch Here
! is what Goss said:
The fact of the matter is that all this
| talk and newspaper publication about rob-
berries is fostered by the old gang who had
| charge here before | came in. If the Pioneer
| Press desires to accept as true everything
! these people say, it is nothing to me, but |
! desire to say to the people that [ believe
| it is all done for the purpose of charging
dishonest motives to the present police de-
| partment. They have no reason for this.
! When penned down they conf1ne themselves to
| generalities. If there are thieves in town
| of which we are in ignorance information
| from any source concerning them will be
acted upon Immediately.
Take the paper of this morning as an
| instance 1t contains three articles which
l have every reason to believe absolutely
| without foundation, all printed for the sole
purpose of bringing this department into dis
| credit because of some fancied grievance. 1t
! is related that a confidence man tried to
work deputy sheriff. If that is true, and
l am informed that it is supposed to have
| occurred some four six weeks ago. it was
| the duty Of the deputy sheriff to arrest the
| man. At least he could have reported the
| facts to this office and a trap would have
! been laid for the con man. Another is
about a young man going from Michigan to
| Montana, losing $500 in st. Paul. Again
l do not believe the story, because no names
are given. There are great many people
in Michigan, and just which one lost this
sum is not stated. 1t is foolish for news
paper to attempt to make the people be-
! lieve that any person will be robbed of such
a sum and the occurrence not be reported to
! this department. 1t has never Been reported
! here. There is another item about farmer
! purchasing fake watch 1t is possible that
| such thing occurred, but if it did it has
not been reported to the police.
The only possibility OF these stories be-
| ing true is that the tricks were turned by
members of the Democratic gang who are
| furnishing the paper information.
| But i'll one month the whole tine #
Chief Goss has changed. Here's hoy
| it goes now, after the awakening of
the mayor, as told in last nights dis
| patch in an article headed TOO Much
! Griffin" 1t will be noticed that
month ago Goss said there was no
| lawlessness in st. Paul. Last night it
| is admitted that "for the past six
| months lawiessness has not been
|
For year after the present administration
! came into office the local police force demon
strated that it able to keep down law
| lesSnesS.
For the past six months they have dem
onstrated that the very reverse is the case.
| The question arises whether it is a case of
betrayal of the administration by members
| of the police force, or whether it is simply
case of too much Griffin-W. H. Griffin,
"Reddy'' Griffin.
1t may be both, and as matter of fact,
/ &c how ,5aye
| without the other. And what is more to the
! point, it would be impossible for the mere
! officers to allow the carnival OF crime, which
! at present, reigns in this city, without the
cooperation of some very high officials
| 1t should be fairly easy for the mayor, oc-
| cupying a position where he could call be-
! fore him every member of the force. and
! closely question him, TO find ont where the
| blame lies.
The great drawback Of the present admin
istraton at all times has been ''Reddy''
! Griffin. He is TO be found at the central
! police station almost every day in consulta-
! ton with the members of the police force
! and not infreQuently members Of the force
| are to be seen in his place on East Seventh
| street. At the time there can be seen
dozen more of tough characters lined
| up to the bar as could be found anywhere
! in a days search.
/ There is no direct proof that there is any
! collision between the police consulted by
''Reddy'' Griffin and fReddy'' Grffin's Gus
| toners. Neither was there any direct proof
/
! ing $3.50 lost in Griffin's saloon from Roe
! bucks belt but Gruber resigned, rather
! than have an investigation. Possibly there
| would be some more designations if another
! investigation was begun. 1t is a notorious
| fact that can almost be proven that other
| fingers than Gruber's were burned by the
! touch of that stolen money. But Gruber
resigned ard took the blame.
Griffin has been allowed privileges that
would have closed any other saloon in the
| city. He VIGOROUSLY harbors criminals of
| the toughest character. Two days after he
! was discharged the man who robber Cattle
| man Roach OF $500 and who only escaped con-
! viction because the victim left the city, was
| seen loafng in his place. If he loafed in any
! other saloon there would have been trouble
| for the proprietor. This fellow gave the name
! of George Duncan, but in reality his name
! is George. He has served time in half
| dozen prisons and is considered Just as
! tough exist. The police knew this and
! yet they allowed him to remain in the citv
! Complaints of the inactivity of the police
| are becoming so general that compromising
! facts have been laid before the mayor. The
| result of these revelations was that Chief of
! flee. He was ordered to write a letter to
! Chief of Detectives Schweitzer, in which it
! was to be stated that there was apparent
| reason to believe that the detectives were
| resting confidence men and crooks.
| Chief Goss wrote this letter, gave one copy
| to Chief SchweitZer, another to the mayor
| and kept one himself. 1t a demand plain
and simple that every prisoner arrested on
! suspicion of being crooked should be brought
! before the chief of police, and in his absence
| be held until he came to the station. This
! letter was written more than a week ago,
! and for a few days there were few tricks
| turned in the city.
But they have broken out again. It
! certainly devolves upon the mayor to deter
mine beyond question whether it is simply
|