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 SOMETHING
And Since That Some Other People
Seem to Have Heard It-Law-
lessness in st. Paul.

There has been 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 Dorar.
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
a 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 conversa-
ton, told the mayor whole lot of
things, and his honor started 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 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
berries is fostered by the ''old gang who had
charge here before l came in. If the Pioneer
Press desires to accept as true everything
these people say, it is nothing to me, but l
desire to say to the people that L 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 confine themselves to
generalities. If there are thieves in town
of which we in ignorance information
from any source concerning them will be
acted upon Immediately.
Take the paper of this morning
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 tried to
work a deputy sheriff. If that is true, and
1 am informed that it is supposed to have
| occurred some four or 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 ICON" man. Another is
about young man going from Michigan to
Montana, losing $3.50 in St Paul. Again
l do not believe the story, because no names
are
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 a 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 Ff
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" lawlessness has not been
kept down. Here's the article in full:
For a 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
of too much Griffin-W. H. Griffin
"Reddy'' Griffin.
1t may be both and, as a matter of fact,
it is hard to understand how it could be one
without the other And what is more to the
point, it would be impossible for the mere
officers to allow the carnival CT 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 position where he could call be-
fore him every member of the force, and
closely question him, to find out 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 same time there be seen
a dozen or more of as 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 'Reddy'' Grifins Gus
toner's Neither was there any direct proof
that Detective Henry Gruber took the miss
Ing S1oU lOSl III Gflnln saloon from toe
bucks belt. but Gruber resigned rather
than have an investigation. Possibly there
would be some .paore4resignations if another
investigation 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 and 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 5000 and who only escaped con-
viction because the victim left the city, was
seen loaf1ng in his place. If he loafed in any
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 city.
He may still be here.
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
Police Goss was called to the mayors Of
fee. 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
not doing their duty in the matter of ar
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 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 written more than week ago,
and for few days there were few tricks
turned in the city.
But now they have broken out again. It
certainly devolves upon the mayor to deter
mine beyond question whether it is simply