Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-20
PROFIT BY POLICE BLUNDERS
Iowa Crooks Escape Punishment Through
Omaha Interference.
cox LEADS A LONG LIST OF MISTAKES
Works Up n Case Against Mcvey and
His Pals and Then by Neg
lect Helps All to
Escape. a.Hag

William Mcvey, whom the Omaha police
once professed to want very much, was given
his liberty yesterday with the knowledge and
consent of the Omaha officers, after the Coun-
Gil Bluffs department had been put to con-
siderable trouble to hold him.
McVey was arrested in Council Bluffs sew
eral days ago in company with his brother
and ''Soapy" Smith on a charge of breaking
into Rock Island freight cars. When the
men were searched at the station they were
found to have in their possession several ar
ticles that answered the description furnished
by the Omaha police department of articles
taken at some recent burglaries there. De-
tective Cox went over the river and identified
the articles and recognized the Mcveys and
Smith as men badly wanted The trio de-
clined to cross the river until forced to do so.
When they found that IL convicted upon the
charges against them here they would not
be likely to receive a sentence of more than
one year in the penitentiary they announced
their willingness to plead guilty to the
charge against them here. They were held
to the grand jury, but County Attorney
Saunders, after listening to Coxs account of
the seriousness of the charges against them
and the certainty of their conviction of bur-
glary under the Nebraska laws, advised the
grand Jury not to indlct them. The grand
jury made its report Tuesday evening and
Tuesday afternoon the Council Bluffs police
notified the Omaha police Of the decision of
the county attorney. The Omaha police
notified Chief Canning of the Council Bluffs
force to hold William McVey, but to let the
others go. McVey was taken into custody as
he stepped from the door of the county Jail
and was locked up in the city Jail The
Omaha officers were notified and promised
to send over an officer with the requisition
papers early yesterday morning.
rfnc hA1I g., tool f~a,x s,,...t
by the order of Judge MCGEE at the morning
session of the Council Bluffs police court.
AT 10 o'clock Attorney w. S. Shoemaker
went over from Omaha to secure the release
of McVey. He endeavored to procure an or
der from Judge McGee for the discharge of
his client, but failed.
MvEY GETS AWAY.
At Il o'clock Shoemaker appeared at the
jail with local notary to witness McVey's
signature to a petition for the habeas corpus
writ The Omaha police were again notified
of the situation and informed Chief Can
ming and Captain Gardiner that the requisi-
tion papers had been left with some of the
officers on this side of the river, either at
the sherff's office or the city police station.
This was quickly disproved and the facts re-
ported to Omaha. The Omaha officers then
asked Captain Gardiner to hold the tele-
phone while they held a consultation. The
result of this consultation was an offer to
that he was not wanted in Omaha. Half an
hour later Attorney Shoemaker appeared
with his writ OF habeas corpus issued by
Judge Smith. McVey was released without
any further delay Three hours later De-
tectvc Cox came over with the requistion
papers.
County Attorney Saunders of Pottawatta-
mie county is too 6azed at the outcome of
his efforts to assist Nebraska justice to dc
the subject justice, but down around the
Council Bluffs jail there is given volube
expression to the disgust and other things
aroused by, the fiasco. 1t was certainty
sent to the penitentiary on the charge against
them. They are now free, through the in
tervention of the Omaha police force.
Chief Sigwart says he knew nothing of
| the matter until it was all over; that Con
| acted wholly by himself, even securing the
reauisition papers without taking any one
| into his confidence and that none of his SUI
perior officers knew the late chief of de-
| tective.J had taken any such steps. Captain
Haze tells much the same story, but Cap
| tain King, who had been acting also as chiel
| of detectives admits that he knew Cox hao
| the requisition papers, but he supposed they
| were worthless, as they named Cox as agen'
| for the return of the men, and Cox had beer
| removed from the force since the papers
were made out. King did not consider the
| matter worth the bother OF getting new
| reuuisition papers, and so told the Councl
Bluffs police to let McVey go.
| 1t is admitted at the station that tne
| evidence against McVey was not very
| weighty and the chance OF convictlng MN
| was slight 1t is also admitted that tht
| chief of police and his executive stan didn'
know what was being done In the matter.