Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-07-12
An Investigation Into Police
Practices DeveIops a Start
ling State Of Affairs. N
PARDoNED BY Mckinley
Forty Persons Killed and Sixty
Injured, In q Foreign
Railway Accident.
PROMINENT MEN ARE DEAD

NEW 1ohh, A. A.s July H.
A London dispatch says: Queen ),
Council Dugdale, who was designated
by the government to investigate The
scandals in the police force at Bir.
mingham. yesterday submitted his re.
port to the home office. It will not be
made public until 1t has received the
Endorsement of the home secretary,
when it will be printed and laid upon
the table of the house of commons; bur
from the evidence adduced, it is taken
for granted that the report will be OF
most scathing nature, and will reveal
a condition of aft airs unprecedented 10
the police history OF any city in Eng
land.
Although extraordinary efforts were
made to suppress evidence and block
the progress OF the investigation, suf
ficient substantial testimony was forth
coming to show that some of the high
est officers of the Birmingham police
were the holders of houses OF i'll repute.
that they shared with their attendants
the ill-gotten profits, that patroImen
and constables made 1t a Systematic
business to beguile rural visitors,
as well as young men OF
sporting proclivities, to these ss.
Establishments, being rewarded by their
superiors for such services with cash
considerations and promotions on the
force, that police inspectors as well as
subordinate officers known to be sys.
fan tao ln IN ~ A.xo
with neIghbors' wives and others were
retained on the force by their superiors,
that patrolman was re. placed on the
force after having served nine months
for manslaughter. that another patrol !
man having served twelve months for
perjury committed while prosecuting an |
iHnocent defendant. was given his old |
beat on his release, that patrolmen found |
guilty by the tfial board Of systematic |
theft from stores whiic on duty we're
simply transferred to another division,
that "A constable sgainst whom five
charges OF Drunkenness had been snss =
tanned, was promoted to an inspector I
ship; that chief detective inspector
was the owner of several saloons Of
questionable repute, that a constable
who had been fined or reprimanded for
thirty-five offenses, including drunken
ness and indecent conduct, was given
three good. conduct stripes for services
rendered oneof the chief fsuperintendents
and that general immortality pervaded
the entire force. In one case harsh
measures were used to silence woman
who had been crimInally assaulted by
sergeant while engaged in serving
warrant; IN another case, even the
servant of the chief constable had fal-
len victim to an officer who had been
sent to the chiefs house in search of
some papers.
The most astounding revelation,
however, was that the women oc-
cupants of the houses Of i'll repute
owned by the various! inspectors and
superintendents Were periodically ex.
hmined by the chiefpolice surgeon or
his assistants in the interest of the
public health. This testimony was
considered so extraordinary by Colonel
Dugdale that he required strong COR
roDorative testimony in the form Of ad-
from some of those concerned,
and which was forthcoming.
\ 1t has just developed that former
Of police, Bannister,
who was the most prominently inn
plicated in the scandal, and who re-
signed and disappeared when the gov
ernment investigation was ordered, is
in the United States, A letter has
been received from him dated New
York, giving directions concerning
the disposition OF the rents from some
OF the houses that figured in the in-
quiry, and intimating that he proposed
to stop in America for some time for
the benefit of his health.