The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-01
SENSATIONAL
CHARGES BY
A POLICEMAN
Alleged a Robbery
Case Was .. Fixed. :
INVESTIGATION DEMANDED
MEN INVOLVED INDIGNANTLY
MAKE DENIAL. e.. In. +. +. ..:.
Prosecuting Attorney Graham Is
Also Innocently Dragged Into
the squabble Among III T..
II I: II. s the Officers. T.. H. !.
. .
INVESTIGATION DEMANDED
MEN INVOLVED INDIGNANTLY
MAKE DENIAL. H.. l., ...-..... +: .:..

Three rolice officers and Prosecuting
Attorney Graham of Judge Joachimsen's
court are after the scalp of Policeman
Neil Reardon, and he will have to- face
the Police Commissioners and: explain
why he made charges against them in a
statement to Captain. Gillen....::~ @*.'.''
The trouble has arisen over the arrest
of Robert Smith, boy living in the Mis-
sion, on a charge of ~robbing. Chew Suey,
a Chinese, on June is last. A complaint
was sworn to by the Chinese on. June 20
charging Smith and three other boys with
the robbery. The other three were arrest
ed and discharged, as the Chinese could
not identify them, but Smith left the city.
He returned last Sunday and was arrested
by Reardon. p.
When the case was called In Judge
Lows court on Wednesday the complaint
could not be found, and Reardon made a
statement to Lieutenant Price and later
a written statement to Captain GiIIen that
Smith had told him that the case had
been fixed" as the complaint and war
rant had been destroyed and his friends
had written him to come back to the city,
as everything was fixed. Reardon added
that the complaint had been taken from
Judge Lows court by Prosecuting Attor-
ney Graham and Detectives Fitzgerald
and Graham of the Mission district and
destroyed, and that 500 had been divided
among the three for the job, Smith 8
parents having mort6aged their home TO
get the money. Reardon also told Judge
Low the same story last Wednesday.
Chief Lees Thursday morning started
an investigation, and after diliGent
search the complaint was found in Clerk
Haskins' desk in Judge Lows court, 1t
had been overlooked from the fact that
the clerk had omitted to fill in the blanks
on the back. The warrant was also found
at the Seventeenth street police station.
Prosecuting Attorney Graham had alb
solutely nothing TO do with the case, as
& was not in his court, and he was
amazed when he learrfed of Reardon S
charge against him. He at once saw
Chief Lees and preferred charges against
Reardon. Detectives Fitzgerald and Ora
money in connection with the case, and
demanded a full investigation before the
Commissioners. Policeman George Tracey
has also demanded an Investigation, as
Reardon stated that he had talked with
Smith before MS arrest by Reardon and
neglected his duty by not placing the boy
under arrest. '..:.'
Smiths preliminary examination was
commenced in Judge Lows court yester-
repeated the story that Smith, he said
had told him about the case being fixed
and the complaint and warrant being de-
stroyed, all of which is denied by Smith
He also testified that Smiths stepmother
had accosted hin outside the courtroom
on Wednesday and cautioned him not to
testify against the boy. otherwise he
would get into trouble as the boy had
lots of friends. Smiths attorney alleged
ming to end were pure inventions OF. his
own brain. The Judge said that was q
matter for the Police Commissioners to
investigate ~.