The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-01-19
Al. NO UNION FOR THEM CYCLE LEAGUE GAMES
COPPERS ON TRIAL.
Police Commissioners Deal
With Eleven Delinquent
Men Yesterday.
SOLOMON FINED FOR NEGLECT.
Ingenious Excuses by Policemen
10 Escape the Wrath OF
the Board,

Eleven policemen were on trial last
evening before the Board of Police Com
missioners on charges of neglect OF duty
and disobedience of orders, the lnvestlga-
ticn occupying nearly three hours.
The most important case was that OF
Sergeant Theodore A. solomon, OF the
Third precinct, who was charged with in
efficiency and neglect of duty. The speci-
fications were failing to send out the re-
serve in time to capture thieves after be-
ing notified of the commitment of the
crime, and neglecting to enter a report OF
the robbery in the blotter, and also a sub
sequent report of what was done to effect
their arrest.
To the first charge he pleaded not guilty,
to the second guilty and of the third he
gave the satisfactory explanation that he
went off duty before that report came in,
and it was received by Sergeant Buckbee.
The charges all resulted from a robbery
at F.. Schrieber's cigar store, corner of
Newark avenue and Cook street, about
1O:S0 o'clock last Friday night, the par
ticulars of which have already been pup
lished. The charge made against the
Sergeant by Chief Murphy is that he did
not act with sufficient promptneSS, there
by allowing the thieves to escape when
they could easily a been captured:
They entered the store while it was still
open, grabbed a box of cigarettes one
Of cigars in all valued at So, and ran OUT
before Mr.. Schrieber, who was behind the
counter, could intercept them.
Constable Robert Livingstone testlf1ee
tina he chased the thieves down HOBO
ken avenue to the Thirteenth street via
duct, down which they ran into the Sec
ond precinct; that he then went back to
the Third precinct station and reported
the robbery to Sergeant solomon, VINO
was at the desk; that he had pursued
the thieves and chased them out of the
precinct into the Second, and that he mad
better telephone to the Second to head
them off, which the Sergeant Immediate
ly did, giving a DESCRIPTION Oh them as
Livingstone had given him..
In-answer to Chief Livingstone he SAID
that it was about a quarter past eleven
O'clock when he arrived at the statlon,
that he did not hear the Sergeant call any
polieement and send them out. he told
the Sergeant the thieves were going down
the viaduct.
pulled a box at Tonnele avenue he was
told by Sergeant Solomon by telephone
about the robbery and to look out for the
thieves.
Patrolman Hunt stated that he entered
the station at I:20 and was sent by the
Sergeant to call the reserve; thai they
Second precinct reserve and officer Dono-
van had the stolen cigars and cigarettes
(which had been found under the yladucD,
but the thieves had escaped.
Patrolman Van Reipen testified that he
was on the reserve; they responded as
soon as called; went as quickly as possible
to the viaduct.
Patrolman Monahan of the Second pre-
elnct arrived at the viaduct in time to see
one of the thieves run back up to the
Third precinct;. pursued him, but on arflV-
ing at the top he saw nothing OF MN.
Sergeant Solomon said that as Constable
Livingstone had told him the thieves had
gone out of the precinct he had no rlght
to send the reserve after them into an
other precinct. In reply to the Chief, Sol
onion said he did not send out the floor
man right away, for the same reason. lie
thought as they had. gon out of the pre-
cinct there was no good in sending men
after them, as they could not be found:
Chief Murphy asked the Sergeant if he
knew the rule in regard to sending the re-
serve into another precinct in cases OF
emergency and he supposed the re-
serve Were in the station for, if for their
health. The Sergeant made no reply. Sol
onion was med two days pay and warned
to Re more attentive to duty.
The case next in importance was that
of Sergeant Richard Battersby of the
Fourth precinct, charged with selling his
pay warrant for the month of July to
Cilanceman BENJAMIN f. Winters, after
having already sold it to Adam Step, the
clethier. 1t was shown that Mr.. Step was
given a power of attorney to draw the
warrant to deduct the amount due him
monthly for the S~ergeant's uniform and
for a loan from Winters. For violation of
the rules of the department., selling his
pay warrant without having the consent
of the Inspector, BatterSby was fined
three days pay.
Patrolman Theodore Steele, First pre-
cinct, was med one days pay for not
reporting on time and neglecting to make
a written report of it when ordered to do
so.
Patrolman John J. Kavanagh, First pre-
cinct, for not properly patrolling post and
being ten minutes late in reporting, was
fined two days pay. A third charge of
using disrespectful language about Pa
trolman Dennis Sullivan of the Second
precinct was dismissed.
Patrolman Robert Pritchard, First pre-
cinct, was fined two days pay for being
late twice in reporting, which he laid to
his watch being out of order.
Patrolman William Schober, First pre-
cinct, pleaded guilty to not being on his
relieving point at the proper time and
was fined one days pay.
Patrolman George Van Vechten, First
precinct, was charged with not proper
ly patrolling his post, being in the Bon
Ton Theatre. He proved he was called in
there to quiet a noisy man and the
charge was dismissed.
Patrolman Benjamin T.. Winters, First
precinct, was fined one days pay for be-
ing late in reporting and was cautioned
to mind his own business and not COM
bine money lending with police business.
Patrolman James P. Lenahan, Second
precinct, charged with not properly pa
trolling post and not being on his reliev-
ing post. Charges dismissed.
Patrolman Frank Monahan. Second pre-
cinct, was fined one days pay for not
trying the door of Office of Winter &
Balls factory, Thirteenth and Grove
streets, which was found to nave been
open all night.s
Patrolman Charles Judge, Fourth pre-
cinct, for neglect to report on time, was
fined one days pay.
A charge against Patrolman A. B.
Mcintyre, Fifth precinct, of not being on
his relieving point, was dismissed on ac-'
count of error in date of charge.
A communication from Chief of Police
Murphy commencing to the Board for
honorable mention Detective Robert
Pearson and Michael Mentally for arrest
of Spencer, bunco ~steerer, and Straight,
| the swindler; Captain Kelly and Patrol
men Dooley and Wolf, of the Second
Precinct. for their clever capture of the
fim-f1am operators, and Patrolman
Waters, Of the Sixth Precinct, for the
arrest of a pickpocket at the funeral of
the fire victims, was ordered entered in
full on the minutes.
Application from Manager of Bon Ton
Theatre to have police authority trans
ferred from Max Hoffman to Henry
GeotZe was granted.
Application from City Hall Commits
sioners to have two policemen detailed
for duty at City Hall, both day and
night, was referred.