The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-10-18
SIMPSON INQUIRY
Police Board Asks Searching
Questions About the
$4,000 Robbery.
pATRoLMAN Did HIS DUTY
Has a Citizen a Right to Garry
Two Umbrellas and Man a
Peaked Cap and Mack
intosh.

The meeting of the Police Commission
srs. held last night at Ponce heao
uuarters. was devoted solely to the ira
of delinquent police officers All Il
GERS were given light sentences
The first case called was against
men Florence Chimney and Steele O Z
Gregory street station, who were ehaise
Nv CAPTAIN John Cody with neglect =
autv in failing to find the door Oh Msse
nawpshop. No. 254 Warren street. :
from 10:45 o'clock Saturday evening" 0sp-
tember 80. to Sunday afternoon, OCTOBER =
At three o'clock. The officers ooth pieau7
ed not guilty.
simon Never. the owner of the estapnsh-
ment testified as follows:-"On Saeuiues
evening. September 80, my man went away
without locking the door of my store ms
,at+er however. was in la shape. IL
would require a little extra force in con-
seouenc to push open the door. PROBABLY
the officers on post tried the door ana
fa,ud 1t had stuck so fast that it would
not omen by only turning the knob. me
lock. too. was rusty, not having been useu
since last winter. The latch and the lock
are combined"
President McGill said:-'If the police
officers had tried the door could II nave
failed to open?'
Never answered:-'sYes, it would require
more force thar lifting the latch. Several
people tried the door on the Sunday IN
question and finding it closed walked over
10 the other door,"
Commissioner Walter asked:-"You ad-
nit that the lock and catch were in paa
sha2e2'
ssYes."
Police Captain Cody was next called.
He told how a boy had run into the Greg
Dry street station house and informed MN
that three men had entered the pawnshop.
He told how he and Roundsman Iopplh
ran to the pawnshop and arrested the
three men, who were finally discharged
from custody. Captain Cody said;--Mr.
Meyer told me that Sunday afternoon thai
he was not sure whether the store door
had been locked or not. The next day he
Told me the door had not been locked. He
was positive in this statement
Policeman Chimney was next sworn
He said:-"I tried the door of Meyers
place regularly and found it locked each
time. Several people saw me try the door
On the day in question" This statement
was borne out by Philip f. Grant& who
swore positively that at 2:6 o'clock, while
standing on an opposite corner, he saw
Chinnery pull the knob.
Hugo Mootz, a locksmith, who fixed
the lock on Meyers door the day follow
ing the days in question, testified that
the locks were in bad order and sadly
in need of repair. He exhibited a lock
similar in many ways to the one on
Meyers door and demonstrated to the
board that it was possible for the spring
to shift and especially when the lock is
out of order.
The same testimony was admitted in
the case Of Policeman Steele. The case
against each of the accused officers was
then dismissed.
The case against Policeman Edward
Harrigan, of the Fourth Precinct police,
developed the fact that a $1,000 robbery
had been committed in the home of
Robert Simpson, No. 20 Belmont avenue,
September 16, without being discovered.
Harrigan was charged with neglect of
duty, in not discovering this fact until
after five O'Clock in the morning.
Mr.. Simpson, who was in the audience,
was called to the bar and under oath, he
said: "Au I have to say on the matter
is about Officer Harrigan. About 5 A. M.
the alarm clock in the servants room
rang. She got up n went down stairs
to attend to her household duties. She
saw the front door open, but thinking l
was on the porch she paid no attention
to the matter until She saw the back
window. shade and screen pushed up. The
servant then became thoroughly fright
ened, rushed up stairs. and Weakened me.
She told me how she found things. I went
downstairs and saw that my home had
been visited in the night. I then went
upstairs and puts on my trousers. Feeling
in the pocket I discovered that 500 in
bills that I had were missing. I then
woke up my wifeAand told her to look for
her jewelry that was in the bureau, but
that was intact. I then went to the
telephone in my house and called up
police headquarters and informed the
Sergeant at the desk that my home had
been robbed. 1 was connected with the
Fourth precinct station house and I also
informed them. At about 5:55 O'clock,
officer Harriagn came to my house and
ran h bell. I let him in. He remark
ed, : you had visitors last night, how did
they get IMP I asked Harrigan where
Hottie was. He said, I was sent here, 1
am most interested as this is my post
About four or i've minutes later Hottie