The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-16

DRINKS MUST GO.
Police Board Decides to
Dismiss Police on That
offence.
FOUR MEN cAsH'ERED
President McGi1l Says Intoxi-
Gated Officers Will Have
Sure and Swift Pun
ishment.

drunkenness in the Police Department
| must cease or the patrolmen violating the
rule must suffer dismissal was the order
of the Board of Police Commissioners at
last nights meeting. -Four officers We're
| arraigned before the Board charged with
that offense or with being in saloons when
they should have been patrolling their
| posts. The accused men were all dis
missed from the force as an example to
others.
Trials have not been held at any of the
meetings since President G. was APP
pointed init last night. He showed by
his rulings that he was fully capable OF
performing the duties of his office, III
justice to all. The decisions in the cases
tried last night were in accordance to the
rules.
The case against Officer Terrence Reilly.
OF the Sixth precinct, ELECTED the most
interest. The meeting room was crowded
| with friends of the accused, who paid the
closest attention to the testimony. Reilly
was %arraigned on three charges, two for
neglect of duty in failing to report from
his signal boxes on the evening of April
"a. and the third with having been drunk
on the same day. Reilly pleaded guilty
on the first two charges and not guilty
on the charge of drunkenness. The ae-
cused officer was represented by Coun-
sellor Thomas Noonan
When Reilly had been sworn he testi-
fed that his failure to report from his
signal box was caused by forgetting at
which of the two boxes he had pulled last.
He covered W posts that day. He was
required to report alternately from each
- +to tu-o hovoc poi11y Was seven min
utes late at one box and ten minutes late
at the other. The charges against Reilly
of being absent without leave and being
in the house occupied by DR.. Rooney, NO.
1877 South street, on the same evening. was
preferred against him by Roundsman Hig-
gins, who learned the whereabouts of
Reilly from a friend. Reillye did not deny
this charge, but said
II was feeling very sick during the day
and about $40 o'clock 1 met DR.. Rooney
on Cambridge avenue near Bowers street.
1 told the physician how 1 was feeling
and he gave me a tablet which l took.
Before leaving me, however, DR.. Rooney
told me if 1 felt no better when | went off
duty to call at his house n he would
fix me up. 1 felt worse as the time for
going off duty drew near and 1 decided to
call at the doctors house. I got there
about $50 O'Clock. DR.. Rooney gave me
some medicine which made me feel
drowsy and I lay down on the sofa and
before I knew it I was asleep"
The charge of drunkenness was pre-
ferred against Reilly by Police Surgeon
John Nevin. DR.. Nevin, after bein sworn,
testified as follows
about 5:15 o'clock on the morning of
April 25, 1 received a telephone call from
Police Headquarters that Officer Reilly
was very sick at the home of DR.. Rooney,
on South street. I was also informed
from the same source that Reilly would
remain at DR.. Rooney's house until seven
o'clock. Ordering my carriage I drove.
with all possible speed, to DR.. Rooney's
home, and when l arrived there, much
to my surprise, Reilly had gone-had left
for his own home, I was told. I then
drove to the Sixth precinct station, where
I found Reilly's address. Going to his
home, 1 found him in an intoxicated
condition"
you say int~oxicated-by that you
mean drunk, from the effect of excuses
in alcoholic liquors?' asked President Nc
GIL.
lOS, ollS titO PoitAC IA "
could he talk?' was the next ques-
ton.
Eyes, but his words were thicks and he
had every appearance of being drunk,
He was very stupid"
AT this point Counsellor Noonan asked
DR.. Nevin whether or not a drug would
nave caused the condition in which he
found OFFICER Reilly. DR.. Nevin admit
4ol +l,o+ ~airt,, of ,,o,pLi,N oharoI
and potash might nave produced the eff
feet, but added had a patient taken that
connection at the time it was alleged by
DIR. Rooney, the patient wou ave been
asleep.
st insist that Reilly was drunk de-
clared DR.. Nevin, although there is some
possibility that the effects might have
been produced by drugs"
DIR. Rooney was then called and he tes-
titled that he had met Reilly on Cam
bridge avenue and had given him a dose
of medicine for the cramps.
st told him If he felt no better later
in the day to call at my office. Reilly
did this and after giving him another
dose I ordered him to lie down and sleep.
Reilly did not want to do this. He want
ed to report to the station, but I re.
IuSeQ TO let MIN go, BECAUSE VI the Sefl-
BUSINESS of his condition. The officer
slept at my house until six o'clock the
next morning, when he left for his own
home. During the night l gave Reilly
three doses of medicine. Having a case
in the house in which l live I was up
all night and 1 frequently went down,
stairs to see how Reilly was getting
along. 1t was not until after I got
through with my case that I reported to
the station that Reilly was so sick as to
be unfit to perform duty"
Roundsman Higgins was Immediately
sent to DR.. Rooney's home, where he
found Reilly asleep on the sofa. Higgins
testified that Oficer Reilly although
asleep on the sofa, was not under the
influence of liquor to his knowledge.
John Hansen, who lives in the same
house with DR.. Rooney and whose wife
the doctor was attending. testified that he
saw Reilly several times during the night
and tha the officer was not under the
influence of liquor.
Carson Dierickman, of No. 125 South
street, swore that Offieer Reilly had asked
him if he had seen the doctor, just before
the officer went into the physicians
house. The witness said Reilly looked
very pale and had every appearance of
being a sick man. Dierickman was very
positive in his opinion that Reilly was not
1---1~ EEH5W