Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-16

competent superintendent holds his
commission. They will also ask them
selves whether it is safe to elevate to
position on the supreme bench. with
which rests the ultimate protection of
life and security of property. man like
Silas A. Holcomb, who as governor
showed himself so blind to the needs
of the helpless and so deaf to all pleas
for their rights.
ANOTHER ATTACK ON CHIEF WHITE,
The most clever piece of police de-
tective work that has ever been recorded
in the annals of the Omaha police de-
partment is the recovery of nearly S15,-
600 worth of furs stolen from Il dealer
who had stored the goods for private
owners during the summer. The rob
berry was committed so adrotly as to
thieves or the furs. When it was an
nounced by The Bee some weeks ago
that the robbers had been tracked and
discovered and the bulk of the stolen
was discredited and doubts were ex-
pressed as to the ability of the police to
restore the furs to their owners.
a few days ago the report was fully
verified and all but small fraction of
the stolen furs were brought back to
Omaha. The most noted detective of the
United States, William A. Pinkerton,
paid the highest compliment to Chief
White in the presence of the editor of
The Bee at Chicago in declaring that he
did not know of another man who had
the ability to uncover the nest of the
thieves and compel them to restore their
plumber. incidentally Mr. Pinkerton
also declared that he knew that the tao
tics pursued by Chief White would COM
pei the thieves to turn over every re-
naming garment that had been given
| away as presents to women of their ac-
quaintance.
And now comes that small specimen of
stupid malignity that has been rattling
around for year in the place of prose-
cutting attorney and seeks to belittle the
superb service of Chief White and pre-
vent him from achieving complete sue
cess by joining with the bowling Fakery
| in it's effort to cast odium upon the police
force and its head. Although it is COM
mon usage for police officers and prose-
cutting officers to waive the prosecution
of parties implicated in thefts on condi-
ton that they restore the stolen prop
erty the smallbore prosecutor has pub
lished call for evidence to enable the
state to work out the conviction of par
ties against whom he had himself agreed
not to push prosecution.
Every intelligent person who knows
anything about the case and compre-
hends the motive must realize that this
is piece of grandstand play solely in
spired by the idea that it will help to
boost Prosecutor Shields upon the dis.
trict bench. When it is borne in mind
what farce this wouldbe Dogberry
made in the prosecution of the World
Herald sleuth who was arraigned fol
blackmail in the police court some
months ago and against whom the proofs
were overwhelming this attempt to EN-
barrass the chief of police at the eX
pense of the victims of burglary will
prove boomerang.
Why didn't the prosecutor call fol
missing witnesses in the Hemming case
Why has he allowed a truce with the
South Omaha gamblers after threaten
ing them with determination just priol
to his nomination as judge? Why al
this gable about mystery surrounding
the transportation of the stolen fur
from Des Moines to Omaha by way o
Chicago when he knew or could have in
countered by Chief White at Des Moines
where the high-toned thieves had tn
backing of low toned police officials?
But the pretended mystery about tn
TRANSFORMATION is not what troubles tn
Anticipated prosecutor. 1t is the comm
election, in which his hopes of rewar
are centered, and the opportunity 70
which he has been hankering to thro,
; q few slurs at the chief of police, VIII
knows too much about his deals with tn
gang.
The business men of Omaha and "a
who are interested in protecting til
, community from professional crooks wi
Justly feel indignant over these persis
ent and malignant attacks upon the onl
= chief of police Omaha has ever had VIII
did know how to handle crooks and ho'
to make them disgorge, and are NJ
= likely to throw boquets at the eXtr;
ofticious and over-ambitious prosecute
The editor of the Nebraska Indepen'
ent, who is trying to help Judge Wi