The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-11-17
ANOTHER HOT Time.
Police Board Held a Fiery
Meeting and Dismissed
higgins.
.M'GILL SAYS ''WHITEWASH'
Charges Are Made and Then
the Witnesses Try to Shield
the Culprits.

trial meeting last night and considered
sixteen charges brought against fifteen
officers. Several times the proceedings
reached a point that bordered on serious
outbreak and it was plain that only by a
| great effort were controversies that would
have reflected upon several officials pre-
vented
! Officer John higgins, chanceman of
the Fourth Precinct, had to answer
charges of failing to report promptly and
being drunk while on duty He was dis
missed from the department.
| Matters were not conducted by theacom-
plainants and the departments witnesses
| in accordance with DIR. McGilPs ideas
and he openly charged that those on the
rack Were Shielded by the witnesses. 1t
was in the cause of the trial of Patrol
man John Van Buren,, who was accused
by Captain Kelly of the Second Precinct,
under whose command Van Buren, was,
that DR.. McGill gave expression to his
feelings. Van Buren was charged with
being in saloon in full uniform. The
testimony showed that the officer was not
| drunk, and Sergeant Toppin also testi-
fed in rebuttal of Captain Kelly's testi-
mony that Van Buren was not in the
:
This man was not drunk, according to
the evidence produced here. and why he
is before the Board on this charge is not
clear. 1t is ridiculous to have him here.
There is altogether too much shielding of
defendants at these trials
| These remarks came like a thunderbolt
from a clear sky and an oppressive si-
lence settled on the meeting. After the
trials of others were heard and the find
ings of the Board were being announced
Van Buren's case again raised a fiutter
of excitement. DIR. McGill dismissed the
| charge against Van Buren, and reiterated
his remarks about the absurdity of the
| mans arraignment.
II cannot see why you are here. The
| testimony is that you were not drunk
and there is no ground for the charge.
| Charge dismissed said DR.. McGill.
'I would like to say word here, if
the Board please" said Captain Kelly as
he stood up. 81 made the charge against
this officer because he was in saloon
in full uniform There is nothing in the
specifications that says he was drunk. He
was in a nervous state, on the verge of
collopse when taken from the saloon, and
considered he was liable to arraign-
ment before this Board because of his
presence in saloon while in full uni
form" Here the matter was dropped to
the relief of all present.
The dismissal of higgins from the de-
partment was a surprise on all SIDES. lie
was found guilty chiefly on the testimony
of Sergeant Harrington, who accused
him in positive terms of being drunk
while on post. Harrington said the Off
Ger was so drunk on November 10 at 10.3l
Il zlx.Hf f<1.
him to perform police duty, and Harring-
ton took him from the post to the station
house where he demanded Miggins's shield
and keys which were refused. Upon be-
ing called a second time on his testimony
Harrington was more emphatic in the re-
iteration of his charges. AS against this
testimony DR.. John Nevin said he exam
ined higgins an hour and half after he
was taken from post and found him per-
fectly sober with a faint trace of liquor
on his breath.
Policeman Costello, who was in the
station at the time, said higgins was So
ber when brought in and Sergeant Rear
don also testified that higgins was saber
at 80 O'Clock. Roundsman Closterman
said that higgins talked thickly and was
not able to do duty.
The second charge against higgins was
that he failed to report from his signal
box at 9:35 P. M. on the day in question.
The Board found him guilty of both
charges.
The first case that was tried was that
of Patrol Driver Thomas Dooley.. He was
report for duty The complaint said
Dooley was drunk An accident Dooley
figured in a few days before he reported
sick and the fact that he was at the time
taking medicine led the Board to be
lenient, He was fined ten days pay.
Roundsman Michael Casey, of the First
precinct, was charged with neglect in
oner named Joseph Crockey on Novem-
Der IL. Crockey said that he was robbed
of $Sl between the time he entered the
station and the time he left.
Patroman Connolly searched Crockey
at the time and laid his property on the
desk. He was told by Casey to return
the, property to Crockey, which he did, he
said The prisoner was suffering with
two wounds, which were dressed, and he
was led to cell. He said the man who
took him to the cell took his money, he
thought: It was shown that he was not
sure and that he failed to remember any
| thing that tranepired while he was in the
station Crockey was placed in the "big
| eel" The big cell accommodated several
other prisoners at the time, all the other
CELLS being crowded. 1t was thought
| likely that the money was stolen by some
of Crockey's fellow prisoners in the "big
cell Casey was found guilty Of NEGLECT
ed. He was allowed to go with warn
ing to be. more careful in the future.
In speaking of the Casey case DR.. Nc
Gill said it was very unfortunate affair
altogether and slur4 on the department.
He warned all officers not to appear be-
fore the Board on a similar charge.
Patrolman Flaherty was charged with
falling to report from signal box on
October 2S. He said he had two boxes to
pull and pulled one twice. He was warn
ed to be more careful in the future and.
he suffered no penalty.
Chancemen Fox, Maher, Green, Miller,
Dunn and walsh were charged with fail
ing to report for drill on October 80. They
pleaded exhaustion from duty and failure
to awaken on time to be on hand. They
were warned not to allow a recurrence
of such breach of the rules:
George Moerash, a patrolman under
Captain Farrier, had to account for an
absence of two and half hours from his
post on November g. He said he spent the
time chasing three suspicious characters
The charge was made because of a diff
ferene between his story to Captain
Farrier the following morning and the re-
port he made to Inspector Archibold
fMoerash produced preponderance of
evidence and was found not guilty ssbut
don't let 1t happen again.,
John Murphy, the bicycle policeman,
was brought up and lectured on his bad
debts. DR.. McGill advised him to pay up
fully and quickly.
d, J. McInerney, Waterman for Wells,
Fargo CO., was given special police
power.
Patrolman Edward Foley. of theNsec-.
ond precinct who climbed over Chemical
Engine No. and stopped the runaway
team on October 49, was given honorable
mention. A letter of cemmendation Of
You have read Of the cures By Hoods sarsa-