The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-01-29
FOX DISMISSED
Police Board Considers Three
Charges in Eight
Months One Too
Many.

tendent of Police Telegraph William H.
Foley were received after a lengthy
meeting of the the Police Board sitting
with the City Health Inspector and the
City Physicians as the City Health Board.
1t was midnight when the First Criminal
Court room, in which the meetings were
held, was cleared The seance included
a number of important police trials, to-
gether with some appointments. The pro-
ceedings of the Health Board meeting
were enlivened by number of high
toned residents of the vicinity of Union
and Clerk streets, pressing a complaint
against the trust known as the American
Pie Baking Company, during which
Counsellor Robert Carey unwittingly
posed in evening dress as counsel for
the trust The court room was crowded
Interest was centered mainly in the
police trials and general proceedings of
that Board.
The following We're appointed chance
men of the first cfass:-Thomas K. De-
James ]. Mcnamara and John J. Hare.
William Reed, third class chanceman of
the Sixth police precinct, was promoted
to the second class.
cinct, pleaded guilty to being absent from
his post fifty-five minutes. In pro-
nOuncing sentence President John ID. Nc
Gill of the Police Board said
This is the third time you have been
before the board on charges within eight
months. 1t is the opinion of the Board
that you were off your post without
cause. So far as promising material for
policeman is concerned we consider that
you are a failure. Therefore we have de-
termined to dismiss you SO that you can
seek some other more suitable occupa-
tion.' Fox dramatically laid his shield
upon the Presidents desk, turned and
walked without the rail, picked up his hat
and walked out of the room. He was fol-
loved wed by @ few personal PEI: friends;
Heath. of the First precinct, who had
been charged with assaulting William
Goode in the last week Of December, had
been on trial. in the twenty-five years
of his experience as a member of the de-
partment Heath had been before the vari-
Gus Police Boards on only three charges.
His five stripes on each sleeve of his coat
seemed to take on deeper hue as the
President called attention to the fact that
he had served twenty-five years with
such good record. Nevertheless there
were those in the court room who knew
Goode to be a hardworking and gener-
ally inoffensive citizen. He was arrested
by Heath in the latter part of December
on charge of violating a city ordinance
by ObStructing trolley cars in Montgomery
street. He is a driver for John Mullins,
the furniture dealer He testified that
after he left the station, he was not locked
up. that Heath had knocked him down
and struck him several times. William
Hogan, employed as Goodies assistant,
who failed to show up at the last meet
ing, and Goodies lawyer. were both alb
sent. A written statement of Hogan was
presented by Inspector Archibold setting
forth that he had heard Goode say that
Heath should ssbe made a sergeant for
such a clever arrest" whereupon Heath
Knocked Goode down and struck him sew
eral times. Heath testified that after he
and Goode left the station house the lat
ter made an insulting remark and added
that he should be made "a sergeant for
such brilliant arrest He admitted that
he grabbed qoode, and added that in the
scuffle he might have struck him. He
said he re-arrested Goode on a charge of
Gisorderly conduct.
The Commissioners were not entirely
satisfied and President McGill in the
course of disposing of the other cases
SAID that In view of the past good record
the Commissioners had decided to sus-
pend sentence for the present.
In suspending sentence President Nc
Gill said:-'aWe have considered your long
of the department and the fact that there
have been only three charges preferred
against you in all that time. That is a
good record. But the Board will not
countenance any brutality among police
OFFICERS. "A policeman in uniform must be
absolutely impersonal. If you are insult
ed when in civilians clothes the case is
different We will look further into this
case. Meanwhile we suspend sentence
The resignation of Chanceman Philip
Epron, of the Sixth precinct, was ac-
eepted. This resignation was handed in
Sunday morning two weeks ago, as stat
ed in THE News at the time, just after
the Sergeant at the desk had charged him
with being off post. He left the court
room a few minutes before the clerk
called his name at last nights meeting.
President McGill was in favor of dis
missing him, when Chief of Police Muir
ply called attention to the fact that the
baf
mony should be taken before an officer
could be dismissed. Commissioner Walter
had already objected to dismissal and
favored accepting Eprons resignation
The resignation was unanimously accept
ed.
Chanceman Hugh j. Clark, of the Sec
ond. precinct, charged with assauting
Leon Mays at National Hall on January
Is, was let off with a reprimand. Several
witnesses gave testimony. Mays said he
had been yanked and struck by the Off
Ger several times for dancing polka
with young man and that the officer
apologized, saying he had the wrong man.
Mays was corroborated by F. Miller and
Frederick Benedict They said that Mays
had asked for pencil after he received
one blow, stating that he intended to
have some fun with the cop. Clark
took umbrage, according to Mays's wit
nesses, and struck him several times
Clark said complaint was made to him
that Mays was acting in a disorderly
manner and interfering with the ball. He
put him out Of the. hail. A. p. Neal,
John Cogan and William Jennings testi-
fled in Clarks behalf.
Conrad Kahrer, of Webster avenue
station, was fined one days pay for fail-
ing to report from his box on January IL
William H. Foley Superintendent Of
Telegraph, made his annual report for the
year ending December 81 showing the
condition and workings of the police sig-8
nal system in his charge. The Superinten-
dent reported that all the boxes had been
painted with two coats Of blue paint and
lettered with aluminium. Forty-fiye miles
of line wire had been pulled UP from a
slack position to the top arms of the poles
and the entire lines of the system put in
good shape throughout the city Fifty
signal boxes had been put up and kept in
good position, many improvements had
been made and the system made more ef-
fective. Two stations had been added
sduring the year, Bex Al at Henderson and
Tenth streets, and Box No. 1875 at Hender-
son and Sixth streets.
The report further shows that there had
been connected with the system thirteen
signals circuits and thirteen telephone
circuits; seven, four-pen registers, seven
time stamps, thirteen repeaters. seven
ment. spring style with electrical contact
to operate time stamps).
The report concludes:- Since the i'm
crease in department OF officers the past
year the number of signals sent In by
men on post has increased the working
of system nearly one-half of an increase
over year Of 1899, as shown in my report
to your honorable body. The police pa
troll signal system throughout the entire
H.