The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-24

MAJOR k7OWar0.sA VIII 1tate. 10 ave
time. that I have made myself familiar
with all the laws on the subject.
DR.. Hawthorne: Are you then aware
Of the fact that these houses exist in de-
nance OF the laws OF the state?
Major Howard: Yes, sir.
DR.. Hawthorne: What do you conceive
| to b your duty in reference to enforc-
ing the statutes OF the State?
Major Howard: I will stand up to an
| swer that. conceive it to be my duty
as chief Of police to do the best can to
suppress vice and crime OF oil character,
and In cases OF bad women. why, in our
convention which we have every year,
it is talked over every year what shall
! we do with them What shall we do
with these people? Y6u can't kill them.
You can't drive them out of town. You
cant do anything with them that I
know Of. The best thing to do with tnem
is to have them Under control. and have
had them under control ever since have
been chief OF police. and l think as well
| under control as any chief Of police In
the country.
Dr.. Hawthorne: Is that your construc-
ton Of the hw-of what It requires OF
! you?
Major Howard: You can't carry It out.
Arrest them My annual report shows
how many houses were pulled (that
is the slang phrase( where compAalnt
was made. Wherever any complaint Is
made OF a house Of that kind lmme-
diately send for the parties and tell then
what they must DO.
Dr. Hawthorne: Upon th2t polile,
complaints been made to the department
Major allow me to ask you. Have not
nv the respectable citizens who are iivans
in the vicinity of these houses; have not
complaints been made to you TO winch
no attention was given. and IS II noe = ue
that these complaints IN many cases
have been made again and AGAIN. ana
that months sometimes eiapSe
the offence is removed lot
Major Howard: Not Where get q 1ee
ter with some ones name sleneo " -
when I get an anonymous letter 20.
- IN and throw it in the waste p a~'net'
! that is all the attention Pay 70 H. =.
Dr Hawthorne: Now, in reference 70
+hoaa houses AGAINST which complains
have not been made HaVe YOU @eA
made any arrests In those cases
n Major Howard: nave i'lsei . 49,
off1cers to do what is right IN the prem
ises ia arrest them and bring them pc
fore the police justice II they don
n,c,ye have no right to say they Snall
move but / say this. Martha Jane, or
whateye the name is, there Is COM
plaint about you, have no right TO say
that you shall move. because that "oulu
affect real estate, but II you are around
here again in eiEh or ten days VIII
carry YOU to court.
DR.. Hawthorne: The law requires you
to suppress houses OF this kind. HAVE
YOU instructed your police officers 70
suppress them?
Major Howard: Well, have done this,
I have stated this to the Police board
can put these people in the Police
= 5Sna Of
twenty-four hours. If you did it what
would become of them.
| MAY DRIVE THEM AWAY
Dr. Hawthorne: OF course you would
not arrest them all at once.
Major HoWard: One Of the women who
lives on Broad Street came to me the
other day. She went to the Academy. l
heard of it and sent for her, and told
her that if she went to that place again
with gentleman would put her In jail.
She SAT right here in front Of my desk
and cried like child. She said we would
not them look out of the windows
not let them look out of the windows.
would not olet them open their front
blinds or look out Of the doors, nor let
her go to the theatre with a friend from
New York, and that she was going to
leave It is the best we can do.
DR.. Hawthorne: That Is my point; II
YOU make it uncomf ortable for them they
will 20 away. Do you instruct your Of
flcers to detect, arrest and report-those
are the words Of the law-to detect and
report; do you instruct your officers to
go to those houses that are not COM
planned against, to arrest and repress all
these women and bring them to the Po-
lice Court.
Major Howard: I will make another
statement. When I was made Chief OF
Police, it got out that was going to
make the women move off Broad Street.
I think that is the best place in the city
for them, right on Broad Street. The
merchants on Broad Street. from Fourth
to Adams, said: For Gods sake don't
move them away. They are a protection
20 our property.
Lr. Hawthorne: Are you going to he
guided by that or by the law which you
have sworn t. enforce?
Major Howard: am doing the very
best that I can: in my place you might
rot do it as we'll as do.
DR.. Hawthorne: Probably so, but the
simple point make. Captain. is that you
have not obeyed the requirements OF the
law The law says you shall detect and
report and suppress; you have not done
It.
Major Howard: am doing 1t to the
very best of my ability. and I think l
come as near to it as anybody can do.
DR.. Hawthorne: I do not doubt your
motives at ALL but think you are acting
under a misconception of your right to
exercise your discretion. The law leaves
you no discretion.
Major Howard: Any police ofricer-I
do not care who he is, be he the chief
or the hun1blest private in the ranks
that did not exercise discretion in police
matters should be discharged.
Takes Up Gambling Question.
Or. Hawthorne: Now. want to ask
you something about gambling houses.
SO that it may not be necessary for you
to be recalled. How long have you been
chief of police?
Major Howard: About seven and a half
years.
DR.. Hawthorne: When you were elected.
or rather when you were q candidate,
was it not generally understood that if
you were elected you would enforce tie
laws against gambling houses? Was not
tina. the general understanding?
Major Howard: don't know whether