Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-26
TWO HEADS DROP AT ONCE
Policemen Herald and FIIip Are Dis
charged by the New
Board.

After hearing testimony in the cases Of
William Herald and vaclav FLIP. accused
Of dereliction Of their duty as police officers,
the Board Of Fire and Police commissioners
last evening discharged both Of the men
from the service. The cases we're analogous
to the extent that in each instance the on
Ger was on duty at the gates to the Union
Pacific railroad yards, but further than that
the circumstances are different.
In the case Of Herald It was charged that
the officer while on duty near the Union
Pacific shops at Thirteenth and Webster
streets between 3 and 4 D. m, on August
16. had failed to protect Fred wyes, an
employee Of the Union Pacific, from assault
by a number Of men whose identity is un-
known. but who are believed to have been
strikers. Wyes, who was one of the strike
breakers, was the first witness called in
support Of the charges and his testimony
was Of a character decidedly uncertain. He
said he had been assaulted by a number of
men who met him as he came out Of the
gate Of the yards, with one OF the com
pany's guards and that he saw an oficer
near the gate when he cam out, but he was
unable to say who the officer was. The off,
Ger, he said, spoke to the men when they
approached him near the gate, and told
them to let him alone. but the men followed
him and after he had passed around the
corner Of the street assaulted him. HI
did not see the oficer at that time and did
not know Of his own knowledge that the
oflcer knew anything Of the assault.
Vance, the guard who was with wyes at
the time Of the assault. was able to add
but little of a material character to the
testimony. He saw Herald Just south Of the
gate as he came out in company with Wyes
and heard the officer tell the men who ap-
preached them to leave those two men
alone" There was no assault at that time,
but some Of the men from the crowd out
side the gate followed the witness and
Wyes and tried to TAX wyes away. This
was not within sight Of the oficer, but
witness went back and called the officer.
who responded. BY that time the men had
taken Wyes away with them and they we're
some distance down the street.
Mrs. Collins, Mrs. Lenihen and Joe Wis
ner, who all reside in the vicinity Of Thir-
teenth and Webster and Thirteenth and
California streets, gave Information as to
the assault, but no important facts regard
Ing the action Of the officer; and Philip
Rey, gatekeeper at the Union Pacific shops,
testified positively that there was no as
sault at or near the gates. He was at the
gate when Wyes and Vance passed out and
saw some Of the men on the outside accost
Wyes, but the officer spoke to them and he
then saw them step back. He was not close
enough to hear what was said, but he was
positive on the point that there was no
assault, or what he termed trouble"
William Richelieu testified that he was
there on picket duty when wyes and Vance
came through the gate and that there was
no assault. Some Of the pickets did go
forward to speak to wyes, but the officer
told them to leave those men alone" and
they stepped back. He did not see any of
the men follow Wyes end Vance.
The board took its action upon the cases
OF Herald and FLIP in executive session and
the text of the findings in the Herald case,
as returnable in written form, is as follows:
The board finds accused guilty of the
charge, 1t is the duty of an officer to be
Ngllant, and, under the peculiar conditions
existing at the time, the accused was la
mentally deficient in this quality. 1t is
the Judgment of the board that the service
so decree It. ~
Omcer FLIP was charged with having, in
violation of the rules, been absent from
his post Of duty on the evening of August
20. Sergeant Hudson, who was Filip's prin-
ctpal a%couser, told the board that while he
was making his rounds on the evening of
August 20 he found that FLIP was not
at the Union Pacific gate. where he had
been stationed. That was about 1O:O3 o.
m, and he did not locate FLIP until 1925.
when he found him inside the gate, where
he had no business to be, unless called in
to quiet some sort of trouble.
In the case Of FLIP the board merely
found the accused guilty and ordered his
discharge.
The case of ohicer Anton india, charged
with having failed to report a case Of
smallpox in his house, was laid over to a
future meeting.
The designations Of Q. F. Boone and John
v. Kemp from the fire department were
accepted and the assignment by the chief
Of F. Brundage and A. B. Winship to take
their places was approved.
A report from Chief Donahue recon-
mending that the charges against oficer
Samuel Reigelman be dropped was accepted.
Reigelman was charged by Mrs. A. Geisler
with having used abusive and obscene lam
guage toward her.
Lieutenant Vanderford Of the FIRE depart
ment, who has been i'll for two months
and was allowed half pay for July, was
continued at half pay for August.
John Sidner was appointed a special po-
liceman for duty in the vicinity of Six
teenth and Howard streets as night watch
man.
On the recommendations OF Chlef Dona-
hue. the charges preferred by A. G. Silk
against Sergeant Weisenberg Of the police
department were dropped, Mr.. Silk al
legged that on May / the officer had used
undue violence In srresting him.
The promotion Of Frank Greenman Of
hook and ladder company No. l to be lieu
tenant Of engine company No. 4, in place
Of Lieutenant Bugbee, reduced, was pre-
sented by the chief and laid over.
The board adjourned until this morning
at 8 o'clock.