The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-01-30
CHIEFS NEW GRIP
ON HIS OFFICE
Hilton Will Not Retire Until Fire
Ceases.
GOING AFTER SOME SCALPS
ANOTHER FIGHT IN COUNCIL IS
LOOKED FOR ON TUESDAY.

As he surveyed the situation yester-
day. Chief of Police Hilton took fresh
grip on the Office from which Mayor
Thompson arc six or seven of the
members Of the city council are trying
to Gust him. II was particularly graft
flying TO the chief and his friends that
/ eight members OF the council Tuesday
evening voted solidly Ca not concur in
the mayors removal OF the head of the
police department Their qualification
was intensified by the alleged assur-
ance that all Of these eight would stay
with Chief Hilton to the bitter end.
During the day a report came, from
a presumably authentic source, that
inasmuch as the chief had been vindi-
Gated he would resign the Office before
! another week. but this was denied by
Mr.. Hilton himself
Il have made no such statement,
said the chief Il have minated moth
ing of this sort and no one is author
lied by me to give out such a re-
port
As to whether he felt that he had
been vindicated by a majority of the
council voting to retain him in Office.
contrary to the mayors expressed
wishes, for the good of the service.
Chief Hilton is not so sure. He has
in mind that the fight viii be re-
| opened in the council next Tuesday
night and he intends to wait until the
last round is fought out before laying
claim to any vindication of his official
course
Will Not Quit Under Fire.
zone thing / viii say, remarked the
chief. lis that ] will not retire from
this Office while am under fire. After
the fight on me stops I may conclude
that I don't want to serve at the head
of the police department any longer
and resign. Until then, however, ]
cannot say anything definite about re-
signing"
It has been in the air for long time
/ that Chief Hilton intended 20 submit
I to the council a communication re
moving Detective Sheets and Sergeants
! Brown and Jannsy and requesting the
councils concurrence in the action.
Yesterday the runner was persistently
circulated on the showing that ma
| jority of the council had voted to re-
! tain the chief in Office over the mayors
/ objection.
But the chief put a quietus on the
rumor by declaring that he had no
/ immediate intention, if at all. of re-
moving the three officers named. The
/ chief admitted that a movement of
/ this sort had been suggested by some
of his advisers, but he qualified the
/ admission by saying he saw no good
/ purpose to be subserved by pursuing
such a course at this time.
Charges Against the Three.
However, friends of the chief assert
/ that the reason. 10 be assigned for the
removal of Detective Sheets and Ser
! geants Brown and Janney is that all
/ three are responsible for the discord.
( want of discipline and efficiency in the
police department, and with them
turned back to private life everything
would run smoothly in the department.
Z On the other hand, the trio, VINO, 1t
/ is admitted, Chief Hilton would like
/ to be separated from, demand to be
| told wherein they are responsible for
/ the police department internal dis
! SentiOns when they are questioned
about the probability Of the chief going
after their scalps.
Opinion is divided as to whether
Chief Hilton can succeed in Ousting
from Office the three men, who, it is
generally known, are antagonlstic to
him, as ne believes, but which the ac-
cused officers deny.
| In the meantime Mayor Thompson is
not telling what he intends doing next
to get rid of the chief, who, he de-
| cldreS, IS lncapdDle OF properly con-
Quoting the affairs of the police de-
partment. In line with the executive
Oft-repeated assertion that he has not
yet determined who ne will appoint TO
succeed Hilton, it is generally believed
that the name of the probable ap-
pointee will not be known until the
vacancy is created, and of this the
mayor ard his friends are certain
within few weeks at the farthest.