Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-09-02
CHIEF EGAN ON RACK
Emmet RlOrdan Sprung Surprise
 at Board Meeting

Brought Charges Against the Chief at
 Last Nights Meeting of the Board
 Of Safety-The Chief Will Tell His
 Story at Meeting to Be Held Next
 Thursday Evening. -,
 The board of public safety was giv- en a surprise last evening when Clerk Nettleton in the ordinary course of business read charges against Chief of Police Egan, preferred by Emmet F. Riordan, who until last July was a member of the board of agents of the Bronson library. The charges accuse the chief of neglect of duty in allow ing certain performances to take place at Poli's theater, Jacques and Forest park without being licensed, since the opening of these places of amusement. The complaint was evidently written by two hands and the one that wrote the latter half also wrote the names of the witnesses, Michael Ryan and William Thoms. It is presumed that these are the city clerk and the collect or of taxes respectively, though the former has J standing in the middle of his name and the latter an E. The nature of the complaint indicates that the complainant must have been look ing for trouble when he brought it for even though it is founded upon facts 1t Is trivial matter anyway and noth- ing more than an oversight.
 But the chief says that there IS not word of truth in it. Several times MT Riordan called at the police sta
 ion and inquired of the chief if Poli's or Jacques and Forest park had h- cense to give shows, and as these are places of repute and long standing, identified with the names of two men known all over the state, the chief took it for granted that naturally they were licensed and he told his visitor SO. He knew of course that Mir Jacques takes out an annual license for all three places, but to make matters cer- tain because MT Riordan made many call upon the chief regarding this matter, he finally inquired of the city clerk, he said, who informed him that MT Jacques had taken out his licenses as usual. That was the last he saw or heard of MT Riordan until the com plaint was read last evening.
 MT Riordan was on deck to see that it went through without scratch. He was outside the railing waiting and watching for Clerk Nettleton to read 1t. and when finally the clerk got to it MT Riordan's eyes looked happiness
 It was evidently great surprise to all the members of the board for each of them took up the paper in turn and eagerly scanned 1t. Chief Egan ask ed if he would be allowed to ask a question regarding it and permission being given he asked if the document was sworn to. MT Riordan from out side the railing said it was not but he was ready and willing to do so. Chairman Beach looked up this point and found that 1t was not necessary the complaint should be sworn to; that was left to the discretion of the board and the board decided it was not necessary. The complaint was in writing as the rule of the board re- quires and that was sufficient. A week from next Tuesday evening was accordingly set down as a convenient date to hear the complaint.
 A complaint against Stephen Bloom field for absence from duty without leave was held over. Bloomfield is 8 member of the, call force and was a pallbearer at funeral when the alarm sounded. Applications from John F. Dunphy and Edward Mo Glynn for promotion to the regular pc lice force were flied. An application for a police escort to the Labor day parade from the Central Labor union was granted. A detail of twelve men with an officer or two will form the es- cort. The board was also invited to review the parade from the city hall and the Invitation was accepted.
 Chief Egan's report for the month of August was read and accepted.
 A committee reported favorably for hydrants at Green street and Draher avenue: Luke street and Sylvan ave- nue and St Paul and East Farm streets, the first to cost not more than $210 and the others not more than $175.
 Chief Snagg was given leave to at- tend the annual convention of fire en- gineers from September 5 to 15, and First Assistant Engineer T. 0. O'Brien to take charge during his absence.
 Fireman Fred V. Moon of the Bur- ton street house was granted two weeks leave to begin September 8. This is something new for the board to grant vacation for so long a term.
 Chief Egan stated that he had a long talk with Mayor Kildufg regarding the opinion of City Attorney Kellogg that the Brookside home is not the proper place for men suffering from delirium tremens and that the city court is the legitimate channed by which such per sons could be sent to the home. The chief told many instances where it was impossible to arrest person, and yet to allow him at large was danger to the community as well as to the person himself. Quite recently a man entered the police station and com piained of being surrounded by rats. He could stand most of them, the man said, but there was one big one from South Africa that was intolerable, This man could not legally be arrested because he had done nothing to war rant locking him up. Yet he was danger to himself and others. The po- lice have no right to arrest an insane R... al II.