New-York tribune., 1903-01-30
PITTS CAPT. CANNON OUT.
General Greene DismiSses Ham On
Webste1- House Charges.
JURY IN CRIMINAL TRIAL LOCKED UP.

Captain Cannon was dismissed from the
Police Department yesterday by commissioner
Greene. At the time of his dismissal Cannon
was watching the close of his trial before he
corder Goff in the Court of General Sessions.
He was tried at Police Headquarters. before
Deputy Commissioner Piper, last week on sub
stantially the same charges on which he was
tried this week in the criminal court. lie was
accused of neglect Of duty in failing to suppress
vice at the Webster House, in East Fifteenth
ST. when he was in command of the police at
the station in East Twenty-second-st.
District Attorney Jerome caused charges
against Cannon 10 be filed at Police HEAD
quarters in the time of Commissioner Partridge
and also caused the indictment of the captain
The charges and the indictment grew out of a
raid at the Webster House, which, was maze
many months ago at Mr.. Jerome's direction
Cannon had been appealed to by many persons
to suppress the Webster House. petition
signed by more than one hundred persons hao
been sent to him. begging him to close up the
place in the interests of the women ana chi-
dren of the neighborhood- When the raid was
going on Cannon was found in the paror OF the
place and Assistant District Attorney SAND
ford has testified that Cannon tried to have
the keeper of the place, woman. placed IN
his custody
After General Creme took office he suspended
Cannon, and this action fastened both trials.
Cannon won several medals for bravery wnen
he was attached to the mounted squad both as
a roundsman and as sergeant. He was one OF
the finest horsemen in the department, and
saved seve. al lives in runaway accidents. He Is
fftv-tvo years old, and became a policeman IN
1873 He was promoted to be roundsnan IN
1876 and was made sergeant in ISoo' his
promotion to a captaincy was on Decemper 80
1900 General Greene, after dismissng Can
non yesterday, said he had found the captain
guilty OF all the specifications in the charges ex-
cept the one accusing him of making false re-
ports.
In the closing testimony for the defence in the
criminal court yesterday several policemen VINO
were under Cannon in East Twenty y-second-st
testified that they had been sent frequently to
make inspections of the Webster House, but
had failed to get evidence of any violations of
the law at the place. In his address to the jury
ex-Judge Olcott OF Gannons counsel, declared
that the evidence showed that the captaln hdu
performed his duty to the best of his abllty III
irving to enforce the law at the Webster House
Assistant District Attorney Osborne for the
prosecution contended that Cannon had made
no honest efforts to suppress vice, Wnlcn was
fragrant and notorious at the place.
Recorder Golf told the jury that II they found
that the Webster House was mouse OF III laiite io
that Cannon should have known 1t, ana thdt ne
did not 10 his duty in regard to tue place, they
must find him guilty. But the Recorder con.
tinued "if you do not consider the house one OF
i'll fame or that the defendant need not know
its character or could not know its character
had he used due diligence, or. knowing its CHAR
acter from his own precinct books, as a sus-
pected house, he did all in his power to suppress
it then you must acquit him..
Mr. Olcott asked the Recorder to charge that
no motive had been shown for any neglect OF
duty The Recorder said he would, and he also
charged that attack by the prosecution hao
been made on the personal honesty of the de-
fendant. E
Gannon's friends and several of his policemen
who were off duty remained in the courtroom Tor
several hours, expecting that a quick verdict
would be returned. They thought the charge
in Captain Gannon's favor.
It was rumored in the early hours of the night
that the jury stood 10 to for acquittal There
was another report that they stood to for
conviction. At 10 O'Clock it was said that two
ballots had been taken, but that no agreement
had been reached.
At II 30 o'clock Recorder Goff called up the
courtroom on the telephone and asked if an
agreement had been reached. An officer put the
question to the jurymen, and he was informed
that they had not agreed. Recorder Golf Or
dered that they be locked up for the night