The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-08-22
Police Commissions Hear the
Statement of Rev. Sellars.
He Said He Knew of No Police Officer
Who Ever Said He Could Not
Do His Duty.
ALDERMAN SINGLETON SPEAKS

The board of fire and police commits
sioners met last night in special ses-
sion to investigate the statement al
legged to have been made by Rev. W.
O. Sellars at speaking at Readland
seeval nights ago.
Commissioners Bonds, CLARK and
Sutherland were present and Mayor
Yeiser acted as chairman.
Alderman Singleton. who brought
in the resolution to investigate the
charges made by Rev. Sellars, and
Rev. Sellars were in the council cham
Der where the investigation was held
and were both sworn in as witnesses.
Mayor Yeiser read the resolution
passed by the board of aldermen au-
thorizing the investigation and asked
Rev. Sellars if he had any statement
or reply to make. Rev. Sellsrs re-
piled that he had printed statement
in The Sun. Of yesterday which he
would swear to as as his statement at
the speak ing at Readland that Ii was
correct las far as he could remem-
ber.'
Mayor Yeiser asked Rev. Sellars if
he made any such statement as alleged
in the resolution, to which the minis
ter replied in the negative, that he did
not, to the best of his knowledge.
Commissioner Sutherland then
asked the minister if any policeman
had ever made any such statement to
him, to which the minister replied in
the negative.
Alderman Singleton then stated
that what he had to say would be said
with the best OF feeling and friend
ship towards Rev. Sellars. and that he
was not posing or in an attitude of a
disturber but was simply attempting
to defend the city against any injury
that might be done. He asked Rev.
Sellars if he did not say at the Read
land speaking that "a man told me
that policeman said to him that if
he, the policeman, did his duty, he
would soon be dismissed fro m SER
vice?"
| Rev. Sellars replied that if he did
make any such statement it was pure
~ and simply q slip Of the tongue,
and wholly unintentional on his part;
thst public speakers, in the heat Of
delivery, often made slight mistakes
which they probably would not have
made had they time to deliberate over
what they were saying, and that
public speaker had a license or privi-
lege to erase from his speech any slip
of the tongue he might have made,
and certainly thought, if he had made
a slip Of the tongue, he should be ac-
corded this privilege. Rev. Sellars,
in continuing his explanation, stated
that he had been speaking some time,
probably an hour, before he noticed
Alderman Singleton in his audience,
and the alderman's presence was not
known until he had begun speaking
about the management of the city,
and it was then that Alderman Single
ton, who had apparently been little
interested, began to listen attentively
to his remarks. Rev. Sellars in con-
clusion stated that he believed what
he had stated in the publication was
correct.
Alderman Singleton then took the
floor and stated that he was at Read
land on the night Rev. Sellars IL al
legged to have made the remarks and
was prepared to take an IRON clad
oath, to the facts set out in the reso-
luton, relative to what Rev. Sellars
had said, and that he was prepared to
substantiate, with 25 goo I, reliable
men who heard Rev. Sellars, his side
Of the case; that if his testimony
proved false that he wanted to be In-
dicted and prosecuted for false swear
ing. Alderman Singleton continued
thar in the Readlsnd speaking. ".
Sellars had in way cha llenged hi,a
to defend the city and hat al at
tempted to do so by br H. In fn.Y
resolution providing for an inv sti "a j
tion. Alderman Singleton furtr ~