The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-17
FIRST HEARING IN
 THE POLICE INQUIRY

Int PULlLt INuUIkl
 Continued from First Page.)
 lthe department are as good as the tax lpayers of the city have right to de- lmand.
 Since an attack was made upon a member of my family, in a public street in a good residential neighborhood, I lhave listened to reports of the general
 sense of insecurity felt by women, for themselves and for their children, be- cause of numerous offenses against them which seemed, up to within a
 very short time, to be of increasing fre- lquency. I have expressed my belief
 that such state of affairs indicated
 demoralization, want of harmony, or
 want of efficiency in the police depart Iment. I have, however, no knowledge l-except from hearsay-ot facts which Would enable me to make, specific icharges against any official or member. While I hold the belief indicated
 above as to the general condition of the department, it is just to say that recent acquaintance with some members of it's working force has given me confidence
 in the ability, energy and honesty of
 purpose of these particular men. l With hearty appreciation of the will lingness of your committee to undertake
 the valuable but unpleasant task as
 signed to them, I remain,
 l Yours respectfully,
 l (Signed) c. B. RICHARDS. l Statement as to Police Service.
 After the reading of the letter Judge
 Harrison said: If any one here has
 any knowledge or wishes to make any statement in regard to the assault on
 Professor Richards daughter the com
 mittee will hear him now. Otherwise
 we will consider this particular matter
 lclosed for good.'
 I Attorney Gum stated that he would l like to make a few statements in re- gard to the condition of the police force
 at the time of the assault. He stated
 that 128 patrolmen were on duty in New
 Haven, and gave the number on duty
 in each ward. At night seventy-four
 were on duty in the city, nine of them being in the Eighth ward and three in
 the Ninth. Since May 19 six extra men had been put on duty in Ward and four extra in Ward g. When asked
 who was responsible for assignment of the extra officers he stated that it was
 done by the chief of police, by order of the mayor. This was the only state ment made during the evening by the police commissioners.
 Testimony of Mr. Henderson. Yandell Henderson, instructor in the Yale Medical school, was sworn in by Attorney Gum. He stated that he was present only to make a statement, and Ipreferred not to be represented by lcounsel at this session. Accordingly he asked that he be allowed to present ithe statement in his own way, and stat ed that he would answer only such lquestions on cross s-examination last might as he saw fit. He said that in his statement he referred to he brought no charges against four members of the police department, all of whom were present by invitation. These were Pa ltrolman George Taylor, who was on duty on the beat near his residence the might of the assault on his servant; Sergeant Bowers, who came to his res Iidence the same night; Captain Cowles, of the detective bureau, and Detective MeGrath, also of the detective force. MT. Henderson stated that the fact |that the New Haven police department Twas inefficient was notorious. He had heard one trustworthy citizen remark |that there was more immortality in the New Haven police force than in Chi |cago. He handed sealed letter to Judge Harrison which J. P. Underwood, formerly of New Haven, but now of Newark, N. J., requested him to de- liver, and which had some bearing on the case. He said that he wished to make statements in regard to the in- efficiency of two members of the police department. He asked Judge Harrison whether the committee desired him to repeat certain statements he made be- fore the police commissioners on May 25, and which the stenographer had taken down in full. Chairman Harri- son requested him to repeat the whole statement.
 MT. Henderson accordingly outlined the assault upon his servant girl on. the night of April 21. He thought that unless the matter was thoroughly in- vestigated and the perpetrator of the crime discovered, if possible the crime would be repeated. He accordingly Of fered a. reward of $2,500 for the capture of the criminal, and brought the matter before the attention of the authorities at once. In doing this he went person. ally to Captain Cowles, of the detective bureau. Cowles had told him that there were one hundred and twenty thousand people in New Haven and probably one of them had done the deed, but as to which one it would be exceedingly diff cult and almost impossible to find out. He had called up the police by tele- phone that night and Sergeant Bowers was sent to his house. Witness told him what had occurred and said he had better look for the perpetrator of the crime at once. He suggested perhaps he could find him in some of the liquor saloons and could recognize him by bloodstains. The officer had stated that it would be useless to do anything about it that night and it would be bet