The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-10-19


preferred against him by the mayor.
The police board this morning decided to sustain the
maFor in finding which will stand forth as one of the
most remarkable body Of officials has compro-
missed upon.
The officer is suspended for 60 days without pay and
is reduced from detective to patrolman in uniform
The finding is qualified with the remarkable statement
that Burns at the time of making charges against the
mayor believed them to be true although without any
sufficient reason for such belief"
The full text of the finding follows:
LEROY G. Waller, chief of police: Sir-We the
board of police commissioners, find,
First-That the charges against Martin Burns
tanned in the first specifications are sustained.
"SecondWth reference to the charge against Martin
Burns contained in the second third and fourth specica
tions we find, first, that said Martin Burns made the
statements Except that the government of the city of
Spokane controlled by pmps at the time place and
under the circumstances carged second that such state
ments were in fact untrue; third but that said Burns
the time OF making the believed them to be true
although without any sufficient for such belief
In concluson we find said Martin Burns guilty of
improper behavior as police officer.
1.-The chairman of the board of police commissioners
instructed to suspend Officer Burns without pay for
oo days from II O'Clock noon October 1904 and that
at the expiration of his suspension he return to duty as
patrolman. Respectfully,
"BoARD OF POLICE COMMISSIONERS" .
The first specification in the charges by the mayor was
that Burns testified in police court that he had not ar
rested the said Tom Smith for the reason that the said
Baer and that said Clutch jake and Harry Baer who
were at all OF said times private citizens residing in said
ey controlled the mayor and city government of the
city OF Spokane and that he the said Martin Burns would
lose his office as policeman if he made such arrest
This charge is sustained by the police commissioners
The second, third and fourth specifications read as
follows:
''That on Saturday. October l. he testified
that the mayor and city government controlled by
dutch Jake" and Harry Baer and by pimps and that
the police officers of the city afraid to arrest the said
Tom Smith for the that the said Tom Smith was
protected by Dutch jake and Harry Baer and by pmps
which said statements then and there false and u
true
That the mayor and the city government protected
Tom Smith at all times prior to the month of April 1904
and other hangerson and proeges of the Coeur dene
saloon people for that they the said Burns and other
such officers would be removed from their offices as police
men of the said city of Spokane if they made such ar
rests"
Commissioner Weymouth was practically the whole
thing in the matter of the finding The commissioners
went into executive session yesterday afternoon but did
not come to an agreement until this morning
1t was agreed that the votes and discussions of the
should be kept secret and for that
no one was permitted in the commissioners room except
for short time this morning Corporation Counsel Dudley
was called in to give opinion the legal phase of
the matter
1t is known, however, that Commissioner Ono was
strongly in favor of dismissal. Commissioner Wey-
mouth evidenced his dislike for the mayor bv standing
to have favored reprmand and reduction to the ranks
1t required several hours to bring the commissioners
together 1t not until several motions had been made
that any vote could be taken which showed unison Final
ly two of the commissioners, Weymouth and Handey
voted for suspension and reduction to the ranks It
was then that Commissioner ONO abandoned his stand
for dismissal from the force and consented to the finding
To outsiders the finding of the board looks like poit
cal compromise. The people acquainted with the case
hold that Burns either guilty innocent If guilty
he should have been discharged from the police force If
not guilty. the mayors charges should not be sustained
in any particular.
The childish attempt to smooth things over for Burns
by declaring that Burns believed the charges to be true
although without sufficient for believing such will
certainly go down in history the huges kind of pot
cal joke
AS the stands, the board has sustained the
mayor has declared Burns partially innocent through
mind reading process which convnces the commissioners
that he believed what he sad and has vndicated the s
peror Weymouth judgment by suspendng the officer for
a short period.
When seen today Detective Burns sad ''I have not
been officially informed of the verdict and will not dis
cuss it."
TDnIlRI SFTTl I'm hi. ss.,..s, with III. r.rp.as.