The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-04-15
TALK OF CHANGE.
knowing Ones Think McCoIIum
Will Be Removed.
Say That Frank Stahl Will
Succeed Him.
HE NEVER GAVE BOND.
No Chief Has Given Security for
Two Years.
lie NEVER GAVE BOND.
Propose to Make Bond $1,000
Instead of So 900.

Evidence comes from several reliable
sources today which indicates that
within a week Mayor Bergundthal will
call on Chief. of Police McConum for
his resignation. and will appoint Frank
/ Stahl to succeed him.
Mayor Bergundthal is showing the
same symptoms that he did just prior
to Carl Goff's dismissal He denies
that there is to be a change, says he is
very slow to desert his friends" and
holds frequent conferences with his
trusted advisors. He does not like TO
talk about police affairs, and is inclin-
ed to be rather erusty when the sub
ject of NIcCollum's dismissal is intro
duced. This is just about the way he
acted a day or two prior to the de-
capitation of Mr.. Golf. Bergundthal
stood up for Goff until the very day
4 that he was let out, just as he stands
up for McCollum now.
OF course there is some talk about
John Gardiner or Tim Donovan to sue
coed McCollum, but this is not regard
ed very seriously. 1t is known that the
mayor sent for Frank Stahl. and had a
4 long talk with him, in which he offered
Stahl the position. Whether Stahl is
willing to accept is not known. There
seems to be u little hitch in the deal
somewhere. Otherwise McCollum
would be depOsed at once.
| It developed today, through an in
vestigation of the records that neither
! Chief Stahl nor Chief Goff, while in
office, filed with the city the bond of
! Why they did not is somewhat or a
mystery. Apparently the mayor and
/ city council forgot all about it. The
! jailers and police judge under both
Stahl and Golf filed bonds all right,
/ but the chief did not.
| When Tim Donovan was chief, he
filed bond. Apparently Donovan IS
1 the only bonded chief the city has
| had for three years.
This looks a little bit queer, and it
may be that this state of affairs has
something to do with the delay in Ma
I columns retirement from office. a bit
4 ter fight is already disturbing the
peace of the city council. According
/ to their votes last week, seven of them
favor putting the chief under $4,000
bond, and five think he should be left
/ uhbOnded, according to the arrange
ment which has prevailed since McCo,-
lum's appointment.
Mayor Bergundthal thinks that $1,000
4 bond is outrageous. He says it is pro-
hibitive-that no chief of police could
/ give such a large bond. Bergundthal 5
influence is being exerted to defeat
! the proposed increase in bond and it is
possible that it is being exerted on be-
4 half of Frank Stahl. who objects 10
+ giving bond, or at least such a large
bond as $1,000 Stahl seems to have
]
before, and he may insist that the
mayor clear away the bond business
! before he takes the job of chief again.
This may be the reason for the delay
! in McCollun's dismissal and Stahls
appointment It may be that Bergund-
thai is waiting to be sure that the
council will stand by him in his posi-
ton on the bond proposition. 1t may
be that this is one of the conditions
upon which Stahl takes the job.
So far there have been no formal
meetings of the new police committee.
This is rather peculiar, and might be
significant were it not for the fact
that some informal conferences of the
members of that committee have been
held which answer the purposes of a
meeting and don't attract as much at
tention. The probability is, however,
that the committee viii allow Mayor
Bergundthal to paddle himself out of
the police muddle as best he can.
Some think the result of the difficult
ty will be that the bond will be fixed
at s., 600, instead of $4,000, as a compro-
mise measure, and that Frank Stahl
will take the job with that considera-
There is also considerable talk
about raising the salary of the chief
/ of police, and this may have its origin
/ in Stahl's reluctance to serve for such
A small sum as $1,000 a year. 1t is a
ridiculousIy small salary for a posi-
/ ton of such responsibility, and there
is not much wonder that chief of
police feels that he is almost justified
/ in getting a rake-off to make up the
deficit There is not an official in the
I city of Topeka who has it in his pow
er to feather his nest so thoroughly
and quickly as has a chief of police
and that, too, without actually taking
the money from the city. All he has
to do is to connive with beer ring, ="
which will protect him through thick
and thin, and pay him we'll for half
way decent treatment It therefore
seems natural that the city should
pay such an official enough to make
ties A thousand dollars a year looks
small to a man when he has the op-
/ portunity to make that much every
/ month