The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-02
WELLS PICKS OUT
POLICE CHIEF BERTH
Notorious Detective Would Be
Cared for If Wright Could
Be Elected.


II Col. Frederick p. Wright could be
-eIected mayor of ST. Paul, George f.
Wels, according to all signs, would be
7selected to head the police department.
or placed in charge of the detective
force.
= Wells has been the most active man
IN COL Wr1ght's campaign from it's
inception, and promises to continue his
work until the night of election. He
ala the sleuth work which resulted in
furnishing the data for DIR. w. H. H.
-boyies sensational sermon some weeks
ago, visiting all sorts of out of the
way places In search Of information.
ana whether finding 1t or not. making
frequent and full reports to his en-
ployer.
Wnen the Boyle sermon had ceased
TO De OF effect, Wells turned his atten-
5 tIen TO another department and made
reports to the Republican city COM
Hlttee of scores of alleged Illegal reg
lstratlons. His reports were later found
10 be yalueless as a matter of evidence
70 convict anybody of falsely register
ING, but 1t served the purpose of Great
ing a newspaper sensation. and this
was evidently far more desirable from
Republican standpoint than any real
1acts to be put in the hands of the
committee. Numbers of men who were
reported by Wells to be illegally reg
lstered have since, through the col
umns of I h e G 10 b e, made affidavit
tnat they reside at the numbers given
Ine Judges of election, and are bona
noe citizens, and the whole effect of
Wells work has been that of a boom
erang to Col Wright and the Repub-
mean committee employing him.
Wells Strong With Committee.
Reports circulated Yesterday that
the city committee and Wells had
proken We're found upon investigation
10 De wholly baSeIess. The best Of re-
latlons exist between the committee
ana the ex-detective now again at
work. Chairman T.~G. Walther of the
CITY committee, was seen and asked il
Wells had not been satisfactory to the
committee. Il know nothing of Wells
personal record, but his work for our
committee has been very satisfactory
indeed, the chairman replied to the
query.
Wells has done good work for our
committee and we are under obliga-
tons TO him." said Secretary F. J.
Haskell to 7 e Globe
The report that Wells was persona
non grata to the committee which en-
pIoys him was shown Ito be totally
without foundation He is undoubtedly
stronger today with the Republicans.
by reasonaof his work as detective to
nnearth things that the Republicans
must have to make campaign issues,
than ever before in the campaign.
Y 7TGol. Wright will be ungratefuI In
deed II he does not reward Wells with
the best thing in his gift If he is elect
ed" leading Republican said last
night. Wells has stopped to acts that
anCf III -
has secured the city for data which
might prove of advantage to his party,
and when he couldn't find facts he has
reported something upon which to
make at least a showing of doing
something.
f. We ali remember how Col. Wright
rewarded his friend Mason the first
time e-was mayor. Mason had been
called from the Thiel detective agency
TO unearth alleged municipal vice and
corruption, and when Wright had fool
ed the people by his claims and been
elected he made Mason chief OF detec-
tives. Gratefulness and precedent both
demand Wells appointment as either
chief of police or chief of detectives If
Col. Wright shall be found to have the
appointing power after May 8. His
personal fitness will not prevent his
appointment any more than 1t did in
the case of Mason twelve years ago.
Wells Has Reputation.
George F. Wells is not an unknown
figure in loc@ police circles, though he
has not been connected with the force
of detectives for some years. He was
a patrolman under Col. Kiefer's ad-
ministration in 1868, having been, it
is said, appointed through a political
pull furnished by f. B. Doran, to
whose son he is related by marriage.
A scandal regarding a lot of stolen
coats from the St. Paul Rubber COM
pany's wholesale warehouse on lower
Third street and the detectives alleged
connection with the stolen property
brought Wells into unpleasant no.
toriety, but this paled before sensa-
tional charges fled with Col. Kiefer
by James Y. Werrick, a brother de-
tective and warm friend of Wells, ac-
cusing. Wells of wrecking his home.
After repeated hearings in which the
testimony was extremely lurid, Col.
Kiefer dismissed both the accused and
the complainant for the good of the
service.
1t is understood that Wells expects
something very good in the event that
Col. Wright is elected. He has con-
fided to a number of his warm friends
that he has hopes, and has Indicated g.
number of officers now on the force
whom he will take special pleasure in