Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-11-02
OFFICER ncNIFF OPPOSED
Han On Inside Told what Was Going
 to Happen.

10 happen.
 The reign of terror is still on in the department of safety, and men are being sent to the block from time to time for trivial offenses. The last man whose head felt the axe was Reserve Officer Miles McNiff, who has served over twenty years on the regular force, when he was placed on the reserve list about year or so ago. The officer was not pleased with the change and al- ways entertained that on the retire ment of the present, board their sue cessors would reinstate him on the regular force, where he felt he had fitness to serve for q few years more. McNiff made no bones of his intention Of making try to do regular duty again and was outspoken in his criti- cism of the present board, especially during election and since It is under stood that all these things reached the ears of the commissioners, and being human, evidently they concluded to put an impregnable barrier between McNiff and the regular force before January 1. It appears they have done this and now if he knows hat is good Tor himself he will keep quiet for the next couple of months, else they may issue an order demanding him to leave town and return no more.
 The matter has been talked of since election and two weeks ago man on the inside informed a reporter that "Miles's goose was cooked adding that while he didn't know, yet he had an inkling that the board was going to take 'fall'' out of him before their successors come in. The next thing heard was that McNiff was cited to appear before the board to answer to charges regarding the misappropriation of funds said to have been paid to him by members of the Catholic Ben evolent legion. A year ago or more there was trouble in that organization MT McNiff was collector and neglected to make prompt returns of the assess. ments paid to him with the result that the society was suspended for time, but things were righted and nobody lost anything and it was supposed that that was the end of 1t, and it was, so far as the society was concerned. But 1t remained for the safety board to open the old sore, which was done yes terday afternoon in the mayors office.
 Mayor Elton presided and there were present Commissioners Driggs, Van keuren, Moran and Buck. Owing to business matters Mir Daly was not able to attend the session. MT McNiff de- sired to be represented by counsel and attended accompanied by !. J. O'Neill, hIrf fhn af.d aJ, legal light and MT McNiff was obliged to defend himself, which he did in 3 manner which showed that no wrong had been done and that nobody had suffered on account of his conduct.
 The witnesses examined were F. n :. Ramon, John Clohessy, c. K. Bannon and Reserve Officer Michael Sullivan.
 F. F. Bannon was president of the local branch of the Catholic Beneyo- lent legion at the time the >mix-up be- came known. He stated that he was notified by the home office that the so- ciety was in arrears; but that after some time the matter was adjusted and the society reinstated. This was ef- fected by Mir McNiff, the collector, and his brother. John T. McNiff. turning over to the society a S1,OO0 insurance policy on their mother and also by the raising of note for the amount due the society. $540. A certain num- Der of the members indorsed this note and the collector was to pay the inter- est on 1t and keep reducing the princi- pal from time to time until 1t was all cleared up.
 John Clohessey was treasurer at the time, but he didn't appear to remem- Der very distinctly what had hap pened, but he did know that in the end the collector secured the society and nobody was out anything.
 c. R. Bannon stated the facts in the case so far as he knew. and he was quite familiar with them. He is one of the signers to the note. Michael Sullivan thought the collector didn't do the right thing and got mad and left the organization. Before doing this he demanded and received the re- turn of S3.SS from McNiff. and he con tended that he owes him S11 still Here some differences of opinion arose oe- tween Mir Sullivan and McNiff regard ing details. which wound up by Me Min making 1t plain that Mir Sullivan's withdrawal from the society was due to other causes rather than the trouble caused by the temporary suspension.
 In summing up Mir MeNiff pleaded not guilty to the charge and ques- toned the right of the board to inquire into a matter that came up between him and his society associates and which had been settled to the satisfac. ton of everybody directly concerned. Nobody, he claimed, lost anything by what had happened: he was not charged with dishonesty by the society and Is still member in good standing in the organization. He never denied that he had withheld funds for a time and when the home office made a fuss about it and his attention was called to it he did all in his power to make good and did it. He collected a great deal of money for the society and sent it 10 the home office promptly. Ere quently he carried men who neglected 10 pay and in doing this he lost con siderable money. It was true a few members left the society at that time but they didn't get out on account of what he had done. The assessments had been raised. just the same as they have been in other fraternal bodies. and those who went out thought they could do better in some of the old line companies and didn't care whetk- CT the society was reinstated or not But they had protection while they re- maIned in and if they had decided to continue they would be on the books still the same as the others. There