New-York tribune., 1907-08-01
PATROLMAN DISMISSED.
FIRST COWARD N YEARS..
Wolsh Stripped Of Insignia and
Thro-cn Ont Of Department.

Stripped Of the insignia he had dsEracfo. /
Patrolman stephen ! Walsh. Of the East DIST
street station. who failed to arrest Warner aftc'
he had killed girl was dismissed yesterdaJ
from the police force # New York for coz
ardice. Not for thirt" years. since two men
flinched from an armed maniac, has such 4
thing been done before. When tho Commis- \
sioncr addressed The men afteI his sentence ms
voice broke with emotion hut The disgraced man
only walked across the street and -.t"o9 grim
ming at the other men as they came or OF me
old headquarters building
This has been ii most distressing case for tne
last three days.' said Commissioner klhsha"
after he had passed sentence. and it has been
the most disglaceful that can reCai foi years
NV checks have burned with shame At e[efl q
charge Of lack of physical courage. and fee'
il all the more because rank myself WIN 'il'
men III this department.
Inspector Walsh told the Commissioner ne
had never seen anything Ike th" present case.
Nor did ever hear Of one he went on, an"
I hope thar as long as | am on the force ! never
will see such q thing as has occurred IN 'h''
trlal room to-day.
The revelation of Walsa'z character by ms
trial NAV, mean that the three men whose dis
r1issal he brought about may haV" another uld'-
These We're Patrol!nen Unger, two years on ''l'
force. Nixon Twenty-Five years and Fitzpatrick.
sixteen years. Walsh charged that they made
him fight in the station house. and on MS naT'
4
dismissal Of the three mon. They wHr" broke
and the rest Of their platoon was transferred
from the Oak street precinct
The case was adjourned on Monday {" give
Walsh a chance to produce some witnesses hut
none appeared for hiT, yesterday The only wit
moss called. Miss Margaret Donnely. who Is
employed in the Spaldine Building, said she
thought Walsh the only patrolman who had
gone upstairs Walsh called back t"
. answer one two questions about how long
he mad heen in the tailor shop. II" said he had
boen th"fe only five or seven r.lrutes. which
caused the Commissioner tell him he had no
right to stay there that many seconds
Il have carefully considered al the evidence
in this case said commissioner Bingham. when
N" cas-" had closed, and the prosecution has
established clearly that Walsh Is guilty Of cow
ardice l dismiss him from the force at once"
Then Inspector Walsh stepped forward to
strip the dIsEraced insignia from the patrolmau n
Walsh objected, but the inspector tore off his
precinct numbers and his shield. His buttons
were fastened with metal clamps. and to save
any delay I'm getting hir out Of his sight the
Commissioner told Inspector Walsh not to
bother further. but to eject the at once
The inspector did.
As soon as Walsh was out of the the
Commissioner began 10 speak to the dozen and
= half policemen in the room His voice broke
with emotion. and there were tears in his eyes
The men flied up in front of the desk as the
Commissioner began to speak
Come mp close in front. all YOU men In uni
form the Commissioner began. can ld!N
to YOU: / have not been 50 affected by HythinS
in wears | feel ashamed. much any one
Of you men he that there should have been
a man found this force who was not phySl-
caIly brave It has been our pride 10 say
. that whatever faults there were, there were n
towards on this force have carefully c"nsid-
cred the evidence in this case. have given IN.
accused man every chance 20 defend hinsef;
am perfectly clear that the man failed Just al
/ the moment that he should not have failed. Ny
, God men do not ever let this thing occur agar
, while you and together, man is ho' {
1 man ,rhn is not physically brave. That poor heEl
is not a man: he is poor. weak thlhg. no"
ever remember that We can take TINS ,''lili, =
II &c thirty wears they tell me. since ther" ma
. been such charge, and in thlrty years ON. .
. one man out of about eight or nine 'houSd'u
r a mighty small percentages !. W." '''
water very much.
go then let US forget this. 90 on as yo'
always have done, Every one OF YOU DO S"- L
5 duty every time matter what Gomez III
minute there is danger. that is the 'lIhe lo' s'
= / r,er, n show what stuff you have in you ana
y . ba,-e not the slightest doubt you VII d" j
9 Forget this then. and If you ever think OF
r. ( inst bear in mind this: make NJ your min
: that there will never be such another spot d
T. long as YOU are on the police force. That is al
men" -,
= The records Of the Police Department sho'
% that Walsh is only the third man 10 be oea!
= with for cowardice In the history ot 'le oTPh
J. roent The other Two We're Roundsnan Burn
= ard pafroIpan White. who finched from d
d encounter with an armed maniac N the Oh
e METROPOLITAN Hotel in the summer OF lA' -.
= The two men were in reserve in the old y
- r,reciuct then housed at Mulberry and Sprh
e+ree.s 4 call came from Patrolman Asa III
Miss Al the hotel for aid i'm sub6ulnG mama
who was firing heavy revolver from ms WIZ
> dow At pedestrians in the street CroWds "er
: streaming out Of Niblo's Garden at the um'
l. and there was panic in the street MOST {
/ them ran back into the playhouse and tufthe
/ alarmed those who had remained
e >t-urniss did not wait for aid to arrive ou
- wont at once to the maniacs room Nhlie q
,rac rapping for admittanCe the crazy ma
- nnehed chair softly against the dooT thfuS
his revolver through the tranShn unseen. an
ered three shots into Furniss from above. XII
;e- him instantly. Burns and Nhlte erfNe
;,et in time To see their comrade STREET aed "
+bo Aoor The maniac fired at them as me
rooked down the long corridor. hut me 2ui'''
ut wide Then. the police recordS tea'
.,,.ithout thought of their uniforms. ou'N :
5a,.rcI'' the men turned and ned do"hS'dl'
ud ont into the street without st"p' UNI
49, dropued hreathless, IN the stahoh- IL
D.rd NJ Police Commissioners decided uHaH
.o,zI,, that they were guilty Of gross coward
80 .nd disbonora t,ly discharged them.