The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-11-16
SPECIAL MURPHY
 SAVES HIS BADGE
But Police Board Orders Him Repri. manded d-QuarreI With Emil Breck. lin Apparently Patched up Before Special is Called on to Face His Ac. cusers Before Commissioners.

! Although they tried with united ef-
 forts to clear Special Patrolman Mi
 chael J. Murphy of the charge of con
 duct unbecoming an officer. last night
 before the Police Commissioners, Emil
 Brecklin and his son. and the accused
 special were unsuccessful in obtaining
 an acquittal for Murphy. The com
 missioners cast three votes for guilty
 and one to sustain charges. which
 amounted to practically the same thing | as guilty The story put up by Breck-
 lin and his 17-year-old son John was
 so evidently designed to protect Mur- phy, and their ignorance of so many
 important facts was so noticeable that President George E.. Hill accused BreclSlin of trying to shield Murphy. The other commissioners appeared to
 have the same opinion as their presi- dent in regard to the matter.
 It will be recalled that on Sunday | afternoon. Oct. r, Brecklin and his son went into the country and gath cred nuts and apples. On their way
 home in Park avenue they met Special Patrolman Murphy with several other
 men who were in a wagon The men stopped Brecklin and after demanding his apples and nuts ordered him into
 the wagon. After the wagon started
 Brecklin was pushed off the tail board
 His apples and nuts were not return ed to him at that time. The men
 drove away. He reported the happen ing to the police and the men were summoned to appear before Captain Arnold October 19. On that afternoon
 before the meeting at police headquar- ters the nuts were returned to Breck-
 lin's home. At police headquarters | that night the men apologized and Brecklin said he would let the matter drop. Supt. Birmingham reported the matter to the commissioners. however, | at the last meeting and they had Mur- phy on the carpet last night to ex-
 plain.
 When Breclxlin was called and told
 his story he carefully left Murphy out of the story altogether except saying
 that some one of the party had called
 upon Murphy ito help arrest him."
 The special patrolman had no wit
 nesses on hand to testify to his inno- cence in the matter.
 The vote was guilty. 3; to sustain the
 charges. 1. It is believed Commis-
 sioner Hurley voted to sustain the charges. Commissioner Hill from the
 start expressed his disbelief in the
 story told by all three witnesses.
 The suggestion that Murphy be re- lieved of his badge was turned down
 because he needs it in his work at the jail. It was voted to reprimand him
 instead This pleasant duty devolved
 upon President Hill. who said:
 You are very fortunate in not hav- ing your badge taken away from you. It is very clear to me that this mat ter was not a joke. I think there are special officers in the department who are too careless how they conduct themselves. In regard to yourself I do not know anything against you ex- cept in this case. As long as you have that badge you ought to have in mind your office as a guardian of the peace You were negligent in the performance of Your duty when you did not inter
 vene when this man was being mis- treated as he was. You may have been off on a lark which in itself might have been entirely proper. but to hold up a citizen the road. and take away his property or permit it to be taken away. is violation of your duty as a special officer. In my judgment the board would be right in taking away your badge. but since you need 1t to earn your living the board has not done so. It behooves you to be careful about the use of your badge. and how you conduct yourself. You must remember that if this board sees fit it may deprive you of the badge and you have no appeal. You must conduct yourself as an exemplary citi- zen if you expect to keep the use of your badge"
 Murphy has been in the department for four years This was his first time on the carpet.
 It is possible that the investigation of this case has not been completed,