The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1909-03-17
THE CITY COUNCIL.
Two Policemen Suspended and New
Street Hand Ordinance Adopted
at Last Nights Adjourned
Meeting.

Lie mayor d1lu DOdIu O4 AluS1~
men held an adjourned meeting
last night, with all officers and
members present.
A delegation from the executive
committee of the Library. compos-
ed of Chairman F. O. Conant, F.
| ". Becker and Mesdames David
Cohn and B. T. Hobbs appeared be-
fore the Board for the purpose of
making report of what is being
accomplished by the Library in the
interest Of the Brookhaven public,
and to return thanks for the SYM
pathetic interest manifested by the
City Fathers in this worthy enter
prise and the material assistance
given. The Board was so much en-
couraged by the excellent report,
that a motion was adopted to make
an appropriation of SIS per month
to supplement the secretary's sal
ary, so that the Library rooms may
be kept open to the public for a
longer time daily.
A new ordinance was presented
and adopted for the imposition and
collection Of a street tax. Under
the terms of the ordinance, all
male persons who would be subject
to road duty under the State law,
are made liable to street tax of
$500 per annum or six days work.
The new ordinance will appear in
Saturdays Leader.
One Of the most important mat
ters to come before the meeting
was the poor police service the city
is receiving. Alderman Maui, who
had made an investigation of the
records, submitted a comparative
statement, which he declared was
substantially correct, showing that
the two justices courts in this beat,
with two constables, had since the
1st of January, 1909, had before
them about twice the number of
criminal cases shown by the May
or's docket, although the city has
five police officers regularly en-
ployed to report such cases and
from two to three of these are sup
posed to be on duty both day and
night. From this showing of the
record which he laid before the
Board, he declared he was lrresisti-
bly, driven to one Of two conclu-
sions-either the police officers of
the city were grossly derelict in
their official duties and not report
ing violations of the city ordinances
as they should, or else they were
working for the county and helping
to work up business for the Justice
Courts, while drawing their sal
aries from the tax payers of the
city.
While this subject was up, on ac-
count of divers reports which had
come to members of the Board,
several of which were recited and
discussed, it was decided to per-
emtorily suspend Night Policemen
Meter and Buchanan, pending a
full Investigation of their alleged
misconduct.
One of the charges alleged
against Policeman Buchanan was
drunkenness while on duty and
failure to arrest an employe of the
|. G. freight depot Saturday night
for stealing keg of whisky from
the depot, if he was not actually an
accessory before and after the fact.
Both officers were charged with
being out of their jurisdiction Sat-
urday night, while their duties de-
manded their presence in the city.
The hearing of these charges,
and others were set for hearing at
an adjourned Board meeting at 7:30
tonight, and the officers cited to
appear at that time and show cause,
it they can, why they should not be
permanently discharged from the
force.
In view of the immediate suspen-
sion of both officers, Jack Lane was
temporarily appointed to serve in
place of one and to go on duty
last night; while Marshal Blue was
directed to appoint a second tenn
porary man.
The Board evidently intends to
have better police service hereafter,
or know the reason why.