Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-25
STATE POLICE FORCE.
Lively Hearing Upon Proposed Bill
Before Legal Affairs Committee.

\ bill to create State police force
was heard before the committee on le-
gal affairs Wednesday afternoon. Ma
jcr IT. f. IIartnett of Portland offered
"a substitute to the bill providing that
the Governor shall on the recommen-
dalton of the attorney general, appoint
two trained men, two detectives, who
snall investigate homicides and other
crimes and to investigate incendlary
fires under the direction of the state
Insurance commissioner. The men are
to receive salary Of $1,000 per year
and expenses.
."rhese men are to receive no fees
Whateyer.' said Major Hartnctt,
land this law would give the different
county attorneys in the state the OPP
portunity to get a trained man at any
time to investigate 4 crime without
any expense to his county. These men
are not to mix up in rum or gambling
eases but are to attend to crimes Oh
life and property. The attorney gen
eral has not a trained man to send out
on a murder case tonight to gather
evidence and many murder cases are
spoiled in the first "a hours.
senator SldDlcS-ll tHSAC 10 GIL 49,
Gent county attorney and an efficient
sheriff can't these two officers do bet
ter work than if two detectives We're
employed?
Major Hartnett-Yes, they can, IL
they are efficient.
Senator Staples-An if might be
placed before the detectives, might 1t
not?
EIajor Hartnett-Yes. sure.
w. B. Bradford of Turner said that
he favored the passage of state po-
lice bill 1t would be g good thing Tor
the rural communities where night at
ter night burglaries are committed and
where in most of the instances the
guilty ones escape.
John r. Pollard, a private detective
of Winslow, spoke IN opposition to the
passage of such an act.
"I'here is no call for this bill" said
Mi Pollard. 1T looks like another
Sturg;s law and it would cost lot OF
money to run it.
At this point George f. Thompson
courtv attorney of Penobscot county
who was in the audience. spoke up, adj
dressing Mr.. Pollard.
MIR. Thompson-You are 4 State OIL
ccf?
Mr. Pcllard-I am.
Mr.. Thompson--And YOU have been
of late engaged in the business OF SeiZ-
ing slot machines?
Mir. Pol!ard-I have.
Mr.. Thompson-Who gets the money
that Is found in these machines Wnen
machine is seized?
MIR. Pollard-The greater part of this
money is used to pay the travelling ex-
penses of the men who seize the ma
chimes.
Mr. Thompson--Do you account to
the courts for this money?
Chairman Hamilton-What has all
tins got to do with the case at hear
ms?
Mr. hompson-Nothing. just
want ,,l to find out what became of the
money which was found in slot ma
chimes.
A. l.. Kavanaugh of Lewiston spoke
in favor o. the bill. He said that yegg-
men go unmolested right through tn"
State and that if the yeggS knew that
there was a force like this they would
be more liable to stay away from
Maine
W. B. Bradford. postmaster of Tur-
ner. said that there had been four
breaks il, his Office during the past 10
years and he had paid detectives to
work on the case out Of his own peck
ct.
Charles A. Maxwell of Portland said
that he didn't really oppose the bill
but he thought that as good men for
detective work could be procured in the
State of Maine as in Massachusetts,
New York or other states. He thought
that it was foolish for the State inSur-
arce department to pay Pinkerton
man when rs good a detective could be
secured without going out of the State.
He also thought that it would be a
good idea to allow an appropriation
for county attorneys for the inveStiga-
ton Of crime.
BANKING MEN PRESENT