Evening star., 1909-06-03


ing the police powers. and denounced
the action of the police as Russian
Methods used to tyrraniZe over thou
sands and thousands of persons in New
York.
Mayor Gets Interested.
Mayor Mcclellan replied. promising
that the Duffy boys case should have a
full and immediate hearing. He took
the case in his own hands, despite
Commissioner Bingham's declaration
that the police had found the Duffy
boy in the company of young men Of
immoral character.
Commissioner Bingham has issued
several statements defending himself
and accusing Justice Gaynor of acting
from personal feeling.+He published
the entire correspondence between
himself and Justice Gaynor. in which
Gen. Bingham refused to remove young
Duffy's picture from the rogue's gal
lery. The commissioner offered in this
correspondence to remove the picture
from the rogues gallery if the justice
would shoulder the responsibility.
The justice had replied that the pic
ture ought not to be in the gallery. any
way, and that the commissioner should
remove 1t unconditionally. The commits
sioner came back with the argument that
the picture was taken before the law re-
stricting the rogueS' gallery to condemned
criminals went into effect.
Justice Gaynor in his final letter to
Commissioner Bingham said among other
things: Your repeated statement that
this boy has been convicted of crime
is known to you to be untruthful and is
a libel. There is no law permitting you
to hang this boys picture among mur-
derers and thieves, and it is scoundrelly
thing to do
Duffy's Strenuous Time With Police.
Young Duffy. who lives with his parents
| in Brooklyn, has had a long series of
difficulties with the police. He was first
arrested. according to Justice Gaynor.
June 16, 1907, near his home, on the ac-
cusation of being a suspicious person.
He was wanted in connection with a
| theft of whisky from a saloon, but the
| saloonkeeper denied that he knew of any
| thing connecting Duffy with the crime
and Duffy was discharged in the police
| court In the meantime he had beer
taken to police headquarters, stripped
searched and photographed.
| On the strength of having his likeness
| in the gallery, according to Justice Cay
nor, the police arrested Duffy repeatedly
! on sight on the technical charges OF
vagrancy, being a suspicious person, dis.
| orderly conduct and obstructing the
street. He was in all instances dis
charged, save in one case when magis-
trate suspended sentence on him on the
4
| Once he was discharged after an arrest
| for assault and robbery, and the com
| plainant testified that the police had
/ shown him Duffy's picture and without
| reason induced him to say that Duffy
| looked like his assailant.
No Break in Friendship.
| The investigation was conducted in pri-
vate, but IT had been under way only a
very short time when the mayor an
nouI ced that he would grant an audience
20 the newspaper men. They I'll filed inc
his office, and there were many queries
put to them. all about the Duffy case. He
| had very little to say about that. but he
did make one answer OF Importance. This
was when he was asked:
"Mr. Mayor. are you and the police
commissioner friendly?
| The reply was awaited with interest. fol
reports had been many that recently a
GOODNESS had existed between the head o1
the police department and the chief ex-
ecutive of the city government 1t hac
| displeased with Bingham on account u
the alleged lack of tact in the Duffy case
This is what the mayor said, vrrs earn
estly, as he ceased chewing on the END
| of his cigar for moment:
| For fifteen years the commissioner am
| | have been friends. We have been grel
| friends We have been intimate friends
Nothing has ever occurr d to br...k that
! friendship. and / trilat -, hing c.er Wi
occur"
II uas penerally taken for granted tnat