Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-02
PERJURY CHARGED
TO PURITY SQUAD;
DIXON SUSPENDED
Five Unnamed Police Department
Vice Fighters Accused
of False Testimony
BIG SCANDAL MAY DEVELOP
Investigators Mum on Reasons
for the Sudden Action Taken.
Sinister RumorS Rife

w nat SldIIeu DIS d SlIlpiS llNSSllSei-
tion of charges against Police Captain
Charles E. Dixon of having applied
| opprobrious epithets to William -.
Gage has now evolved itself into what
may prove to be departmental scam
dal involving at least five members OF
the so-called Dixon purity squad"
Yesterday afternoon Deputy City
Prosecutor Sidney Reeve and George
! Pearson, formerly attorney for Gage,
applied to the district attorneys office
for five complaints charging perjury
directed against five members of the
purity squad" who testified at the
| Dixon hearing.
at the close Of the investigation be-
fore the police commissioners yester-
| day morning Captain Dixon was sus-
pended pending the outcome of the
charges brought against him.
Lieutenant George II. Williams was
| appointed yesterday to fill DiXon'S
place and Sergeant C. E. Sebastian Of
the Chinatown squad was appointed TO
fill the vacancy caused by Williams
promotion. Patrolman George Willett
of the same detail was made acting
sergeant to fill Sebastian's place.
| AT the investigation of the charges
against Dixon last Monday Sergeant
| Sebastian was one of the principal wit
nesses to substantiate the charge that
D1XOn ndQ SPOKEN III d oCIO6dNOAy
fashion of Chief Galloway. Sebastian
testified that E. r. Werdin had told
him that Dixon said, in speaking of
Galloway:
"I know more about police business
in two minutes than that old fool
would know in a lifetime"
When Werdin was called to the stand
he fatty denied having made any such
statement to the witness.
This called forth Mayor Alexander's
statement, zone of you men is lying"
A few minutes later, on Commits
sioner Wellborn framing a question to
Werdin, the mayor disgustedly rec
"oh, don't ask that man any more
questions"
COMPLAINTS NOT YET CHARGED
Following the usual custom of the
district attorneys office the complaints
were Sot issued upon application, but
the evidence of the perjury alleged
will be sifted prior to any action being
taken.
The names of those alleged to be
perjurers were withheld. Deputy Dis
trict Attorney Harry Alexander, to
whom the application was made for
complaints, would not discuss the case.
Attorney George Pearson refused to
be interviewed.
The air is thick with rumors regard
ing IIlG T6dSOuS Tie COlilhlIoSlOAA llceN
for suspending Dixon at this time, in
asmuch as it had left him on duty
since the filing of the charges nearly
a month ago. Hints are thrown out
that reports that had come to the COM
mission that certain members of the
so-called purity squad were harassing
witnesses in the case, and that threats
had been made against the life of
Gage led it to suspend the accused
captain in order that the power he had
with members of the department might
be taken from him.
No member of the commission would
discussi the reason for the suspension
of Dixon and no amount of question
ing could elicit the information regard
ing when the decision to suspend was
arrived at
Mayor Alexander, who sits as one
of the inquisitorial body, declined to
discuss the case in any of its phases.
but in answer to the query. ''Why was
Dixon suspended" he asked, us it
not the custom to suspend police Of
fetal when he is under investigation
on charges?"
MAYOR IS RETIoENT
But why was he suspended at this
late day, and not Immediately on the
filing of the charges" was asked.
II do not want to discuss this case.
am sitting on the commission that is
trying this case, and as judge,
cannot conscientiously talk about the
case. 1t is not fair to Capt. Dixon that
should"
The other members Of the commits
sion were equally reticent, and Deputy
City Prosecutor Sidney Reeve would
vouchsafe no information other than
that five felony complaints on per-
jury charge were applied for yester-
day afternoon. He would not divulge
the names of the ones against whom
the complaints were directed, but
would admit that the space left for
the names would be filed with the
names Of five men of the Dixon "pur-
ity squad" in the event the District
Attorney, on investigation of the evil
dence, decided to issue the complaints.
The period taken up by the investi-
cation of the charges against Dixon
vest day morning was exceedingly
short Fred NJ. Armstrong of 4O6 South
Main street, was called to the stand.
do you know ex-Patrolman Frank
Bart; stt 2" asked Reeve.
ST do"
did he tell you that he would al
ways get information from police head
quarters prior to any raid upon his
gambling house?"
"He did"
"Did he say from what particular
source this information would Gomez"
The witness did not admit that the
/ formant was mentioned, but reiterat-
ed that the information was claimed
by Bartlett to come from police head
quarters.
"That's ALL" said Reeve.
DIXON Is SUSPENDED
Dixon had no desire to ask the wit
ness any questions. A few words in a
low tone were uttered by Reeve, and
In a flash Commissioner Davidson
moved that Dixon be suspended pend
ing the outcome of the investigation
INTO the charges. The motion was sec
1nded by Wellborn, and unanimously
passed by the commission. 1t was
Continued ON Page Fourl