The evening world., 1911-02-14
INSPECTOR WALSH
TR|EDF0R|GN0R|NG
AGAyN0R RULING
Detailed Police to Preserve Or
der at Churchill''s on New
Years Eve.
BATTLE DEFENDS HIM.
Walsh Declared to Have Vio-
lated Mayors Order as to
Policing Private Property.

Inspector Richard Walsh. whose dis
trict comprises the new Tenderloln, was
placed on trial to-day before Commits
eloner Cropsey at Police Headquarters.
lie Is charged with detailing men to
guard certain restaurants and hotels in
his district on New Years Eve. without
the authority of the Commissioners.
thereby impairlng the patrol efficiency
OF the West Forty-seventh street pre-
cinct.
The charges were preferred by Chief
Inspector Schmittberger at the direction
% First Deputy Commissioner Driscoll.
The chief offense OF Inspector Walsh
appears to have been that he assigned
a sergeant and a detail OF patrolmen 10
Churchilrs restaurant at Forty-ninth
street and Broadway. which opened
New Years Eve. James Churchill. the
proprietor OF the restaurant. was for
merry a policeman and served for a
time as an acting captain.
Basis OF the Charge.
Mayor Gaynor's rule, promuigated
soon after he took office. that police
men should no longer be detailed TO the
duties OF private watchmen. serves as
the basis of the charges against In
spector Walsh.
The Inspectors defense was handled
in the proceedings to-day by George
Gordon Battle. Inspector Walsh Is not
In good health. II the time when he
may retire is approaching.
Capt. Thomas Palmer. who was in
command OF the West Forty-seventh
street precinct on New Years Eve and
is now assigned to the Gates avenue
precinct in tBrooklyn. was the frs
witness. lie testified that It had been
a rule for years in that precinct to
police the New Years Eve crowds.
capt. Palmer said he was ordered by
Inspector Walsh to detail policemen to
certain hotels and es%taurant and to
use his best judgment In so assigning
the men as to conduce to the promptest
h1ndling OF traffic and a minimum of
a. order. The men on special details
we're taken from posts nearest those
Gctalls and these posts were doubled up
With outlying posts, so that the precinct
was completely patrolled.
DriscolI Textiles.
Deputy Commissioner Driscoll was
sworn in his seat alons side the Com
missioner. He said that at 1890 o'clock
New Years Eve he and Inspector
Schmittberger saw two or three patrol
men and sergeants in front OF Church.
MS. The crowds were not large. traf-
tic was moving freely an dthere was
no disturbance in the neighborhood.
Il asked the sergeant who had de-
tailed him. said the Deputy Commits
sloner, land he said he and his men
had been sent over by Inspector Walsh.
! instructed the Chief Inspector to send
the men back TO the station-house and
they went back.
AT 1880 o'clock on the morning OF
Jan. !, In company with Inspector
Schmittberger. l passed Churchill
again and saw three or four patrOlmen
and n sergeant on the sidewalk. The
crowds had all dispersed In that part OF
town. / asked the sergeant what he
was doing there, an dhe said he and his
men had been sent down from Columbus
Circle by Inspector Walsh. The men
were ordered back to the station-house
Went to $40 Walsh.
we went up to Columbus Circle, where
Inspector Walsh was handling traffic
with a big detail of men. | asked the
Inspector IL he had sent a detail OF men
down to Churchill's. and he aid he had.
When told that a former detail had been
ordered away from the restaurant by
Inspector Schmittberger he said he I'd
heard nothing about It,"
Chief Schmittberger corroboratsd thu
Deputy Commissioner Schmittberger
said there were no crowds of any rlze
above Forty-seventh street New Years
Eve and that the police detail at Church.
No 49,