Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-06-05
WILL NOT
MAKE APOLOGY
Police Lieutenant Stands Pat
and Deputy Chief McDermitt
Threatens Action.

"Polfce Lieutenant Henry Frey
either must make public apology,
thereby erasing the blot on the char
acter of my men. or I will take the
matter up with both the police and
fire boards and bring the matter to
an end, which may not be to the lieu
tenants liking was the way Deputy
Chief p. A. McDernlitt expressed him
self to an Evening Star reporter to-
day in regard to the disappearance
of valuable Masonic emblem from
the lieutenant's home during the fire
there last week and the reported re-
covery Of the jewel from under the
stair carpet In the lieutenant's home
last Saturday.
ION the day of the fire." continued
the chief, Frey came into the house
Just as we had the blaze under con-
troll He went into closet In one OF
the rooms searching for something.
When he came out he exclaimed to
the men, and / was there at the time:
My Masonic jewel is missing. Come
on, now, you fellows, whoever has 1t
hand 1t over. BY that statement ne
directly accused my men OF taking 1t.
Now that he has found the thing in
his own home, my men expect an
apology. / went to Frey's home yes
terday and told him how the matter
stood, but ne told me that he had no
apology whatever to offer"
Frey Won't Apologize.
When asked whether OF not an
apology would be forthcoming Lieu
tenant Frey said:
1T will make no apology whatever.
Whv should I apologize? Here Is my
version of the whole affair: 1 came
home from the Sixth precinct about
o'clock the morning OF the nre.
After having had something to eat 1
retired. But before / did so put my
gun on top of the leather case where
in | keep the emblem, first having
satisfied myself that the emblem was
pinned to the plush inside OF the
case, When my wife discovered the
fire and the alarm was turned in |
busted myself handing my uniform
and other clothes through the side
window to my mother, who lives
next door. Then I went over to the
house myself My brother asked me
IL I had all my belongings. including
the Jewel and a Masonic chart.
at was then that l hurried back
to my rooms and found my revolver
put aside on the closet shelf and the
Jewel case empty. The case contain
ing the chart I found in the next
men to hand over the emblem. There
was nobody but firemen in the house
at the time. My wife and ] searched
the rooms time and again, but could
find no trace of it. The carpets were
taken up, but 1t was Of no use.
Last Saturday l was struck with
the idea that we hadn't removed the
stair carpet and we immediately
started on that, my wife starting at
the top and myself at the bottom.
Half way up the stairs under the car
pet we found the emblem. Chief
McDermitt did not hear of the dis
covery until yesterday. and then ne
came to the house. He asked me
why I had not announced the finding
of the Jewel and / told him that as
We were both in uniformed depart
ments of the city, 1 would let the
matter rest But someone is trying
hard to stir it up. Well, they can go
as far as they like, but they will get
no apology" he concluded.
Lieutenant Frey exhibited the en-
blem and case to the reporter. On
the inside of the case where the lieu
tenant had pinned the emblem the
plush was torn. 1t was not torn when
he looked at it previous to the fire, he
averred Just where the matter will
end no one knows, but IL both men
stand by this statement, the case will
prove one Of the most interesting in
both departments.