The San Francisco call., 1913-07-24
Commission Would Fix 0nus
Flannery Tells No Secrets
Roche Says White
Would Go If
Cu1pab1e
Confirmed From Pa=- 4


ably Seymour would be summoned as
a witness.
What will you do if you find that
White is responsible or that he is in
competent2' Roche was asked
Il am sure" he replied. that there
is not a. member of this commission
but would. IL he were convinced that
Chief White is incompetent, recon-
mend his Dismissal
Roche continued that the present po-
lice commission has already conducted
more Investigations than any of It's
predecessors. He was asked II, under
former administra tions, it had not been
considered the duty Of the chief OF
police to- institute inquiries into the
conduct of officers against whom com
plants had been made and to sub
nit his investigations to the board. He
admitted that this was true and that
the present board has made many IN
vestigations that might we'll have been
made by the chief OF police.
Questioned in regard to the member
ship of officer Julius Hiatt in the
Waldorf and Tahoe clubs. Roche re-
piled that it undoubtedly was the duty
of the chief of police to file charges
against the officer 1t it were suspected
that he was a member of those clubs
when illegal gambling was carried on.
No such charges. he said, have been
filed by Chief White. However, since
1t had been called to the attention of
the commissioners. they would prob
ably institute an inquiry into the mat
ter themselves.
Reference was made to the removal
of Corporal Jones from the Chinatown
squad and Roche denied emphatically
that he had anything whatever to do
with it,
L was not in town when that oc-
Cured" he said. "and | knew abso-
lutely nothing about ii until ] read
it in the papers. 1t is nonsense TO
claim. as one of the papers has, that |
tipped off Chief White and that White
removed Jones at my suggestion TO
save himself"
President Roche made the further
declaration that 1t is largely due to the
activities of the commission that sew
eral police officers are now in jail and
the penitentiary. the commissioners
having ELECTED from unwilling witt
nesses the evidence that convicted the
policemen.
The president of the board defended
himself and his associates for permit
ting Chief White to be present during
the examination of witnesses and the
discussfons'in an investigation into his
own conduct.
why shouldn't the chief be pres
ent?' demanded the commissioner. Il
am sure none of the board would per-
nit himself to be swayed in any way
by his personal friendship for Chief
White We intend to go thoroughly
into this thing. and If we find that the
chief is incompetent. we will vote for
his removal
Roche declared that the taking OF
testimony in the case would continue
in secret, and that he expected the In
vestigation to be concluded in a COM
paratively short time, when report
would probably be written and filed by
the commission.
Yesterday the charge of gambling.
brought against the Spanish Social
club, 6S5 Broadway, by the police who
raided the place. was dismissed by
Judge Shortall on the ground that the
evidence was not sufficient to convict.
Former Chief of Police Martin. who
was prevented from appearing because
Of serious illness. was removed last
night from the home of his sister in
law, Mrs. C. P. Stanley, in Burlingame,
TO the Red Cross hospital in San Mateo,
suffering from bronchial asthma.
Detective Tom Burke, who went to
Burlngame to serve a subpoena, re-
ported Mr.. Martin to be too Ill to leave
home. Today the attending physicians
will send the police commissioners a
formal certificate covering the case.