The Washington herald., 1914-02-19
SULLWANS FATE
INBOARD'SHANDS
Pathetic Pleas Close Public
Trial Of Accused Deputy
Fire Chef.
ATTACK ON PROCTOR
Battalion Chief and Head of Depart
ment Scathingly Criticised by
Defendants Counsel.
BY s. ID. wEYER.

The board will take the case under
consideration. The court stands ad-
journed."
Chairman Mark Brooke. OF the special
trial board, appointed for the investiga-
tion of charges of inefficiency and neglect
of duty preferred against Deputy Fire
Chief Andrew J. Sullivan by the District
Commissioners, as a result of a secret
investigation by Commissioner Siddons
into the trapping of five firemen in the
fire OF the American Five and Ten cent
store on Seventh street. December "a
list. closed the public inquiry with the
above words.
Immediately scores of handkcrchiefs,
which had been pressed into service by
spectators, I'm the course of dramatic
and pathetic pleas for the accused vet
cram fire fighter. were put back into
pockets. and within another minute Sui
livan and his attorneys. Charles w. Darr
and Daniel W. O'Donoghue. were the CEN
ter of a crowd OF nearly 800 men who had
becn attentive listeners at the closing
hearing of the now famous Sullivan
case
His Wife Telephones.
4 few minutes later the telephone rang.
rs Mr.. Sullivan in the ROOM" inquired
tho uniformed attendant. Tearing him
self loose from the throng of well-wish-
ers. the deputy chief pushed through the
crowd toward the telephone.
II don't know yet. Ma, but guess it'll
all come out all right he said. answer
ing a query from the other end.
At his home, 1906 Wisconsin avenue
northwest. the depsty chiefs wife has
heen sitting in worriment every day for
the last week. while her husband attend
cd the daily hearings in the board room
at the District building-hcarinES the out
come of which will decide whether he
is to he discharged from the service or
whether he may continue to wear the
uniform he has worn for the past thirty
five years.
The closing arguments in behalf Of the
Commissioners by Corporation Attorney
Conrad Syme. and in behalf of Sullivan
by Attorneys Darr and ODonoChue, took
M the sixth and last day of the trial
Tho trial board. consisting of Mark
Brooke, chairman: e. T. Nesbit and
Joseph l.. Sheehy. Chairman Of the excise
hoard. took up the greater part of the
day.
Board to Hold Sessions.
The board. it is expected. will hold one
or more meetings in private in order to
formulate its Recommendations" ordered
hy the Commissioners. Although counsel
for the defendant patheticauy urged
speedy action, it is not believed that a
definite verdict will he reached and an
nounced by the Commissioners until the
cnd of the week
Probably never before has the board
room re-echoed with such eloquence and
applause as it did yesterday afternoon
when the legal champions for Sullivan
submitted their final pleas in his behalf
ON tho cthcr hand. charges were made
gainst two other men. which. in bitter
n"Ss and vitriolic sarcasm. stand un-
para!lolcd in the history of the District
fir" department Tho last day was the
most sensational of the investigation
chief Engineer Frank J. Wagner, one
"i Sulllvan's principal accusers,- was
charged with dense stupidity" by Attor-
ney ODonoGhue. Battalion Chief Charles
B. Proctor. the second principal COM
plainant who in the secret probe before
Commissioner Siddons. had voluntarily
charged the deputy chief with criminal
neglect" WAS called the Judas Iscariot"'
al the District fire department" by At
t"rHey Darr.
AS Predicted in Herald.
on the whole, the prosecution as well
aS the defense was along the lines eN-
ClUsivcIy Indicated by The washington
Herald Yesterday: Corporation Attorney
Symc sustained one of the charges of the
commissioners against Sullivan. namely
the location Of the five firemen, who
ere trapped at the blaze. 10 Chief En-
"ime"r Wagner constituted neglect of
duty At tn" same time. he charged
counsel for the defense with trying to
Shif; the blame" He did not sustain nor
substautiate the charge of inefficiency.
specified by the Commissioners by the
tact that Sullivan sent the five mon into
the building when no lives were at
stake
w" have no blam" to Shift was the
answer Of Attorney DaTr to Mr.. Syme'a
argument. But ascertaininC all tho facts
in this case means placing the blame
upon one man. and that man is Chief
Engineer Wagner. who, by his failure 10
ascertain the position OF the endangered
men, after he had sent Sullivan to the
top Of the adjoining building. is guilty
Of the very charge that has been pre-
forred against Sullivan
Touching pleas for the accused deputy