Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-05-07
POLICE CHIEFS
AS "CONVICTS"
ENJOY DINNER
Department Heads of State
Given Surprise After Meet
ing in Iryington.

now II AeEls 10 De JallDlrQ anu
how It tastes to eat prison fare was
the actual experience of thirty police
chiefs Of the State and nearly a
score OF Irvingtonians at a novel din
ner IN Olympic Park last night ten
dered to the members Of the Police
/ Chiefs Association of New Jersey
/ which held its monthly conference in
Irvington yesterday afternoon. In
all their wide experience the chiefs
/ declared that never before had they
been made to get taste of their own
medicine. Police recorders held SINH
/ lar Views.
Commissioner Leonard Setaro ar
ranged the dinner with the intent of
| impressing Iryington upon the minds
of the visitors. That he succeeded
well all present attested
Promptly at o'clock Mr.. Setaro
blew the police whistle, summoning
the diners to the banquet. Gathered
inside the home of the park pro-
prietor Herman H. A. Schmidt, tho
men were told to remove coats and
hats Wondering what was up the
command was obeyed by the docile
chiefs. Through their midst came
Commissioner Setaro in the uniform
of a patrolman, driving before him
at the point OF a gun a colored Con
vict." Into the darlened dining hall
the prisoner was marched and locked
in a cell by Head Keeper Schmidt.
The visitors were then invited to the
banquet hall.
Find Themselves "Prisoners."
Once inside they were dumfounded |
to find themselves In a genuine |
replica of a prison dining room. Long, |
bare benches were provided for |
tables. On the benches were the reg |
ulation prison "silverware," tin cups |
and plates, knife, fork and spoon,
each one being chained to the table, |
SO that the prisoners" could not |
take them away for use in commit
ting suicide or saving their way to
pattern, made up especially for the
occasion by the prisoners at the
Essex county penitentiary. were
donned by the "jaibirds."
With Keeper Schmidt standing
guard to permit of no escapes, wait
ers passed down the tables with pals
OF soup and loaves Of bread. For q
time the diners were afraid they
were to get nothing but the meagre
bread and soup. The keepers re-
Tented, however. and began serving
a holiday meal that was real
spread"
The room was covered with a can
vas painted to represent the walls of
prison, including the barred win
dows. In one corner, behind steel
bars, the real prisoner pleaded for a
bite from the table Some of the |
men felt sorry for him and gave him
a can of water.
Compliment Irwin Etonlans.
The chiefs complmented Commits
sloner Setaro on the originality OF |
the idea, and paid complimentary re-
marks to Irvington's chief, Alexander |
S. Green, who, together with Mr.. Se-
taro, welcomed the chiefs associa
ton to the town. Chief William H. !
O'Neill, of East Orange, alluded to
the new auto patrol in vogue in the
town, and declared that It's results
are being watched with interest
throughout the State. He felt that
it would prove successful, and Won
dered that others had not thought of |
1t before.
At a business session in the after
noon Chief John Bimson, of Pater-
son, was elected vlce-president OF |
the association. He is the Oldest po-
lice officer in New Jersey.
Attending the dinner were the fol-
lowing chiefs Patrick Klely, of Plain
field, the head of the organization; |
William II. O'Neil. of East Orange; |
Michael O'Connell. of New Bruins
wick; John A. Force. Of Garfield; |
George r. Burnham, OF Rutherford; |
Michael ]. Mcintyre, of Kingston; |
George McClelland, East Rutherford; |
David il. Ramsey. Railway; William |
il. Tolen. Kearny; Patrick j. Burke
Perth Amboy; Thomas O'Neil West
field; Fred r. Johnson, Madison;
Wright Sutclifee, Nutley; George Bed |
ford, Highland Park; Henry Bellshei-
mer, Carlstadt: William Kilfoyle,
Princeton; Patrick Hayes, Hoboken;
Thomas Davis, Lodi; Ethelbert
Bryan, Dover; George r. Shorpe,
Little Washington; Leonard Marcy,
North Bergen: Edward Gravenor,
Camden; Charles Wallum, Union
Hill: William Lindeman, Merchant
Vile; Alexander S. Green, Irvington,
and Fred Weimer, chief of prose-
cutors detectives. Of Newark, and
Lieutenant Thomas H. Kirkbrlde, of
Irvington.
The other Irvingtonians included
Mr.. Setaro. Town Clerk John w.
Wehman. Auditor Joseph 8. LeFevre,
Health Inspector Joseph ]. Chicken
ger, Building Inspector Joseph Som
nenberg, Corporation Counsel w.
Eugene Turton, Recorder Henry p.
Bedford, Collector Joseph Harter,
Playground Commissioner Benjamin
Well former Councilman Louis G.
Breitenbach. Joseph T. Castles, Fred
erick DeCamp, J. Herbert Maytiold
md Walter 6, Gray,