Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-31
Other Papers Relate to Per-
sOnal Rather Than Off
cial Wrongdoing.
WERNER SAYS HE WAS
INTERFERED WITH
Chief Of Police Tells Starke He
Took Orders to Hold
His Job.
INVESTIGATION IN FULL SWING
Mayor Ainslie Tells OF Appointing
Vice Commission, and Chairman
Starke OF It's Work.

With 800 spectators. who packed tho
City Circuit Court chamber TO the
doors, following with eager interest
every question and answer. while half
n hundred more thronged the corridor
outside the open doors the taking Of
testimony In the Police Department
Hcnndal was begun by tho special com
mittee of tho City Council at the City
Hall last night II s o'clock.
Tho committee sat until 1850
o'clock then adjourned to resume the
hearing on Thursday night at S.
Tho great mass OF testimony on
which Is based tho reports Of tho Vice
Commission to Mayor George Ainslie
and from which were evolved the spe-
ciac charges against Police Commis-
s'oners r. n. Goode. ID. T. Mccarthy
and Clifford We'll will never be given
TO the public.
CHAIRMAN STARKE OUTLINES
POSITION OF COMMISSION
That was determined BY the formal
answer made by the Vice Commission
70 the summonses served on It's mem
bcrs. which was made by Chairman
Ashton Starke when he was called
uDon By City Attorney Pollard to state
for the information OF the investigat-
ing body. carly In the evening. the at
titudc OF the commission
Nj. Starke had copy OF the pre-
amblc and resolutions that had been
adopted by the Vice Commission after
the summonses had been served on its
members. Instead OF reading the pa
per. Mr.. Stnrke read from 4 man
uacrpt he had prepared as followe.
the resolutions referred to being his
text:
Tho committee OF citizens which
has come TO be known rs the Vice
Commission. and which was appealed
TO by the Mayor OF Richmond 10 assist
him In determining the vice conditions
in this city. more especially as related
TO police administrations has presented
Ills Honor. the Mayor. with three re-
ports. all OF which are now in your
hands.
From the beginning this commits.
sion has proceeded quietly and digni-
ficdly. The task has been delicate and
arduous. Al no time would we have
permitted ourselves to be placed in
the position of prosecutors. while at
the same time we have appreciated the
weakness OF humanity and our sym
path!es have gone out TO the unfor-
tunate and erring
ASKED TO DO CITY
SPECIFIC SERVICE
we were asked to do a specific SER
vice We have done II with all the
consideration. painstaking and care
possible. We have known no persons.
III F,c 80 o,,l
you alone are to Judge
TN the beginning IL was thought that
IL the work was to be thorough. II
would be we'll to seek assistance from
outside. and at til, hands of men not
known In this community. These agent.
were men of wide experience, thor
oughly indorscd and. OF course, had to
be paid. They came from the Amerl-
can Social Hygiene Association. and a
negotiable note held by a Richmond
6ank which the members OF this COM
mission have got to pay. testifies to the
carnestness OF this commission
After these agents had returned to
their homes, we set upon checking up
the Information they had delivered
through the medium Of our own police
force. We appealed to the Chief of
Police, through the Mayor. to aid us,
whom he 8ad confidence, and whom he
considered trustworthy.
CHIEF AND POLICE
VOLUNTEERED NOTHING
1T should be said that the chief and
these policemen volunteered nothing;
they simply answered questions In
every instance their testimony corrobo-
rated that which had been brought tho
commission by outsiders
1T is easily imagined that such an
Investigation would have brought to the
commission any amount OF Irrelevant
y .r. recitals utterly out Of place. and
.et talk-all Of which far apnrt from
. the genius of the task set before us.
I'm the Inst, or what Is called the
third report, we have given you abso-
lately every single material fact, every
particle OF testimony which could pos
| silly he considered as evidence in any
= court Mt law.
"Th" whole memoranda which we
have has been scrutiniZed most careful
iy and checked over by men determined
upOn exact justice regardless of names
or affiliations: and II the City Attorney
is not satisfied that due care and in
,eligence has been expended in SO do
ing. the entire record is open to him.
There is not one scintilla of legal
evidence left In the records of the COM
mission. or has any such been presented
to us. not contained in our third report.
We have not Ind to do with the personal
moral disposition OF any man. What
remains In the way of memoranda are
references to the ordinary common mis-
steps Of mankind. the erring brother,
the pollutions OF a social cesspool; ard
surely there cannot be any one with