The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-27
TWO DETECTIVES SUSPENDED FOR REFUSING ID TELL
 |NFORMER'S NAME Crenshaw and Eubank Vic tims of Loyalty to Man Who Tipped" Them to Big Crime
BARBER GIVES FOR CAUSE" THE REASON
 FOR ACTION TAKEN
Detectives Understood to Have Pledged Informer Their Word His Identity
 Would Never Be Revealed

The suspension of Robert Crenshaw and Eugene Eubank, city detectives, by Com missioner NArlie Barber yesterday after noon at o'clock, had the effect of bomb exploding in the city hall
 The suspension is said to have followed their refusal to tell Commissioner Barber who tipped them off to the West End safe blowing last Monday, which enabled them to catch the safe blowers in the act.
 When asked by an Age-Heraid reporter what Detectives Crenshaw and Eubanx had been suspended for, Commissioner Barber replied that the detectives had been suspended for cause
 Will you explain what you mean by "cause?"
 For cause means just what they were suspended for"
 Are they definitely suspended? will the other commissioners have anything to say about it?'' was asked of MT. Barber. T refuse to answer and do not intend to discuss the police department affairs with any newspaper man.
 Will the men be allowed trial?'' T have nothing further to say. I re- peat they were suspended flor cause
 BASED ON INSTRUMENTATION
 As far could be learned about the police department none of the men could define the meaning of the phrase flor cause' It is generally known and ad- mitted by certain officials that the sus- pension of the detectives was based on what was termed insubordination. De- tectives Eubank and Crenshaw were called before Commissioner Barber at sep- arate times and asked what was the source of their information in regard to the capture of Bob Alexander and w. G. Phillips, who are held at the county jail on the charge of burglary and grand lar ceny and assault with intent to murder. These two men are alleged to be safe crackers and were shot by Detectives Eu- bank Crenshaw, Williams and Smith in running battle with the detectives early Monday morning. The men were about to flee from the store of W. J. McKelvey. where they had rifed the cash registers and soaped and prepared the safe for era cfSing it. Over a half pint of nitro glyerine was found in the crevices of the safe. The men when captured had nu- merous fuses, jimmys, black masks and caps and over half pint of nitroglycer
  tective Williams the men said they were guilty and would plead guilty.
 REFUSED TO DIVULGE NAME
 The suspension of Eubank and Cren- shaw is supposed to be founded on the fact that they refused to divulge the name of their informer in this case. tell ing Commissioner Barber they were honor bound not to tell any living mortal who, gave them the information.
 Superior officers merely shook their heads and said they could not afford to discuss the case on account of their po- sitions. Old detectives in the employ of the force admitted that they were up in the air, one of them remarlSing, "The day of detectivism has passed when a man is able to view crime and catch the cul- prit by small clue that is found. This is all right for the stories, but in ac tual detective work all have to depend on their informers'
 M'DONALD'S COMMENT Numerous citizens were frank in their opinions regarding the suspension of two men generally regarded as the best detectives on the force. T. c. McDonald former chief of police, who served the city in that capacity for eight years, said: "I am shocked and surprised to learn of the action Commissioner Bar Der has taken. In all my eight years experience on the police department as chief, never even asked my men where they got their information. I was glad to get results, and had I been curious enough to ask them who told them of the plans of the criminal and they had lreplied that they were honor bound not to divulge the inforamers name would have shaken hands with them on the spot and commended them for their honesty rather than suspend or repri- mand them. I am glad to see that we have two men on the detective force who would rather lose their positions than to betray the condence of some than to betray the confidence of some last Monday morning possible. I say openly and above board that the men should be reinstated at once, if they have been suspended for merely being so fair to their informer as to not tell his name"
 Former Inspector Perry Turner. gen orally conceded as being one of the most efficient and capable heads of the
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