Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-11-15
CITY ATTORNEY.
To SIT IN ON
POLICE COURT
Commissioner Kirk Begins Inves-
tigation of Conditions in His
Department
POKER RAID GOES BAD;
WITNESS CHANGES MIND
Night Captain Chris Martineson
Makes Pinch, but Evidence is
Withheld

Beginning this morning City Attor-
ney F. E. McCurdy will "sit in at the
quiet little sessions of Bismarck po.
lice court, and there is reason to hope
that hereafter the deliberations and Of.
fetal acts OF that tribunal may be
made public property.
Police Commissioner Kirk has been
hearing things for some time. Yes.
terday he resolved that the time had
come to act He will be represented
at the police court sessions each day
until further notice by City Attorney
McCurdy. Prisoners arrested will be
given hearing in open court; clear
record will be made of every case, and
report will be made of all fines as
sessed and collected.
Commission In Dark.
Heretofore the police court has been
very much of one-man affair. The
city has required no formal reports
from the police magistrate, and it is
said to have received none. During the
present administration, so far as Po.
lice Commissioner Kirk can recall,
about 500 in fines collected has been
remitted to the city. The only formal
report the city commission receives is
the monthly statement Of arrests from
Chief Downing. This report for Qcto.
ber showed 80 arrests, but It gave not
the slightest inkling Of what happened
to a single one of the prisoners after
his arrest; nor did it show that a
single penny had been collected in
fines. The misdemeanors for which the
arrests were made covered everything
from robbery and grand larceny down
to plain and fancy drunkenness, but so
far as the commission. or, apparently,
anyone else outside Of the police mag
istrate, and, perhaps, the chief Of po-
lice. knew, no Golfers were enriched by
this haul.
VIII Investigate.
Police Commissioner Kirk intends to
draw the lines tighter. The word will
be passed today that laws must be en-
forced, regulations obeyed or jobs SUR
rendered. Kirk has hesitated to act
until he felt himself in possession Of
sufficient evidence, circumstantial or
otherwise, to warrant taking some
drastic step. He now, has the evidence
and he intends to proceed with all the
firmness which the exigencies of the
case dictate. Heads may fall before
the Investigations is complete, but in
the end Bismarck will have the SEM
blance of police force which gives
some signs of activity in the enforce
ment of law and order and which does
not hold kangaroo courts, star cham
ber sessions nor "get it's orders" from
any man higher up. -. 4 =.
Poker Raid Fiiyver. ~.
Last Saturday night Night Captain
Chris Martineson and Night Officer
Jack Huber at 1:30 a. m. raided. no.
toPious joint on the south side on the
complaint of negro player who claim
ed he had lost his money in gambling
at the resort. When the officers arrived
everything was serene: no evidence
was in sight, except chip rack, crap
dice. various coins, on the table, 800
or more chips and number of decks
of cards, and when they attempted
to proceed further with the case they
found that their complinns witness
had "reneged." This is one of many
similar instances which Commissioner
Kirk intends to look into. Before he
completes looking things over he eX-
poets to be in a position to announce
whether the blind-piggers and the ele.
ment which is interested in upholding
them is running Bismarck affairs. or
whether the decent people are to have
a chance