New Britain herald., 1918-01-24
BUGKER REPLIES ID
 BYLAWS CHARGES
Blames Dismissal on Mayors De-
 sire to MeddIe With Force

New York, Jan. 24.-Someone in this village is engaging in that well known sport of camoufiaging. Mayor Hylan has shown the gate to F'reder- ick II. Bugher, police commissioner since January 1, because, he claims Bugher failed to prosecute policemen connected with the notorious Ruth Cruger case. Bugher has flatly de- nled that he was tardy in prosecuting the policemen and responsible author lteS back him up ill this respect.
 Lieut.. Richard F. Enright who has been doing desk duty in a Williams burg police station has been made act ing Commissioner
 By the Mayors order the first thing Enright did was to appoint Inspector John Daly as acting Chief Inspector, John A. Leach of Queens acting Depu- ty Commissioner, and to promote Capt. Dominiclz Henry to inpector and place him in charge of the new Ten dcrloin.
 Enright, in uniform for 21 years. has repeatedly been denied promotion above a lieutenancy by previous ad- ministrat1ons because of his record as a police politician. Commissioner
 
 the snartest man on the force, and he'll pretty nearly own the police force yet, if he doesn't die first"
 Dominicl Henry is president of the Police Captains and Inspectors As sociation, which gives him a strategic position among the uniformed men second only to that of Enright. Daly has been an inspector for years. Gu 1,in Icl JSI1 ha ic N1 ft.in of eN-Mayor, now Major, John Purroy Mitchell.
 The reason Mayor Hylan gave for busting Bugher was the latter's alleged refusal to suspend and put on trial on departmental charges the motorcycle policemen accused of grating on au- tomobilists as charged in the investi- gaton developing from the Ruth Cru ger case. Bughor says this is merely a pretext The real reason, says Bugher, is that he would not tolerate dictaton and interference in the con- duct of the Police Department to which he had been subjected by the Mayor in violation of the Mayors promise that Bugher was to remain unbound and unfettered.'
 T could not have continued to serve without the abandonment Of my prln- ciples and the loss of self-respect,' says Bugher's letter of resignation Your real purpose in seek ing my retirement is the consciousness on your part that I will not permit you to dictate the selection of my staff. re- gardless of the pubic welfare. It is because I resent your unfa1rness and the injustice of your innuendoes that I deem myself fully justified in ma aking public the true reasons which have actuated you in asking for my resignation"
 Someone's Memory Is Bad.
 Between himself and Mayor Hylan Bugher raised clear issue or veracity. The mayor said in demand ing the resignation that Bugher told him on Tuesday that he would not sus- pend the motorcycle policemen. In his reply Bugher said he told the mayor no such thing-h1s pohte phrasing being You are in error. Bugher insisted what he told the mayor was that the cases against the policemen were being prepared ana that he had asked the district attor- nev to conduct their prosecution in the police department.
 Tn his letter to Bugher the mayor said that "it has come to me from time to time that powerful Influence was being exercised to save these men," Yesterday arernoon, when As sistant District Attorney Talley, who had prepared these cases for the grand jury, was in District Attorney Swann's office both men were asked by reporters if they ever heard Of any .'powerful influence" being at work for the motor cops while the cases were before them.
 "I never did" said Swann.
 .'T never heard of any such thing, said Talley.
 The special grand jury that heard the evidence did not return it's pre- sentiment recommending action by the police department until last Friday. Since then Commissioner Bugher had had only three days in which to con- sider the evidence and prepare for prosecution, which he says he was doing when his resignation was de- manded.
 District Attorney Swann himself produced a copy of a letter sent to him by Bugher on Monday asking for all the facts and evidence lin order that such action may be taken thereon as appears proper in the premises" AT<