Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-01-05
FORMER Chief IRWIN
TOPRESS HIS CASF
0usted Police Chief wil Prefer
Charges Against hiIkerson
Before Grand Jury
WOULD TAKE OLD JOB BACK
But 0sly On His Own Terms Says
He Can Clean Up Arne
Arundel


Former Police Chief Thomas W.
Irwin. Of Brooklyn, who, at meet
ing of the Commissioners OF Anne
Arundel County Thursday afternoon,
made severe charges against County
Commissioner Joseph NJ Wilkerson,
said that he viii prefer charges
against Mr.. Wilkerson when the grand
jury OF Anne Arundel County con
venes in Annapolis the first week in
April
The former Police Chief has not as
yet decided to adopt the suggestion OF
James A. Walton, President Of the
County Commissioners, to make for
NAL charges in writing against Com
missioner Wilkerson before the Com
missioners.
"If / write out what ] know about
Wilkerson," said Mr. Irwin, and
present the charges to the Commits
sioners for formal hearing, ] am
afraid the politicians will get to work
and the Commissioners viii be forced
by them to overlook the charges.
That would put an end to my plans to
take the matter before the grand jury,
which / intend to do ! want the
grand jury to present Wilkerson to
the Criminal Court of the county"
Affirms Smiths Statement.
Mr.. Irwin also said that the state
ments made by former County Com
missioner James F. Smith and former
Police Magistrate James Fl. Fowler,
that Brooklyn is a Giving hell, as far
as immoral conditions were concern
ed, were true.
When asked whether he would
again accept the position of police
chief of Anne Arundel County if the
Commissioners asked him to do so in
! response to an appeal from a large
number of the taxpayers of Brooklyn
and Curtis Bay, he answered that he
would do so, but only on certain con-
ditions
Puts Conditions On Acceptance.
Il want to emphasize my remark
that I am not at all anxious to be
made police chief again" he said Il
believe that the large majority Of peo-
pie not only in Brooklyn and Curtis
Bay. but in all sections of the county,
want me to head the department, and
if their demand is needed, / will ac-
cept the position, but only upon my
own conditions l have been offered a
position that win pay me 500 a
month.
"If the County Commissioners want
me TO head the department again,
they viii have TO pay me more money
| than / received before. They viii
have to let me have two men OF my
own choosing to assist me in driving
vice out of the county. With the two
men / have in mind | could not only
l clean up the law-breakers in the coun-
tv. but drive jenkins and men of his
ilk back to Baltimore County where
they came from If l am asked 10
serve again, / will only do so on con-
dition that ! take my orders solely
from President Walton, of the Com
missioners. Wilkerson interfered with
work before. and if let alone he viii
do so again if am re-appointed.
Wfkerson Courts Investigation.
Commissioner Wilkerson not only
denied the accusation Of former Chief
Irwin. but said that he fayors an in
! vestigation of the charges made by the
grand jury. He said that such an in
vestigation will show the charges are
unfounded.
"The charges made by Mr. Irwin
are a political move on his part and
on the part of a certain crowd that is
hacking him. Irwin was opposed for
merly to this crowd, but since he
was nof re-appointed he has allied
himself with them.
II did not vouch for Mr. jenkins
when he applied at Annapolis for. 9
hotel license for his establishment al
Jenkins Park. Irwin knows that as
well as / do. jenkins needed nobody
10 youch for him. / admit I did ride t
ANNAPOLIS with him the day he weni
there to get the license. The meet
| ing. however, was accidental and no
planned He got the license pne year
| ago.
Irwin told the story about m'
vouching for Jenkins when the gran'
urv was investigating conditions Il
| Brooklyn last spring. He was unable
to prove it and the grand jury pai'
no attention TO it.
Denies Drinking Bout
Il want to deny emphatically ina
| attended a drinking party at Jen
kius, Park last Thursday night Ml
friends know / was not there. haV'
1 not sen jenkins since Irwin falle'
to be re-appointed-
Il do admit that ! told irwin Z
wear his uniform while on duty Tn
| law IF the Police Department Of IN
countv demand that the Chief wea'
his IN riform while on duty Wnea
7 tola him to wear the uniform ] wa
ana am stin Of the opinion that n
could stop Iawlessness more efective
Il than il he appeared in ciyiiiai
clothes. | was not the only one Nh
toId him to wear his uniform Presl
dent walton, of the Commissioners