The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-07-22
Jay House Declares He Was
Reported Drunk Often.
Mayor COrWine Says He Is Con-
ducting Investigation.
JUDGE CARVER GIVES OPINION
" Police Won't Do Their Duty
They Should Be Fired.
''It Is Duty of Mayor To Pro-
vide Jail Facilities"

Persistent reports that Chief OF
Police George Hannah bore a reputa-
tion as a hard drinker and had been
discharged from the police force for
this offense coupled with inefficiency
and insubordination were repeated
officially today by the receipt of a
telegram from Jay L. House. former
mayor Of Topeka. now a special writer
for the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
Tho telegram Of the ex-mayor follows:
State Journal, Topeka, Kansas.
Hannah was fired from police force
Tor drunkenness and INSTRUMENTATION.
Ills worst OffeHse was drunkenness.
lie was reported drunk repeatedly. He
useless rs policeman because he
would neither obey orders or stay on
lis beat JAY Z. HOUSE.
This statement from the eX-mayor
giving his reasons for diseharging
Hannah puts Mayor Corwine in diff
fercnt light than that of an unsophis-
ticated ex-minister going innocently
into politics and appointing police
charged with drinking.
CorwinC Promises Probe.
After days of absolute silence, Mayor
Corwine at a meeting Of the city COM
mssioners today made a short state
ment relative to the embarrassing sit
uation at police headquarters follow
ing the exposures of the last three
da.s.
IN regard to the alleged drunken
ness in the police department" said
Mayor Corwine, Il am at present
tEation as possible. I will report the
result Of the same to the commission
at the earliest possible moment"
The mayors policy of conducting an
Investigation, while not announced, Is
becoming evident to officials in the
= r.
of the police force calling at his office
10 20 behind closed doors. where it is
presumed the mayor is making an In
VcstiEation as impartial rs possible.
City Must Act.
It's up to the mayor and the city
commissioners to provide an ade-
quate Jail and men in charge of il
who will do their duty. This was the
Eist Of Judge Robert d. Carver
opinion delivered in the Shawnee
county district court this morning
when he had heard the evidence or
the application for n writ of habeas
corpus to get Logan Justice, negro, out
of the county jail Judge Carver saio
he could find no statute authorizing g
police judge TO have n city prisoner
confined in a county Jail except in case
OF emergency and ordered the peti'
toner discharged.
Hugh MacFarland, police judge, re-
iterated in court this morning the
charges he had previously mad'
against Chief of Police George Han
nan relative to carrying out his or-
ders. He introduced the police timt
book as evidence. When Hannah il
alleged to have ignored his commit
ment ordering Justice to Jail, JudS'
MacFarland pointed out a note. HI
had made on the book to the effec
that the police had ignored his com
mitment and that Justice was occa,
slonalIy sleeping nights in the i9il
Underneath it was written:
Take a jump at yourself"
Chief Wrote Funny Joke.
The police judge said the chief ha;
later admitted to him that 1t was h,
who wrote the funny line.
The Logan Justice case was recitet
in detail. Ed Rooney was attornc'
for the negro and MacFarland pleaded
his own case, the city attorney no
being present. The police Judge sal,
Justice was convicted Of having llqao
in his possession and that he issuet
the first commitment early in June
Testimony of the jailers was to tn
effect that the prisoner had been con
fined in the cell about two days an
then released. but that he usual
slept in the hospital room Of the iai
nights, doing some work about tn
place early in the morning and work
ing for Spencer & Son, contractor.
during the day.
Judge MacFarland said he issue
the first commitment June 5, bu
finding Logan had been released, is
sued another on July IS. This bein
ignored. he said, he wrote Chief Har
nan a letter informing him of h
duties and warning him to have til
negro in Jail within a stated tim
Later, he said, Logan being again r.
leased, he sent the second commi
ment, directed to the chief of polio
together with a letter, to Sheriff Hug
Larimer, asking the latter to place III
negro in the county Jail until his thirt
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