South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-08-23
DELETE PUBLIC
IN SAFETY MEET
Board Admits Session, But
Many Questions Are Left
Still Unanswered.

Dense secrecy surrounds the meet
ing Of the board Of public safety
held Friday night. The board ad-
mits holding "a meeting. NJ which
the most important thing done was
20 take the public" out OF the
board n public safety
II have nothing to give out" said
Harry Josephson. clerk OF the
board. after the meeting. Reporters.
who have been invited to attend
Investigations in the past. Friday
night we're not even allowed 10
gather in the captains office. adj
Joining the boards stronghold. or
even in the corridor in the vicinity
OF the door.
II rs supposed that the much dis
cussed but little acted upon reorgan-
ization OF the police department.
suggested by the administration Was
one OF the THINGS which were taken
up by the board. A knotty problem
which could have been taken up was
whether II would be better 20 re-
instate william Barnhart. recently
resigned sergeant Of detectives. and
thus back down from their tenn
porarily held position on tho liquor
question, which caused Barnhart 20
quit. or 20 leave Barnhart at large
and stand the chance Of him telling
some Of the unpleasant things he is
supposed 10 know about the police
ranking heads"
Some Others Matters.
Harry Josephson did not state
whether or not the board extended
a vote Of condemnation 20 Chief Pc
ter Kline for his action on Tuesday
OF handing back to George Hosler.
self-confessed keeper Of "A gambling
house the S124 left out of the re-
ported 1915 brought in as evidence
when Hosler's whist club" was raid
ed although Hosler is now await
ing trial in the higher courts
Another matter on which Joseph
son was reticcnt was whether the
board paid any attention TO the Ber-
-illon system of measurements. the
finger print system and other mod
ern police systems adopted by John
Kuespert. former chief Of detectives.
and thrown into the scrap heap
when Chief Kline came into office.
The appointment Of n sergeant of
detectives to fiji the vacancy in that
department which has existed for
the past three weeks. was a matter
on which the board was silent
Great Hold on Vice.
It may be that the board failed
to censor Chief Kline and the other
lacking heads" or rather rank
ing heads" for failure to protect the
patrolmen from attack by thugs
and gunner by refusing TO make
any effort 20 arrest the assailant of
John Kolacz, night patrolman. who
was fred on by a gunman, who is
still at large.
The report made by Patrol Sergt.
Roberts recently TO Mayor Carson
that gambling had been broken up
in South Bend might also have been
acted on by the board, who might
have complimented Chief Kline for
having such an admirable hold on
the vice situation here. The recent
raids on houses of uI-fame might
have caused some more conEratula-
tons for the chief. providing ne had
been able TO answer. If asked, why
several disorderly houses were al
lowed 20 operate openly in the
downtown district.
Had the reporters been allowed to
attend the meeting. one of the
things which they would not have
heard mentioned would have been
the question so carefully avoided
during the recent Miller-Lovgren-
Barnhart- Koscorowski trials ~ how
did the liquor which these men adj
nit seeing and handling set out Of
the buu-peu and into the barn in
the rear OF the station. when Chief
Kline admitted possessing the only
key TO the bull-pen2