Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-12-18
DETECTIVE Chief
! CHARGES BIG NEW
ARE AFTER BEAVERS
Declares Any Man Who Re-
fleets on His Honesty Is a
''Liar and a Coward"
Praises Beavers

Following a sensational sitting
Thursday, the committee went into
Executive session Friday.
Chief Of Detectives Lamor Poole
created the most dramatic scene that
yet has occurred before the council
manic committee Investigating the
), police, when, testifying before the
committee Thursday. he suddenly
= broke his calm composure and with
tears streaming down his cheeks and
with his hand pounding the table, de-
nounced the accusers Of the police,
declared any man who reflects on his
own honesty is a liar and coward,
and charged that some Of the big
gest men in Atlanta have been trying
to "get" Chief Beavers. "the FINEST
man who ever breathed the breath of
life"
Chief Poole's denuncratIon came
like bombshell. He had been testi-
flying calmly. introducing a mass of
documentary evidence designed to
! show that the police have been ef-
Chairman Harvey Hatcher began to
question him in a personal way. Mr..
Hatcher explained afterwards that
, he was merely doing this in justice
to Chief Poole.
Objects to Questions
He asked Chief Poole where he 1iv-
) ed, IL he owned his home. how much
he paid down on it. and how much
he was paying on it monthly. He
asked him if he inherited some prop
erty from his father.
"Haye you any cash in the bank?"
he asked.
NO. said the chief.
"Any Liberty bonds?"
"Any stock in any corporation?"
mo"
'Any jewelry?"
yes; watch and two or three
= rings"
ANYBODY owe you anything?"
mot cent"
While these questions were being
put. it was evident that Chief Poole
was controlling his emotions with
great difficulty. Finally he said. his
voice trembling somewhat: IL OBJ
iect to this; my personal affairs are
no business of the committees. l OBJ
tject particularly to the question about
what my father left me-"
he table with his hand. my father
left me a few hundred dollars he
said. My father was an honest man,
and any man who says he was not
is a liar. l have worked hard for
every dollar l ever had, and 1 have
snade it honestly: Any man who says
Z otherwise is a liar and a coward. 1
have worked hard for the city of At
ianta, and / never received a word of
hanks for it, except from the chief
of POLICE"
Praises Beavers
Tears were streaming down Chief
Poole's face, his voice echoed through
The room. and his uplifted arm was
shaking as he continued:
II defy any man, woman or child
90 say | have not been an honest,
fearless and upright man in the
: sight of God. l defy them to say
ever did single man out of a
uickel. l want the public to know
how l feel about this. L have tried
reproach. The good people will bear
me out that I have tried to do my
duty"
Shaking his hand towards Chief
Beavers, who was seated across the
table, Chief Poole cried:
"I have known Chief Beavers all
my life, and a more honorable man
never breathed the breath of life. L
have stood by him when ne has been
slandered. I am his friend and |
{ l.
for him. There is not man living
today I would do more for than
for James L. Beavers. If this city
stands a million years, it will never
know better man than he is"
"My Life an Open Book"
Notwithstanding his fist at a mem
Der of the committee-"your friends
turning to another member, land
your friends; they have made every
proposition on earth to. me to get
Chief Beavers. won't call their
have had his job by saying yes
but I would not be hypocrite, and
I'll not be one now. Put me out if
you want to, but I'll be damned if
I'll ever see a man treated that
green earth to get this man, but
as God is my helper, will stick by
my private life and public life is
IA open book. 1 am forty-seven
act Of which 1 am ashamed. Ask me
anything you want to-"
Before Chief Poole exploded his
sensational declaration, he gave the
~committee interesting data on the
Work of the police. Among this was
the record of 500 cases made in the
last six months for gaming or dis
order where gaming was doubtful
Of these, ninety-six were bound over
and 469 resulted in fines and for
FIXTURES of $8.218.
Another record was that in 1918
state convictions and changing sen.
e ices totaled $40 years That in
-o-Chief Poole's first year-these
,entences totaled 1878 years, and in
he first eleven months of 1920 2, IA
Presents Record (
Chief Poole presented the following
ecord of stolen property recovered
1siS-$86,I59,s3; 1s19-$1S6,OCN
irst eleven months of 1920-$43o,
S141
Much of this was stolen automo
A,i!es, he said. answering the com
l'laints of people who say the police
In the first eleven months o
920, he said, the city has received
s191, 900.40 from cash fines in re
corder's court. During this period
ice have been 28,S43, or about one
eighth of the population Of Allan
"a, he said.
The total sum from fines and for
'eitures in the state courts this year
Chief Poole said, has been $S9,441
Of which the city did not get {
y sent
"Where does it go?" he was asked
He replled Cnat the county OIL
GERS got about sixty per cent of i
the solicitor the greater part. OF
The cases from which they derived
his revenue. he said, IS per cen
we're made by the city police ant
detectives. He said the city officers
10 not get a penny from this source
IA that rs per cent of them have
.o'spend their off-time in court
Cites Murder Cases
He cited tWe1ty-eight murder
4, = y