The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-05
But Leonard Has Taken Out
His First Papers.
Chief Hannah Denies Story of
the Stolen Sugar.
BIG CROWD At The HEARING
Listeners Stand on Chairs in
Effort to Hear Case.
New Town Scandal Hinted at in
Testimony Today.

That Capt Maurice Leonard, Lieut..
w. P. Long and P .trolman Jesse Hill
were seen in a badly intoxicated con-
dition while on duty, with Captain
Leonard so drunk that he had to be
carried upstairs; that Captain Leon
ard, acting chief If police, is not
citizen of the United States: that
Mayor Corwine saw completely in
todcated man lying on the floor of
the police station. who was later re-
leased by the chief of police; that
bootlegging, gambling and houses of
i'll fame are not investigate by To-
peka police, were among the astound-
ing statements which testimony was
introduced to at the first ses-
sion of the police investigation con-
ductec by the cit: commission at an
investigat, - committee at the city
hall this morning.
With the commission council room
crowded from the council table TO the
doors, with listeners standing on
chairs at the doors to see and hear,
and with others lining the nails IN tne
hope of getting into the nearing,
Mayor Corwine, the commissioners,
Hugh MacFarland, who resigned as
police Judge on Tuesday in order 10
have a part in Introduction or testl-
mony, began at 10 o'clock to question
police officers, including the chief of
police Augustin Alba and others or
the department in regard to charges
and counter charges recently made
There was scarcely a minute CT in
terruption in the testimony from lO
O'Clock until the investigation re-
.cessed at almost 1880 o'clock The
procedure was scheduled to continue
at 1:15 o'clock.
Hannah Denies Sugar Story.
George G. Hannah. suspended as
chief of police during the investiga-
ton, introduced testimony to disprove
the charge that he had received stolen
sugar as Christmas gift, brought
against him by Detective Alba before
the city commission, Tuesday; by pro-
ducing a bill of sale to show that the
said sugar had been purchased from
Fleming and Wilson of Topeka. and
not stolen from the Santa Fe railway.
He denied that any of the liquor taken
from 528 Sardou avenue in the recent
unauthorized" raid of Detective Alba
was intoxicating and stated that at all
times Alba had been guilty of in
subordination.
II defy you to put any officer on
the stand to say that 1 have ever put
out any orders other than to arrest
every violator of the law, regardless
of who they are" declared the chief
during the questioning regarding his
alleged protection of violators of the
prohibitory law His statement fol-
lowed the testimony of Augustin Alba,
which tended to show that there were
open places of gambling. bootlegging
and of houses of ill fame which he.
Alba, had reported, and which Alba
said had never been investigated by
the department.
Alba Refused Action.
Alba recited many instances in
which he said he had reported such
cases and had asked for warrants and
said that he had been put off or had
been refused the right to proceed with
a raid. He gave names and addresses
of persons he reported to be conduct
ing such houses.
Leonard Not a Citizen.
Two officers of the present police
force, Capt Maurice Leonard, acting
chief. and William Meagher were in
troduced during the hearing. Leonard
admitted. when questioned by former
Police Judge MacFarland, that he was
not a citizen of the United States, and
had taken out only his first papers to-
ward citizenship.
Meagher's testimony, perhaps the
most electrifying of the morning, was
TO the effect that he had seen the
three officers. Captain Leonard. Lieu
tenant Long and Patrolman Jesse Hill,
intoxicated and assisting Leonard up
a stairway during the time they were
on duty. Meagher said that a colored
porter saw the three at the same time.
That drunken man, so helpless that
he had to lie on the floor of the police
station and had been seen by the
mayor and later released by the chief,
with report that the chief had ac-
cepted money for release of the in
toxicated man, was another part of
the testimony introduced by Meagher,
questioned by Hugh MacFarland.
Said Mayor Was There.
what time that night was that