Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-08-16

ment Of the humane laws Of the State is
estopped from action.
How effective can he this smothering Of
police Investigations was demonstra ted
some time ago when a complaint was
lodged with the humane officers against
q member Of the board Of directors Of the
humane society charging him With con
tributing to the delinquency Of child.
ton OF far better grade than Is used In
The humane officers, members Of the
Indianap polls police department were
stopped from investigation Of this com
plant and the complainant was advised
that they could not prosecute the
charges.
Subsequently an affidavit was made
against the board member N the Juvenile
court and he was acquitted.
sERGEANTs BOASTS
OF EVIDENCE.
Recently. one Of the sergeluts who
serves the society under the direction OF
DR. Pfanlin, openly boosted that he had
suppressed evidence that would have
convicted that guy"
Under the policy Of secrecy concerning
board Of directors meetings which ". II.
Roberts, president has announced for the
society, II Is difficult TO learn whether
or not the executive committee ever made
a report to the board Of directors show
ing that this case was considered by It
Ia accordance with the constitution Of the
society.
So perfect is the system Of suppression
Of public business that no oUe knows
how many complaints are made TO the
humane officers and in how many In
stances. on the orders Of DR. Pfahlin, no
legal action was taken by the police.
However. report OF the police ser
geants themselves, which were recently
obtained by the Times, disclose that
even in instances Of extreme cruelty to
children there has been no prosecutions
conducted For example. there Is the re
port a. a humane office under date Of
June i as follows:
Il Investigated a complaint - street
-. cruelty. beoting her S-year-old boy
examined the boys back and found
three marks on his back made by the
strap she whipped him with. ! told Mrs.
-- If she whipped the boy again hard
enough to leave marks I would arrest
/ for."
And yet another report reads:
Investigated a complaint, --- avenue,
- whipping her 5year-old child and
| then tying her to A chair. Complaint
/ true ! reprimanded Mrs. --.'
! In neither Of these cases does the Of
( fcer attached to the Humane Society say
| that he was directed to take any action
/ by Dr. Pfafflin and no member of the
/ board of directors % the society has been
/ able 70 say that in accordance with the
constitution Of the society the executive
/ board reported that either of these cases
/ was considered by 1t.
Illustrative of the ease with which the
( enforcement Of the humane laws is re-
/ strained through this arrangement by
which an unbonded. unrecognized au-
/ thority controls a part Of the Indian
/ spolis police force, is the history Of a
/ complaint made against the Indiana
| School for Medicine.
/ A citizen, called the humane officers
+ headquarters in the police station and
/ gave information to the effect that stolen
/ dogs were being confined in the medical
/ college kennels and were there being sub
/ jected 70 operations in violation Of law.
/ The answer was that the complaint would
/ be referred TO DR.. Pfafflin.
! Subsequently this citizen was informed
/ by one OF the humane officers that ne
[ had been instructed by DR.. Pfafflin I'M
| del no circumstances to 60 near the
medical college.
| Shortly thereafter a search warrant for
| the place was delivered to Chief Kinney
and in the subsequent search a humane
officer, maintained by the city of Indian
apOiis for the sole purpose of enforcing
the humane laws visited the medical col
/ lege.
This visit, necessitated by the serving
| Of the search warrant sworn out by 4
citizen, was the first visit ever made to
the college by a humane officer and was
made possible only through a direct
order from the chief Of police that the
lieutenant serving the warrant should be
accompanied by one of the sergeants as
signed to the humane society who, there
tofore, had been prevented from making
the inspection by the direct order of Dr.
PfaffIin. the unrecognized and invisible
authority on whose whim depends the
enforcement Of humane laws in Indian
apolis.