The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-06-23
WORKERS DEFEAT
PLOT TO ST|FLE
TORTURE PROBE
CONTINUED from page ~

Tue SFll no matter now long IL look
or who was hit by the facts brot out.
The failure Of Walter Wilson and
Mott X. Mitchell who charged Lieu
tenant Grady and his squad with beat
ing him to appear before the commit
tee was used an an excuse by the
councilmen opposed to the investiga-
ton in their efforts to kill the probe.
1t was finally agreed that the commit
tee would meet again as soon as Will
son and Mitchell could be induced to
come before them. Both men are out
Of town during the vacation period OF
the Harvard School where they are
employed.
After reaching this decision the
committee heard a Mrs. Collins who
told how roomer in her house com
planned against saloon keeper in
the neighborhood. Instead of investi-
eating the complaint Captain Mullin
of the Warren Ave. station locked up
the complainant on a disorderly con-
duct charge. When he was being
taken to the cell room he was struck
and kicked by the secretary to the
captain.
Captains "coIIector"
II see why the secretary was in
terested in the case" Councilman Al
berts said. 1.-THE secretary to a cap
tain is the collector for the district
in most cases. But you don't need to
worry much about the case. The man
will be fined 81 and costs so as to
protect the police department. This
is only another case of a man COM
planning against a law violator who
is in with the police and getting the
worst OF it. Nothing unusual about
that"
Gunman inundated Witness.
Richard Pendergast who had testi-
fed before the committee on Monday
was there again. He said that gun
men had come to his home to attempt
to intimidate him into dropping his
complaints against the police. 81 will
fight them from hell to breakfast be-
fore STOP" he said.
At this point Councilman Alberts
threatened to go into court himself
and with the assistance Of Pendergast
get warrants and have arrests made
that would give thoro airing to the
whole question Of police brutality if
the committee blocked efforts to get
at the bottom Of the question of DO
| lice rottenness. It was then decided
to go ahead.
Jackass Convention HaIts Probe.
Many Of the counciImen on the COM
mittee are delegates to the Democrat
ic convention in New York and will
be out of town for more than week.
The probe will not continue till they
come back.
w. X. Russell told how he had been
held in the detective bureau for seven
days without being booked and then
charged with transporting a stolen
auto from here to Milwaukee. He told
Of having seen men struck time and
time again.
Beating Prisoners.
II knew Captain Shoemaker when
we were boys. But I must tell you
how l have seen him strike suspects
and prisoners. Many times he did it
out Of idle i'll will. He would take
hold of a prisoners tie and ask him
where he got it and then strike him
in the face or on the head" Russell
said.
Handling" Labor Men.
81 saw the way they handled some
labor men they had there, 1t was an
outrage, it was a shame"
Chief Of Detectives Michael Hughes
was an interested spectator at the
hearing. His impassive face never
changed expression as Russell told his
story. He was asked II he had ever
seen any one struck or beaten in the
detective bureau. He replied that he
had not.
Garment Strike Brutalities.
DR.. Ralph Girard a resident Of Hull
House who was at the committee
meeting to tell Of police brutalities
during the garment strike was not
heard because of the pressure Of
other witnesses. Witnesses will ap-
pear at the next meeting OF the COM
mittee to tell the story Of the police
brutality in the garment strike.