Evening star., 1925-07-09
HEADLEY DEMOT|ON
DECLARED DUE To
FOE'SPROPAGANDA
Police Official Said to Have
Continuously MiSinformed
Fenning.
RAYNER DENIES HEADLEY
SOUGHT DIRECTORSHIP
Tells City Heads He Desired TO Con.
tlnue as Inspector and Heartily
Approved Eldridge.


Str1Flng TO clear up the 4lodge-podEe
OF mlslnformation" woven about the
aeIaotlon OF Albert J. Headley from
eIaHlC inspector TO captain of the
louIlh precinct, w. Pearce Rayner.
commander of Washington motor
corps for four years. sent an omen Ie,.
tef today TO Commissioner Frederick
a Fennlns, pointing out that Can't.
f1eddley was not a candidate for the
once or director Of traffic, and if there
had been any cases of failure TO CO.
operate with Director Eldridge il was
uue 70 the obstacles created within
the Police Department
Mr.. Rayner stressed in nositive
terms that Capt. Headley was not
dlsGruntled" because the traffic direc-
| torshlp was not given to him. and
| that he had pledged his whole-hearted
cooperation with Director Eldridge.
IN the meantime. a close friend of
capt. Headley indicated that his de-
motion was the ultimate result of +be
efforts of a Police Department OFFICIAL
10 force him out Of office as head of
the Traffic Bureau. This official. ac-
cordlng TO the friend, worked assidu-
ousIy carrying misinformation TO
Supt. Of Police Sullivan on his sick
bed and Commissioner Fenning about
Odpl. heaoley.
Declare Headley Ignored.
Although the new traffic law re-
qulres the Office of the director of traf-
nc 10 forward all requests to the traf-
nc bureau, 1t was charged today that
these orders were not sent to Inspector
Headiey. The day following Inspector
tfeadIey,s demotion, it was said today.
Inc orders resumed their normal
course through regular channels.
The open letter of Mr.. Rayner. who
through his close contact with the no.
nee department during his service with
the motor corps opened TO him the va
rious channels of gossip" and won
him the confidence of the numerous
officials, follows:
The Honorable Frederick A. Fenning.
commissioner of the District of
Columbia, Washington. D. c.:
Dear Sir: Believing that you have
been made victim of misinformation
and to give as much publicity to this
statement as was given to a purported
quotation from you to the effect that
Inspector HeadIey was diserlJnt1ed
because he did not get the job of traf-
nc director / wish to make the fol
lowing true statement, which 1 will
swear to whenever necessary:
L~-have been friend to both In
spector Headley and Director Eldridge
Several weeks before Mr.. Eldridge
was made traffic director I had the
honor, with Mr.. Rudolph Jose and Mr..
Paul Lum, to be the first to call on
Commissioner Bell and propose the
name Of Mr.. Eldridge for the position
he now occupies.
THE same day this occurred 4
called on Inspector Headley, who had
previously informed me that he was
N1f a Ir~
traffic director, as he would have to
lose his retirement pay, and he did
not believe the Commissioners would
grant any police official a long leave
of absence to undertake the new posi-
ton, and that a leave of absence was
the only way to protect retirement
pay.
Says HeadIey Approved.
AT this interview I told him that
had just proposed the name of Mr..
Eldridge to Col. Bell for the position
of traffic director, Inspector Headley
was enthusiastic, he struck the top of
his desk with his hand and said,
Fine! You could not have proposed a
better man. There is no man I know
anywhere that l would rather work
with or take orders from, if that is
the meaning of the new law, than Mr..
Eldridge. l have served with him on
several committees, and he is always
reasonable, good natured, we'll in
formed. and a regular gentleman. [
| hope he gets the job, and 1 will co.
operate with him a 1000 per cent If he
does
Since then on numerous occasions
Inspector Headley has told me that he
was being given silent treatment,
was not informed as to what was 60
ing on and protested that he was be-
ing forced into a position where he
could not cooperate as he wished to
and that an order had been issued
compelling the traffic director to take
up all matters concerning the Traf-
| f1c Bureau through the acting ajor;
but that at the same time policemen
at the traffic shop for whom he was
personally responsible were being
given orders direct, when no transfer
| of authority had been made.
Il can personally testify to hearing
such orders to the traffic shop given
over the telephone from the traffic di-
| rector's office"
Question May Be Reopened.
While Commissioner Fenning has
asserted positively that the Headley
affair is a closed incident as far as
| he is concerned, it is likely to come
| up again before the Board of Commits
| sioners tomorrow when the action of
! the directors of the Washington
/ Chamber of Commerce in asking for
| Capt Headley's reinstatement until he
! is given a hearing is likely to be con-
! sidered.
While it has not been definitely stat
| ed that the board will take up the
case again tomorrow. Commissioner
Fenning has said he will lay all COM
munications on the question before
the full board, and the next oppor-
tunity TO do so will be tomorrow.
The Commissioners at their session
on Tuesday disposed of all the letters
that had been received regarding
Headley by drafting a reply in which
they said they saw no reason for de-
parting from the action taken and ex-
pressing the belief the demotion was
in the interest of good police admins
tration The action of the Chamber
of Commerce directors was taken, how
ever. after the Tuesday meeting of the
Commissioners.
Commissioner Fenning stated today
that he had no knowledge of report
ed plan to introduce a bill in the next
Congress to create another inspector
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