Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-11
HESSE'S SUCCESSOR
SPURS Speculation
Commissioners to Send Re.
tirement Application to
Board Tomorrow.

Although the next official step in the
machinery of granting Maj. Edwin B.
Hesse's request for retirement as chief
of police does not come until tomorrow,
when 1t will be taken up at the semi
weekly meeting of the board Of Com
missioners, the District Building today
buzzed in anticipation Of the selection
of Maj. Hesse'S successor.
It generally is conceded that Mai.
HesSes retirement request will be grant,
ed. and the Commissioners admit they
are facing the task OF picking the
best possible man for the job.
Maj. HeSse's request asks that his
term be ended March 81. Commissioner
Proctor L. Dougherty, who has admin
istrative supervision Of the Police De-
partment, and on whose shoulders rests
primary responsibility for the selection.
said today there was q possibility
that the new police chief would have
been selected by that date. He said
no members of Congress had yet come
forward with q candidate, but that he
expected to receive plenty Of advice"
on filling the post.
Hesse Wears Smile.
Maj. Hesse wore broad smile today
the first for long time. He explained
1t, however. on the grounds that Lieut..
Edward Kelly, in charge of the homi-
eide squad at headquarters, had told
him a good joke early In the morning.
He was asked If he had suggested
any candidates to the Commissioners
and replied that he had not. He said,
however, that If they asked for his ad-
vice he could suggest good man.
Further questioning revealed that the
man already was in the department.
This was taken to mean that Maj.
HeSse favored Asst. Supt. William S.
Shelby. whose Office Immediately ad-
joins that of the superintendent of po-
lice. Inspector Shelby said he would
not take the job unless compelled by an
order Of the Commissioners.
Boards to Act at Next Session.
The Board of Commissioners tomor-
row will turn Mai. HesSe'S application
for retirement over to the Police and
Fire Department Retirement Board.
The retirement board then will docket
the case probably for its next regular
meeting, March 81, when testimony will
be taken from Maj. HeSSe and the ply
SicianS who examined him to establish
officially that his health is SO broken
down as to prevent him from continuing
his duties and to entitle him to retire.
ment pay.
Since five of the six members of
the board of police surgeons already
have certified that this is fact, the
retirement board proceedings are looked
upon simply as legal formality. When
the board reports its findings to the
Commissioners. the job of finding a
new police chief then will be Officially"
put up to the city heads.
siStant Engineer Commissioner Donald
trial of Capt. Guy E. Burlingame, seems
definitely out of the picture. Commits
sioner Sidney F. Taliaferro said today
that he was very sure that Dawson, a
major in the Army Engineer Corps, with
brilliant future ahead of him, would
not consider the job.
Commissioner Taliaferro said that his
mind still was open as to whether the
selection should be made from the ranks
of the department or from somebody
who had made a success of an admin
istrative job elsewhere. He said that
no candidates had yet been mentioned
to him. He was asked If the Commits
sionerS would seek advice from the
White House, but declined to answer
Col. Ladue Comments.
Col. William B. Ladue. the third
member of the Board of Commissioners,
said that he had given little cOnsidera-
tion to the problem. He fiouted the
report that retired Army officer would
get the job by stating that it was ex-
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column 6.)