Evening star., 1933-12-04
ACCUSES
FIRE CHIEF WATSON
Appeals to Court to Stay Sen
tence Given in Auto
Crash.

Charging that Fire Chief George S.
/ Watson acted in an arbitrary and illegal
manner in recent Trial Board proceed
ingS against him. Charles C0megyS, q
private attached to No. 20 Engine Com
pany, today asked the District Supreme
Court to prevent the board from put
ting into effect a sentence imposed
upon him until his complaint can be
investigated in court.
Comegy's petition was filed as Com
missioner Melvin E. Hazen was prepar-
ing to make detailed study of charges
previously placed against Chief Watson
The object of the study, Hazen said,
will be to determine whether Watson
should be tried before special board
of inquiry ,
o0megyS, who lives at 5l50 Fulton
street, says he was taken before the
board after his automobile was involved
in a collision on September 80 1882
At that time. he was charged with en-
gaging in an unnecessary alteration
with the driver of the other car, George
M. Harkins; with using harsh and vio-
lent language. and with failure to re-
frain from conduct prejudicial to the
reputation of the Fire Department.
Sentence Changed.
His petition says he was found guilty
by the board and ordered to serve 500
extra hours of duty without pay. He
states he appealed to the District Com
miSSoners and, while the appeal was
pending, Watson changed the punish
ment to 300 hours of extra duty and a
S100 fine.
Comegys says he was ordered to begin
the sentence November Is, but con-
tends the order and the board proceed
ingS violate his rights under the fifth,
sixth, eighth and thirteenth amend
ments to the Constitution.
His petition, filed through Attorneys
Paul E. Jameson and Thomas H. Pat
terson. names six District officials and
requests the court to restrain them from
doing anything to carry the boards
ruling into effect at this time.
| Those named as defendants are the
three Commissioners, Daniel j. Dono-
van, auditor; James R. Lusby, disburs-
ing officer, and Watson.
Hazen Decides on Study.
/ Hazen decided to study earlier charges
against Watson after Mrs. Mary T
Norton. chairman of the House District
| Committee, announced she would refer
| back to the Commissioners the charges
! filed with Representative Virginia c.
JenckeS of Indiana by Jameson, who
also is attorney for the City Fire Fight
ers' Association.
Hazen said he would make a careful
study of the entire matter and would
call upon a member of the corporation
counsels Office to advise him whether
there is any basis for trial of Watson
on the complaints.
The charges, generally speaking, are
that the chief engineer has invoked un-
necessarily stringent rules on members
some cases of their constitutional
rights; that severe penalties have been
inflicted for minor infractions of rules,
and that Watson became chief of the
department, although he never had
actual service as a fire fighter.
Special Board Considered.
After this study has been made,
Hazen said, he will submit report to
the Board of Commissioners as to
| whether special trial board should be
created to review the complaints. Such
special trial board might include high
ranking District officials not directly
interested in affairs of the Fire De-
partment. Watson could not be tried
by the ordinary Fire Trial Board, since
it is composed of officials of the de-
partment junior to him in rank.
Watson has filed with Hazen, who has
supervision over the Police and Fire
Departments. reply to the charge of
Jameson, who is a brother of the
president of the City Fire Fighters
Association. This is not to be made
public until decision is reached as to
| the question of formal trial of Watson
Hazen said he holds no brief for
! Watson" although he pointed out he
| has known him for many years and has
admired him as man and as an
official.
IF mistakes have been made" he
| said they will be corrected We will
make careful StuW " 0fttTmllc tC
the best of our Judgment If there is
| anything wrong with the adninistra-