The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, January 21, 1900, Page 23

’V THEEL 442424444424 444444 Pages 23 t0 32 FELL L L4441 2442444444444 rreeey PR IR SRR Txll T4 4 4424424222204 444923 Pages 2310 32 b bbb bt S L E RS LR S N £ b +* + + + + + + SAN FRA CISCO, SUNDAY, JANUARY 21, 1900 THE SHAMEFUL STORY OF THE MAYOR'S PLOT Startling Revelations at the In- vestigation of Esola. Phelan Sought to Honor His Bond Within Twelve Hours After His Appoint- ments—Inquiry Closed. investigation of the charges want Frederick L. Esol / his affilic i places tc remarkable turn ye. preferred against Police Frederick Harrington, political hucksters and him to dangerous and un- The man who is but the chief execu- lan, 28 1 wal h ficial life The ambition of a newspaper man’s body an issue Uf mimor itmportance in l‘v"' 1 Q and ¢ 1vestigation. now not only accused but convicted of malfeas- id conspiring in the cheap arena of petty I of the great institutions of this city. dragged through the political vhom the finger of public scorn 1g, whipped in humiliation at ¢ lazws that honorable guilty, ante-election s city a gigantic po- I-gotten gain for gam- and a €T TO THE NAKEDNESS OF A DISHONORED TRUST. before the Police Commissioners revealed A the contemptible who have made out of commodity with which to buy iry has lashed the Mayor info sing him to th | be above purc odium of 1ase and be- stimony of A. M. Lawrence, given yesterday, it z0as or Phelan, within twelve hours after his annowunce- ice Commission, summoned Lazorence and Esola to with the Commissioners and discuss with them the sola Chief of Police. Th was held and duced by Lawrence as “my candidate for Chief of s mot Mayor Phelan’s ca: for his Honor had a candidate. He had been bought, and he had to meeting as ndidate, as to & dan iis office on the afternoon of S un January 7, when Commussion had when t ss was suspended the guilty Mayor was ready to honor his con- 1e was eager to meet the sha t men that quickly he might fulfill the criminal con- m in-the category of recreant officials who are in- but an unworthy ambition, corruptly satisfied. has reached this serious magnitude. It has proved of the conspirators themselves that the Police named by Mayor Phelan without thought of or blic policy; that they were chosen by the Mayor s compact made to secure mewspaper were summoned by the Mayor in greedy haste hey were pledged to make Chief of Police. THE SUCCESS OF THE PLOT WOULD BE A CRIME. This is now the issue of the inquiry, and if the Commissioners are not satisfied with the evidence produced let them induce Mayor Phelan to sue The Call for libel, and this paper will supply other Let the Commissioners prevail upon his Honor to take the step that an honest man, stung by injustice, would need no urging to Let the Commissioners beg the Mayor to defend his name, and | will furnish facts that will warrant impeachment. As for Esola, it is difficult to understand hotv he can still be an 't for serious consideration tn commection zwith the position vhich his friends have bought for him from Mayor Phelan and in hich he is to be a complaisant, conniving figurchead, winking at ¢ and official corruption. His own testimony convicts him of ig- ! inexperience and gross meglect in performance of of contempt and see to meet the man proofs. TheC nee a y. He has saddled himself with an alias, has been dismissed 1 one post of responsibility, has been pushed forward to others ause of the crooked deals his sponsor has made with Dan Burns, ] 1w personification of disease in politics, an ith these recommenda- hj demands that some of the most vital interests of this city be The idea is preposterous; the accomplishment would be a crime against the people of San Francisco. ESOLA’S CUNNING SERVED BET- TER THAN HIS MEMORY, When Esola was on the stand he was asked to relate some of the incidents of the conference held in Mayor Phelan’s office on January 7. The witness could not remember. His memory could not serve him faithfully for two weeks. He knew better than others the con- uences of telling the truth. His cunning served him better than memory, and will it not serve him as well when in the perform- cred public duty he must choose between temptation and justice, between the invidious attacks of blacklegs, moral filth pan- derers and thieves and the property and lives of honest citizens? It is a public outrage to consider his worse than presumptuous claims. Rather than seeking prowotion he should be striving to pre- wvent the fall of officiel ax that will remove him from the position 1 s already a menace. The Commissioners have now the evidence before them. In accepting their trust they have placed themselves on trial. They have thrown their honor and all they hold s hands. . awhich J PRUSSIC ACID, A ROPE AND A ENDED THE LIVES OF THREE MEN gence in alcoholic drinks. The first c Lyon street. became delirious. in a deep part of the house. The fortunate man plunged to his death. body dertaker’s parlors. tive of Germany. aren. life yesterday morning by nde of pota tel. For the been in the habit of coming down from ing the winter in this eity. several da night yesterday morning tnat he fell the hotel and cut his face ing machine. Night Clerk Joseph Ev sium in his room in the door was forced open. o6 900000000 dear into the balance. They have) I much to lose and much to gain in the | good or evil opinion of the people of | | San Francisco. By the fortune of | | political success they have been | | chosen to decide whether the people |of this city are to be the victims of | plunderers and the wvicious or | |zwhether justice and protection shall | | be given and municipal purity shall | | reign. Is it possible that the Com- | | missioners can mistake the road to | which the finger of public duty is| pointing ? SR THE INVESTIGATION Before the POLICE COMMISSION HE investigation of the charges | against Frederick L. Esola w: completed last nizht by the Police Commissioners, who reserved thelr decision until they had thorough! weighed the testimony brought out at the inquiry. If any proof were lacking to snbstan- tiate the charges that Mayor Phelan had entered into a despicable plot to deliver the Police Department into the hands of the blacklegs and criminals of the city 1t was supplied yesterday by the evidence brought out at the Investigation. It was forced from the lips of the man who is | accused of a desire to control the olice for the purpose of levying blackmall upon all who desire to engage in unlaw- ful undertakings within the precincts of the city. There was testimony to the effect that Mayor Phelan had arranged a meeting of the new Police Commissioners at his of- fice in the City Hall on the Sunday fol- lowing their appointment for the purpose | of consummating his pre-election deal with | Andrew M. Lawrence to place him in control of that branch of the city govern- ment which has to do with enforcing the law and keeping the peace, the appoint- ment of Esola as Chief being part of the bargain. By the admissions of Lawrence it was shown that Phelan had notified him of the meeting and that he had taken Esola there with instructions to remain in the ante-room until he was wanted. Esola was questioned on the same subject mat- ter before the confession was forced from Lawrence. He was taken by surprise and this man who aspires to be Chief of Po- lice of San Francisco could not remember what had occurred but a couple of weeks previously. The facts were hinted at during the ex- amination of Esola by Attorney McGow- an, but the witness gave no direct an- swers. He took refuge behind the flimsy subterfuge of a convenient loss of mem- ory. It was not until Lawrence was called to the stand that the truth came out. He brazenly acknowledged all alle- gations suggested by the drift of the in- quiry. During the investigation it was also brought out that Mayor Phelan had been false to one of his most ardent support- ers during the last campaign, had grossly sdalntad hin wamd ad hamaw am 4 mean and FTER a period of inaction the sulcidal cycle wave struck the Morgue yesterday and kept thé young deputies and the superannuated horses busy. The immediate cause of two of the deaths w: suicidal frenzy brought about by excessive indul- se was that of Jacob Schutten, a baker, 0 llved with his family in the rear of his bakery at 1834 Schutten had been confined to his bed since last Tuesday evening with a high fev: 4 At 4 o'clock yesterday the other inmates of the house, worn with watching eep, Schutten arose from his bed and, utter- ing a wild yell, jumped through a window In the back window overlooked a which was a skylight, and through the skylight the un- Medical aid was at once summoned, but in vain, for Schutten died in a few minutes from loss of blood was taken to the Morgue and afterward to an u Schutten was 35 years old and a n He left a widow and thre Willlam Holllngworth, a miner from Alaska, ended his | swallowing a quantity of cya- past three or four years Holling He had .beew on a spree for and was so drunk half an hour after mid- against the corner of a sew- cers took him stairs to his room and put him into bed. maker came around at 10:45 in the morning 3 no answer to his summons, he gave the alarm and the Hollingworth was lying in bed dead, and on a chair new as case. er, and on Fri morning, w were Friday night. roof in from day a windgw. | dead bod small chil- New W ern Ho- | orth had | Alaska and spend- in the hallway of up. en the bed- nd received - Mrs. Martin: L had a friend. When the Commissloners resumed the investigation yesterday afternoon a num. ber of unimportant witnesses were ex- amined before the sensational features of the inquiry began to pop. Esola was re- called, and after a number of questions tending to show his lack of educational qualification, all of which were barred out by Commissioner Thomas as spokes- man for the board, Attorney McGowan surprised the witness with the query which follows: “Were vou present at any meeting of the Commissioners other than those for the purpose of this investigation?” The ambitious lieutenant of police was startled. He was perceptibly pained and embarrassed by the trend the inquiry threatened to take. He gazed appealingly at his attorney, Garret McEnerney, ana his backer, Lawrence. He searched in vain for an answer in the perplexed look in their faces until finally, in a manner -9-0-0-9 0 that bristled with evidence of bluff, his | lawyer advised him to go on and tell all he knew. It was then that Esola sneak- ed behind the excuse that his memory failed him, and he saved himself from telling things that he knew would throw light on the nature of the plot to make him Chief of Polic i This man who aspires to become the | head of one of the most important branches of the city government could not remember having attended a secret meeting of the Commissioners, scarcely two wecks before. He claimed that he was so “badly bothered and mixed | up” that he could not think, but his wits told him, nevertheless, that a truthful an- swer would be fraught with danger to his aspirations, Mr. Lawrence was called later and evi- dently prompted by the apparent famil- farity of the prosecution with the circum- stances, unfolded the details of the whole shameful transaction. According to his testimony the meeting was held at the Mayor's office, Sunday, January 11, with- in twenty-four hours after the new Com- missioners had been named. “I just happened to drop in,” sald Law- rence, in explanation of how it happened that he was present at the meeting. The words had scarcely left his lips when he was forced into a corner by a searching examination and compelled to admit that his prescnce at the meeting was not a matter of accident, but that Phelan had apprised him of what was coming off and had advised him that it was a golden op- portunity to get in some good work for Esola. “It was not a regular meeting of the commission,” continued Lawrence. “The members had simply gathered to pay thetr respects to the Mayor.” Phelan knew that the “respects” were coming, for he lost no time in posting Lawrence. Continuing, the witness said: “I took Esola there and told him to wait on the outside, and that if I wanted him I would call him. I went to the meeting for the purpose of promoting Esola’s can- didacy and at the invitation of the Mayor. I introduced Esola to the Commissioners, told them that he was my candidate and that I hoped they would select him.” The Commissioners themselves did not display any great joy at the position in which they were placed by the admissions of Lawrence, and their rellef was notice- able when the probing process was discon- tinued. A stenographic report of Lawrence's testimony follows: McGowan—Mr. Lawrence, did you ever attend a meeting of this com- mission other than those they held for the purpose of investigating these charges? held | 000000 00000000000 009000 near the bed was a quantity of cyanide of potassium wrapped in paper and a tumbler which had water standing beside it. New York, 35 years old. An inquest will be The third sulclde w: vears old, who resided at 3% Ninth street. F married and had been living with his aged mother in a three-room flat at the address given until six weeks ago, when his mother died. tion for his mother, became inconsolable because of her death ana took to drink immedia and Kept on a spree up to the On that evening Ellen Bohn, a young girl, and her mother, residing on Van N visit to Falen and noticed nothing unusual In his appear- ance and manner, except that he was som the effect of his dis: ¥y morning the girl called at the flat with a basket of -ooked food for Falen, her summons, went on the back porch and peeped through She was horrified on beholding the painter's hanging from the transom. Falen had opened the transom over the door leading from the kitchen into the dining room and, standing on a chair, tied one end of a piece of clothesline around the transom and the other end of the line around his neck. Then he kicked the chair away and deliberately strangled himself, for when Morgue ~the.jknees of the-dead man were only a few inches above the level of the floor. scribbled In pencil by the deceased was found It read as follows: What effects that belong to me they are yours for kindness to mother. The note was unsigned, but was in the handwriting | of the dead man. Mrs. Mary Martin w#s his landlady. 90 9000600000000 abused the trust imposed in him by‘ Lawrence—There was never a meet- | § | ) contained The deceased was a native of lheld in the s Albert Falen, a painter about 40 len was un- Her son, who had a great affec- ly after the funeral, time he took his life last avenue, paid a hat nervous At 9 o'clock yester- pation. and not receiving an answer to TR i"i-'@‘v"@"@000@0@0«5"@0@‘@0“50@‘00«&000@0‘)000"-0— Messenger Flanigan arrived i § i % | z % i “CHURCH IS FULL OF HYPOCRITES AND FRAUDS” Why Rev. James C. Maclnnes Has Left the Ministry. He Believes in Dancing, and Says a Min- ister Must Dissimulate and Overlook Dissimulation. 900000001 D R R e R e R s S R 4 R R = S SN NSNS REV. JAMES C. MacINNES, WHO HAS STARTLED HIS CHURCH BY HIS OUTSPOKENNESS. January 19, 1900. © 0000006000000 060006000200606006000000000000600000 ® e Gtitt st e+ttt 4444440 ing of this commission. McGowan—How do you know thers was notf Lawrence—Not when I was present. | McGowan—Well, of the four mem- bers? | Lawrence—You want to know what | the real thing is, don’t you? McGowan—TI do. Lawrence — The members of this commission called to _pay a visit to Mr. Phelan and I drofied in there. | McGowan—Was Mr. Esola there? Lawrence—He came in later. McGowan—How did you know there | was to be a meeting? | ling circumstances. He was con- Lawrence — I was informed. In-| sidered a most promising young minister, | on, and now tha ner his acquaintances are thunderstruck. sion and you came out? | For two years he was or of Oak going out of the ministry. 98 Broadway, Jan. 20. HE Rev. James C. Maclnnes, one of the best-known young divines | in Alameda County, has renounced Lawrence—Yes. Leaf Congregational Chapel, in the aris- i i tocratic part of this city, and was prob- McGowan—And did you inform Mr. | ably the most prominent Christian En- Esolaf deavor worker in Oakland. The perfect Lawrence—Yes. | organization of that soclety in Alameda efforts. the Oak County is largely due to hi After being connected with Leaf Chapel for two years the young minister accepted a cdll to the Congre- gational church at Benicia. He was very successful there and was pastor of that church for sixteen months. Last week he told his congregation that he would leave the ministry forever on the following Sunday. People did not know what to make of it, and conjectures flew from the mouths of everybody. When ac- quaintances asked for an explanation it was not forthcoming. Rev. Mr. MacInnes went before the tr tees of his church and presented his r | ignation. In doing so he made the fo lowing statement: “A man must be a hypocrite and over- look hypocrisy in others to remain in the ministry and be successful. Besides, I consider myself better equipped for a business than for a religious career. The story of his sudden change flew from mouth to mouth among those who knew him, and to say that it created a sensation is to put it very mildly. Then the story of his life became known—how he sacrificed a fortune to enter the min- istry—and this is the story of his reasons for leaving the church und the story of his life as told by Rev. Mr. Maclnnes himself: T belleve in dancing.” he said, “and a long list of other things that are tabooed by churchgoers when induiged in by min- sters. If a man thinks he needs a drink McGowan—And to that extent it was preconcerted that such a meet- | ing was to be held? | | Lawrence—VYes. McGowan—And for that reason you took Mr. Esola out there? | Lawrence—Yes, sir, he was in the room for only about ten minutes. McGowan—Where was he the rest of the time? Lawrence—He was in the City Hall McGowan—And was this meeting | arranged? Lawrence—There was no meeting, Mr. McGowan, and don’t you try to | put those words into my mouth. McGowan—I am trying to put no| words in anybody’s mouth, and I | don’t intend to be intimidated. Commissioner Thomas—You need mno protection, Mr. McGowan, and I want no scenes of this character. I call Mr. Lawrence to order (McGowan starts to interrupt the chairman, when Thomas continued), and I now | call you to order. Mr. Lawrence’s re. mark ‘was improper and so was | he has a right to go and take it. In fact, I am ‘a hale fellow well met,’ as the say- yours. | ing goes, and when I meet a friend on the McGowan—I don’t know what it | street who is a good fellow himself I like 7 sk the back was. Then—addressing Lawrence— | there, Bill! in a Eood, hearty voice. you admit that you informed Mr. fhi‘; is h‘flolied, upon as wrong by every- v t Esola that these Commissioners were | [ sick of the whole thing. to meet in Mayor Phelan’s officef “The church is burdened with false Lawrence—I do not. I went down. town and I said to Esola, “Come up | 1deas. The members of the congregation { want_ thelr pastor to be solemn visaged near the Mayor's office, and if I need you I will send for you.” and dignified always. This compels a McGowan—And why did you do this for Mr. Esola? Lawrence—I wanted the Commis- sioners to see Mr. Esola and judge of his qualifications. McGowan—Did you do this with the intention of promoting his chances for the office of Chief of Po- lice? Lawrence—I suppose so. McGowan—Why did you not choose ‘Continued on Page Twenty-Five. All Clergymen are human and have dignity. Tave the same feelings as other people. ed from indulging them because if they did so it would cause their dearly beloved arishioners to hold up their hands iIn orror. A short time ago I went to a dance given for young Fred Reuger, a friend of mine, who was going away, and the matter kicked up a terrible row. For a long time before that I had been think- ing seriously of leaving the ministry, and that event brought me to a decision. “Of course I believe in God and iIn Christianity, but I do not believe In many professed Christians who pray several times a day. The church is full of sin- ful hypocrites, and some of my friends who might be what term ‘lushers’ are infinitely better than these frauds of plety. and say 'Helloi‘ jone by a clergyman, and | minister to oftentimes assume a false tastes are the same, but they are prevent- | people commonly | BELIEVE in dancing and a long list of other things that are tabooed by church-goers when indulged in by ministers. If a man needs a drink he has the right to take it. When I meet a man on the street I like to slap him on the back and say “Hello there, Bill,” in a good hearty voice. I believe in God and Christianity, but the church is burdened with false ideas and full of sinful hypocrites, and some of my friends who might be called “lushers” are infinitely better than these frauds of piety. — These given by the Rev. James C. MacInnes, for many y gregational church in Oakland, and one of the org: tian Endeavor work in this county, for resigning from his church and To the trustees of his church he said: for a young man who wants his personal much hypocrisy and overlook too much hypocrisy in others.” Oakland Office San Francisco Call, | regret, because when I entered it I the ministry under the most start- | ° > * + A . * d + * are the startling reasons : rs pastor of a Con- 4 nizers of the Chris- + - - “The ministry is no place liberty. He must use too L aid so with the intenttion of making it my life work. Now my hopes are blasted. 1 see that I made a mistake in not entering some other fleld of labor when I was a youth, full of energy and with everything before me. “When I determined upon a career In the church I sacrificed a fortune, incurred the unrelenting hatred of my father and have mi: e ten best years of my life. My father was a wealthy manufac- turer of Philadel hia, and beside the deathbed of my mother I was induced by misguided friends to determine upon the ministry as my vocation. a “Wken I told my father of my deter- mination he became furfous. I was ob- durate, and although I was but 14 years of age at the time he ordered me from the house. Until he died, several years ago, he never recognized me again. 1 went forth into the world a homeless boy and by dint of hard work and much saving [ managed to get together enough money to enable me to take a course at Amherst College, in Massachusetts. Then I went through the Theological Seminary of Chi- -ago, graduating from there in 1834, After came to California, and after a ial course of several months at the fic Theological Seminary I was or- dained a minister and took charge of Oak Leaf Chapel. “Istayed thereacoupleofyearsand then accepied a call from the Congregational Church at Benicia. There I stayed until a | week ago, when I decided that the minis- try was not the place for a man who | could not hide his identity under a cloak | pursuing the ¢ of false dignity. I have many friends in the churches of Oakland and Benicta, ard I leave them with regret. The only pang that my severance from the stry gives me, however mi comes from the fact that I delayed it so long. “I shall now enter upon a business ca- reer and a life of personal liberty. M endeavor shall be to be a Christian bu ness man. By embarking in-a merca life and doing unto-others as I have them do unto me, I more good than by rema that I was induc 3 course by a young lady to whom I engaged. Such Is not. th I am trothed to no woman, and am actuated by what I consider the best possibie mo- tives. T cannot countenance hypoecrisy in myself or in anybody else. The church is filled with hypocrisy, and a minister is compelled to overlook it; for that reason have become a layman. “Vale, hypocris; 1 can now walk down the street with my hat on the back of my head, my hands in my pockets, and when I meet a genlal friend 1 n say, ‘Hel there, old man, how goes it !ni people stare at me in aston I have been rebuked by the looks of churchgoers, who think a minister should not act like other men, too long. Now that I am free I feel as happy as a boy going fishing. 1 have already made ar- rangements to embark in business in Chi- cago, and shall leave for that city mext ‘Wednesday."” The ex-minis »spel evidenced his appreciation of freedom by his ac- tions. While going down the street he acted like a politician looking for votes. His hat was tilted backward, his thumbs were ensconced in the armholes of his vest, and acquaintances among young fellows were greeted with a heartiness that was rugged and genuine. Notwith- standing his departure from the ministry, MacInnes re s a_ host of warm . who idered him justified in rse he has taken. To-day he bade good-by to his friends in Benicta. He will stop at the residence of Colonel W. 8. Little at 3621 Broadway, this city. until he takes his departure for “In leaving the ministry I do so with ' the East next week.