The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 16, 1905, Page 1

5 | | THE WBATHER. Forecast made at San Francisco for thirty hours ending midnight, Febru- ary u San Francisco and Thursday, with showers; fresh east | wind. A G. McADIE, District Forscaster. vicinity—Cloudy | | | . 3,0 *“1_17" WSW"} ing, tucket.” mas.” day. + THE THEATERS. ALCAZAR—Matinee, “Are You a CALIFORNIA—"Our New COLUMBIA—*‘The CENTRAL—"“A Night Before Christ- CHUTES—Vaudeville, | FISCHER'S—Vaudeville. GRAND—‘Mother Goose." ORPHEUM—Vaudeville. TIVOLI—Grand Opera. “Ghosts'™; even- Earl of Paw- Matinee to- [/ y IE XCVII—NO. 78 SAN FRANCISCO, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1905. PRICE_ FIVE CENTS. GHIEF WITTNAN SUSPENDED ON GHARGE OF INCOMPETENGY A tency against Chief Wittman. S a sequel to the trial of Sergeant Ellis, who was found vguilty'last night of neglect of duty for failing to sup- press gambling in Chinatown, the Police Commissioners preferred charges of neglect of duty and incompe- He, too, must share responsibility for the failure of the “squad” to stamp out fantan. The Chief was suspended pending his trial and Captain John Spillane will serve in his place temporarily. - | A | “«Z { <> o DR, HARPER (ST | PREPARES RESOLUTION. ~ FOR DEATH House Votes tolrives—fs()ns of the Noted tigate Standard | Educator Are Oil Combine. | Summoned, ° i CHICAGO, Feb. 15.—Dr. William Rainey Harper, president of the Uni- versity of Chicago, has arranged his affairs in view of the grave possibili- ties of the surgical operation to which he will have to submit next week. He is suffering from a thickening of the walls of the intestine at the head of the colon, The operation will take place in the Presbyterian Hospital, and will be per- ANTI-TRUST | Spectal CALL BU¥ WASHINGTO )ST BUILDING, N, Feb. 15.—Without a ing vote or voice the y adopted the most drastic resolution yet considered in It provides for an investiga- of the Standard Oil Company from to bot by the Department of erce and Labor. Congress tion Comm: h R RS lnlrndu(;fd by | formed by Dr. Charles McBurney of P tive ( ampbell of Kansas, New York, who is on his way to Chi- 1 the special object of investigating cago. Dr. McBurney operated upon e oil situation in that State, but it is | President McKinley after the latter much broader in sco; and requires the Secretary of Commerce and Labor to Investigate the whole organization, capitalization, profits and management of the business. This resolution is even more sweeping than that presented by Martin of South Dakota, which was the basis of Com- missjoner Garfield’s investigation of the | beef trust. The fact that it was adopt- ed by the House unanimously, without | even reference 10 committee, is most significant of the disposition of the popular branch of Congress in regard to anti-trust measures. i Campbell will consult with President | Roosevelt to-morrow. At a conference ' with Commissioner Garfield yesterday he made a personal request for an in- | vestigation of the situation in the Kan- | gas ofl field and the operatipns of the | Standard Oil Company there. The re-| suit of this conference was the intro- | duction of the resolution and its quick | sdoption by the House. | Many members consider this, under the circumstances, the most remarkable Continued on Page 2, Column 4. had been shot by Czolgosz. As fast as ocean liners can bear them home, Dr. Harper’s two sons are hur- rying from Europe. Samuel Harper, Who has been studying the Russian language and literature at the Univer- sity of Moscow, is due to arrive in New York to-morrow. Robert Harper, who has been in Constantinople, is on a steamship in midocean, having been notified of his father's condition a week ago. ————— AUTO ACCIDENTS STIR GERMAN LEGISLATORS Bill to Be Considered Creating Central Organization to Pay y Damages. BERLIN, Feb. 15.—Owing to nu- nierous motor car accidents in Ger- {many a bill it to be presented to the Reichstag providing for the compul- | sory formation of an organization of automobilists which will be respon- sible for all damages. The plan is that every owner of 4 motor car be com- pelled to join the organization, PRINCIPALS IN POLICE SENSA- TION SPRUNG AT LAST NIGHT'S MEETING OF THE BOARD, — 3 BIG SALARY O RAILWAY PRESIDENT Specifal Dispatch to The Call. CHICAGO, Feb. - 15.—According to an announcement made to-day by a prominent official of one of the West- ern lines who is in high favor wita ident W. H. Newman, who heads the Vanderbilt system of railroads, the salary of President, Newman under the mew arrangement is $120,000 a year. Special concessions are made for him by W. K. Vanderbilt for his residence in New York City and a handsomely | fitted private car. % o Wi —_————— /Baltimore Man. ST. LOUISY Feb. 15.—A marriage license was issued at Clayton, Mo,, to Michael F. McCoole of Baltimore and Miss Anna E. Mullery of San Fran- cisco to-day. - o aa NN 5 RELUCTANT HENS CAUSE EGG FAMINE Chicago Packers Put All Blame Upon Special Dispatch to The Call CHICAGO, Feb. 15.—South Water- street commission men claim that the scarcity of eggs is caused by the cold weather and:not by any of the packers, as has been alleged. The hens won't lay 1n such’cold weather, B g e “There is”no ‘corner -on eggs,” said one of the conimission - men to-day. “Nearly all packers “ave. closed out most of their egg busimess within the last six months, with the exception of Nelson oMrris, who is still deing a cer- | t business. Armour has | holdings. {.fl: amount; lost more tham" 0N eggs during the last two years, and he recently dis~ charged his entire force of egg men B o SEQRGE 3 < X ITTMAN - VISITS WAV PATTERSON 1N T0MBS Mrs. Maybrick Sym- pathizes With Prisoner. e b Special Dispatch to The Call. N NEW YORK, Feb. 15.—Florence Elizabeth Maybrick, recently released husband, James Chandler Maybrick, visited the Tombs prison this after- noon in the course of a tour of the penal institutions of the State. She saw ‘“‘Nan' Patterson, the young act- ress: who is awaiting her third trial on the charge of having killed Caésar Young. “Young woman,” she said, “you have my deep sympathy in the great trial through which you are passing.” The actress thanked her. Mrs. Maybrick, when leaving, com- plimented. Warden Flynn on the con- dition of the*Tombs. She said it was a paradise compared with English prisons in cleanliness, light and the general 'comfort to prisoners. Mrs. MayWrick seemed especially interested in the system of allowing visitors to see the prisoners. —_ e ——— Status of Osteopaths. . \JEFFERSON CITY, Mo., Feb. 15.— THe Missouri Supreme Court to-day rendered an opinion that osteopaths are not physicians or surgeons under the-laws of the State and they are li- abe. to damages. i | buisiness entirely.” from. an: English prison after serving sixteen years on conviction by the Liverpool Assizes of the Kkilling of her ‘closed out almost all of his egg . The same action has been ‘taken by Swift, and it looks as though 'men were going to get out of the | Board came as the denouement of the FAILURE T0O STOP FANTAN IS THE CAUSE ACGUSATION FOLLOWS - JUDGMENT OF GUILTY IN THE ELLIS CASE Head of Department Held to Share Re- sponsibility. SPILLANE HAS CHARGE George W. Wittman, Chief of Police of San Francisco, was charged last night by the commission with neglect of duty and incompetency and at once suspended from duty pending disposi- | tion of the case. The sensational action of the Polize trial of Sergeant Thomas P, Ellis, and the accusation against the Chief is based on testimony that was developed | as to the wrevalence of gambling in Chinatown and the failure of the de- partment to stamp it out. H Ellis was found guilty, but sentence| was deferred one week. Then Commis- | sioner Ragan began making: the mo- tions that brought Wittman down from | his high station, and the wind-up was the promotion of the senior captain of | the force, Captain John Spillane, who commands the Southern district, to be teTporary head of the department. It was made plain why the Commis- sioners have been so Searching and| their inquiries so far-reaching in the hearing of the charges against Ellis. The attempt was made again last night to gain from the grand jurors what the sergeant confessed to them of bribery and corruotion in Chinatown. Wit- nesses innunerable had been called in an effort to establish that fantan ran riot. At every opportuity the fact was emphasized that a diligent sergeant l'ke Cook at the head of the squad now has all the games suppressed. SOUGHT CASE AGAINST CHIEF. It looked very much throughout the protracted hearings as if the board was straining itself beyond necessity to make out a case against Ellis. It went into things that seemed entirely irrele- vant to the gharges against him. But the glare was turned on last night, and clear as holy script was it that the Commissioners had been chiefly en- gaged in gathering evidence on whic! to found charges against Chief Witt- man. How far the commisston was justified in its course remains to be determined. The Chief must have an opportunity for a fair trial and he will avail him- self of it with vigor. Some say that | the move was deliberate to oust him and that it is programmed that San Francisco shall have a new head for the Police Department. Others explain that the members of the board were provoked to the step because of pique engendered by the Grand Jury's re- ort. : But it cannot be gainsaid that there was a stealthiness in the manner of the board in approaching their move that had an unpleasant savor. Under the guise of trying Sergeant Ellis be- cause he neglected his duty in allow- ing the fantan games to run, there was energetic reaching out for evidence to condemn Wittman. In the light of the Grand Jury report that Ellis had ac- cepted bribes to the amount of $2000 there needed not have been much dilly- dallying with him. But the scheme was deep, well hidden, and the oppor- tunity excellent for digging out an ac- cusation against Wittman. That the case of the sergeant was much overshadowed was forcibly dem- onstrated in the wide difference in the courses pursued in regard to him and the Chief. Wittman was suspended di- | was not locking for it. able to cope successfully with the problem of downing the strong trait of the wily Chinese to play at chance. Sergeant Cook has things very well under control at the present time. But the fact remains that he must make raids every day almost, and that games do start up despite his vig- ilance. Cook himself, when before the board some time ago. shook his head when asked if he thought it pessible to stamp out gambling among the Chigese and said he doubted very much if it could be done pergaanently. WITTMAN SURPRISED. “I am under charges and suspend- ed from the department, and it would not be proper for me to make a statement at_this time,” said Chief Wittman in his office immediately af- ter the adjournment of the Commis~ sioners. “The action of the board was altogether a surprise to me. 1 I will pre- sent my defense at the proper time. This is the first time that a Chief of Police has been charged and sus- pended in the history of San Francis- cp’s department. “We have done our best to suppress gambling in Chinatown, and it is net an easy thing to do. I don’t see how I can be held accountable for the acts of every man under my com- mand. Because a sergeant does not do his duty or any policeman proves faithless, it is rather hard to held me responsible for his shortcomings, I think. Al I wish to say to the pub- lic at this time is that I will defend myself, and, I feel assured, success- fully, when the charges come up for hearing. “I don’t know of any plot to oust me from the office of Chief of Police to make way for another, and I don’t believe there is any.” It was after the case of Sergeant Ellis was closed that the Commission. ers retired to deliberate on the un- pected step against the Chief. They came back in a very mnervous state, and Attorney Mogan for the accused sergeant had difficulty to get calm consideration of his formal metion for dismissal of proceedings against his client. Reagan made the motions. Ellis was found guilty of the two charges against him unanimously. By an- other motion passing of sentence was postponed a week. REAGAN NERVOUS AND PALE. Then Commissfoner Reagan became fidgaty and pale. He didn’t appear to like the job before him. 1 move you now,” he procseded in halting voice, “that in view of the de- velopments during these proceedings as to the failure of the department to suppress gambling in Chinatown that the secretary be instructed to prepare charges against the Chief of Police for negligence of duty and incompetence.” Commissigner Drinkhouse promptly seconded the motion and with dis- patch it was carried by a unanimous vote. 3 “Move. we adjourn,” said Reagan. The motion was carried hurriedly and then the left his chair on half a run for the door. “Don’t want te talk to you,” he waved to the newspaper men. Poheim and Drinkhouse remained in | their seats for a while, but they had rectly the charges were made. Ellis|no word for Wittman, who sat silent has been on duty every day since the , and somewhat crestfallen. He then- accusation was filed against him, and | gathered up his papers quietly. and, he is still on duty notwithstanding that | without speaking a word to any ome, he has been found guilty or neglect of | proceeded to his office. There he was duty in failing to stop fantan. found to be not so broken in spirit DID NOT STOP GAMBLING. (a3 he had looked a few minutes be ' The burden of the charges against | fore: He was per'i;:-‘,yd c::.;‘ ,:emd Chief Wittman Is that he is account- | Unperturbed it apo ien in th able for the failure of the various|fortified by the exper : maaed et squads that have taken their turns in | Mmany storms that have riged Shout Chinatown duty to prevent gambling. | Mim during his career in The commission holds him directly ; Ment- responsible. It has always been the purpose of the board to place the re- | sponsibility of this work on the shoul- ! ders of the Chief. To this end the sergeant in command of the squad has reported directly to the Chief and not to his captain, as is the usual course. That the fantan and lottery games were never cleared out thoroughly was unquestionably proved during the Ellis hearings. But there is a grave | question, say those disposed to defend | the police, whether it is pessible to do | so. It looks as if the case can be made out against Wittman, however, if there is a plan afoot to have a new Chief of Police. It cannot be denied | that the department has never been NO PLOT ON FOOT. “There is absolutely no truth in the statements that it has been the purpese of the Commissioners for some time to | get Wittman out of the office of Chief of the department,” declared Drink- house after the adjournment. Reagan thinks that the Grand Jury in its criticisms of the Police Department in cowhection with Chinatown corrup- tion reflected gravely upon himself and Commissioner Drinkhouse. Both the Commissioners are said to believe that the Grand Jury spared Wittman in their criticisms unjustifiably. This explanation develops a phase of Continued on Page 2, Column 8.