A Financial Inquisition

Goff askod liini: "You soldyour Brooklyn house. How much did you get for it?" "I prot ?5,00u. I can't remember " "What bank was the rest of your monoy in?" "It was not in any bank. It was in bilis of exchange on English banks." "Did you cash thern bofore you joined the pólice forcé?" "Yes." "What did you get for thein? Gold?" 'No, paper money. I got the face value of the bilis." "Where did you pat that raoney?" "In a safe beloneing to a rnan naraed Terry." "You can't teil the amountyou deposited with Mr Terry?" "Between $15,000 and $30,01-0." "If the money was in greenbaeks they would not have been valuable. Gold was over '200 then." "Yes, I got 283 or 285 for it." "Why did you put it in the safe?" "To preservo it from burglars and robbers." "And corrupt bank officials?" "Yes." "You have thought onrefully over your evidence?" "Well, not specially. I have thought over it." "You remeiuber Commissioner McClavivs and Commissioner Shoehan's testimony?" "Yes, I read their evidence in the papers." "You don't intend to refuse to disclose your aiïairs as some of your officials have done?" "I don't intend to critlcise the opinions of iny superiors," sald the witness testily. "I do not say that the officials were superior," said Gofl'. "Well, you mentioned Comniissioners McClave and Sheehan." tiotting down to the distillery business Goff asked if George Norton, an official of the concern, was not a thief and Will iams said no. Goff suggested that Norton's father was n thief and Williams said: "He was not. He kept, a saloon at the corner of Dover and Water streets. George Norton often gave me information about thieves when 1 was captain of the Fourth precinct." "He was a stool-pigeon for you, then?' "He was not a stool-pigeon. Stool-pigeons are paid. He gave ine infonnntion is : groat inany citizens do to the pólice. He gavemy guocessor, Captain Murray.similar information." "And you desired to issist him in business?" "I nover did so." "Did you hear of a memorial belng pre sented to the legislature agalnst interfer ence by the polico in favor of Hollywootl whisky?" "Yes." "And in face of that memorial having been signed by reputable merchants an traders do you say it was false?' "Kalse as f ar as I am concerned." During this portiou of the witness' tos timony Goff 's temper appeared to be ris ing, while the inspector seemed deter rained to baffle the counsel's efforts Williams know a man named Fleece, a whisky dealer, and Goff remarkod: "He is a yery good fellow?" "I am glad to hear you cali any one a good fellow, Mr. Goff," said Williams. To the remark by Goff that there were a numberof charges against i inspector, ' Willianui replied 'Int be thoughthe hal "boen charged with every oflense on the calendar. In spit of that I feel rather healthy." He liad been before tho pólice board eigh teen limes, but liad never vioated the laws. Theo he had to te'l how i nuch real estáte he held and how niuch ! iis wife held. whon it was bought, and of ther similar mattere, and Incl&entally fcated that evldenoe given by Kirkland hal he bftd to pay $5üo tu bim in I8?ít vhcn he was in charge of the street iifí aquftd for alloWing Kirkland's books o bu audíted was a lic. There wis no reason, he said, why tho eow men, Rowollsand Porkins, Bhonld lave testified against htm and the merhants and tradera who sined tho memo] ial to the leglslature lied, perhaps unwitmiily. in iaot perjured thüinHelves. Duxing the Lnspector'a testimony there vas considerable laughtor. which seemed o provoke Goff, whosaid in an ansrry tone: 'Yon should know as a pólice officer that t is not proper for you by your answors o excite laughter in this room." "lam lot trying to do so," answored Wiliianis. ! íhe inspector did not hesitato to takr ssue vvitli Goff. The latter asserted that oth tlie scow men swore that the inpector had acceptod a $500 bribe, and Williams replied: "I don't think they aid anytliini of the kind." "Is that the only charpre of corrupticm jrought against you?" "I think so." "JDid not Schmittberger testify that hn (favo you moneyf" "Yes, and he testiiicd alscly." "What reason hail he for coming here ind perjuringhimself?' "To avoid going to state's prison." "You know that?" "Yes, I saw It in he papers. I saw that he had boen promsed immtinity for so doing.' "Teil mea single newspaper that has stated so." "I cannot say. It is my imression that it was in some of them. ' ' When asked if he had ever done anything calculated to make Schmittberger njure him the inspector said he had ïelped the captain; sometimes a man hated those who had helpod him. Ho had never done anything to stop gambling and other wickedness in his district becaure he was occupied all the time in office work, but he denied that he was either negligent or incompetent. Captain Schmittberger had reportcd to him that 'all the gambling houses were closed and ho relied upon tho captain's statement. This closed the hearing for the day.