Police Chief McKinnon's Absence (Part 8) - January 1895

“Chief of Police McKinnon appeared before the board of police commissioners yesterday afternoon to make explanations as to his late absence from duty and the charges so freely made against him It was a most painful interview.”

Hamilton Spectator.   January 18, 1895.

The oft-delayed meeting between the Hamilton police commissioners and Chief McKinnon was finally held on Thursday January 18, 1895.

At the long table in the meeting room, the chief sat at one end with his lawyer:

“Mr. McKinnon was without uniform, had a pale and worried appearance, and when he began to speak, his voice was weak and tremulous.”¹

¹         “The Story of the Trip : The Chief Before the Police Commissioners”

 Hamilton Herald.   January 18, 1895.

          After the three commissioners entered the room, Hamilton Mayor A. D. Stewart  began the proceedings, calling on the chief to explain his conduct:

          “ ‘Gentlemen,’ said Mayor Stewart, when the preliminaries had been disposed of, ‘I suppose the Board has met to hear the defense or explanation of the chief of police as to certain charges that have been made against him. It is in order for him now, I presume, to proceed.’ ”¹

                The Spectator reporter present noted that the chief seemed to still be very weakened and unsteady:

“The chief rose to speak, leaning against his chair, but the commissioners all together agreed that he might be seated during the enquiry.

“In a weak, broken voice, much unlike his usual hearty tone, the officer began his explanation.”²

² “’Twas Another Man’s Crime : McKinnon’s Fall Caused By Good-Heartedness”

Hamilton Spectator.   January 18, 1895.

At the outset, the chief expressed his regret at not appearing sooner, but that he had been physically unable to do so:

“ ‘A portion of my explanation I have communicated to you already in a letter, which I suppose you have accepted and dealt with. Another portion of the reasons why I have been away, accounting for my having been associated with certain people, may implicate some persons whom I do not feel at liberty to name publicly here. I may communicate them to you privately, or in writing, so that you can use your discretion as to whether they should be made public.’

“Judge Muir – ‘I do not see, if you are an innocent man, why you should feel any delicacy about giving names.’

“The Chief – “There is only one name I would wish to withhold. I involves another man.’

“Judge Muir – ‘Call him Smith, for the npresent.’

“Judge Jelfs – ‘Do you wish to claim you were away on business?’

“The Chief – ‘That’s what I wish to say. Probably you will understand me better as I go on. I went to Toronto to attend a wedding, intending to return the following day. Sometime before to ladies called at my office, and one of them explained that her sister was in a delicate position. She had been more or less trifled with by the person who caused her trouble. In conversation with them, I learned that the sister wanted to cover up her trouble. She said the man in the case was in a position to assist her financially, and should do so. Verbally, and in writing, this man had promised to assist her. When the women were in my office, I wrote a letter to this party. In a week, an answer came, and it was not satisfactory.

“Mayor Stewart – ‘Will there be a copy of that letter in the police letter book?’

“The Chief – ‘Yes. I first tried to discover what business this man was in, and what his connection with that business was. I got that information from the chief officer of the place in which he lives. I learned he was a man of some substance at least, and I advised the sisters to go there and have a personal interview with him, but they thought it would be useless. I suggested that I would go with them, and also suggested that they have a lawyer to accompany them, mentioning a lawyer who would act. Time went on, however, and nothing more was done. Some days ago, the sisters came again, and it was evident something had to be done. It was arranged that I should endeavor to locate the man and arrange for a personal interview. While in Toronto on the occasion referred to, I thought it would be a good time to have that interview. I wired from the Walker House to the chief officer of the place where the man was supposed to be to find him, and I also wired to Mrs. Gould, asking if she and her sister were prepared to go and have that interview. I got a reply that they would go, and I also got a reply from Berlin, showing that we could make the meeting. I wired Mrs. Gould to join me at Guelph, with her sister, leaving on the 4 o’clock train. On my arrival at Guelph, I got a telegram from the chief officer referred to saying, ‘Don’t come till Saturday night.’

“Judge Jelfs – ‘Did you preserve that telegram?’¹

The chief, in response took a Canadian Pacific Railway message, and handed it to Judge Jelfs, who, after reading it, passed the message to his fellow commissioners :

“Continuing, the chief said, ‘After getting that telegram, I saw I was not going to be able to do anything, and made up my mind to return to Hamilton the following morning, Friday. In the meantime, I started out myself to see if I could locate this party. I went around Guelph and got some information which I thought would locate this man. I went to the Grand Trunk station to see if I could get a message to Acton that night. I found I could, and I sent a message. The following morning I went to the station to ask if the message had been delivered, and found it had, but no reply had been received. I called up Acton by telephone, got the man and asked him to come to Guelph. He said this would not be convenient for him, and I asked him to name any place that would be convenient.

“ Judge Muir – ‘Where were these girls all this time?’

“The Chief – ‘At the hotel in Guelph, I went to the Royal there, and the sisters had a room to themselves, and I had a room to myself. After telephoning and arranging for an interview at Acton, I hurried back to the hotel, because the train was almost due to leave. The sister was too ill to go, and Mrs. Gould and I went. At Acton, we met the man in question, went woith him to a hotel, and had a conversation which was more or less satisfactory, and after dinner arranged with the man to come to Guelph that night, returning to Guelph ourselves.

“ ‘ We remained there until 8 in the evening – this was Friday – when the man came, and, after a long talk, the business was satisfactorily arranged so far as the financial part of it was concerned. On Saturday morning early, we retired to our rooms, and this gentleman left. Saturday evening, Mrs. Gould, her sister and I took the train to Toronto, going to the Grand Union Hotel. I told the bookkeeper who I was, but he knew me anyway – the people of the house also knew me. I asked him to give the ladies rooms and a room for myself, and then started out to arrange for a place for the lady until she would be through her trouble. I was out until 11 o’clock when I returned to the hotel and retired. The ladies occupied their own rooms, and I occupied mine.

“ ‘Sunday I intended coming home, but Monday came – and Tuesday – and – well, I did not leavew until Wednesday night. The ladies left on Tuesday night. During my absence, as I wrote in my letter, I had been imbibing – pretty freely. Further than that, there was nothing improper between the ladies and myself. In that respect, I was absolutely careful.’ ” ¹

Magistrate Jelfs then began the cross-examination of the chief:

“ Judge Jelfs - ‘Do you know how the name of Collins came to entered on the book, Maude, ditto, Ethel ditto?’

“ The Chief - ‘I only heard of that through the press. I know nothing of it.’

“ Judge Jelfs - ‘ Do you mean to say you know nothing about the name of Collins?’

“ The Chief - ‘Nothing whatever. If those names were entered by the clerk, I had nothing whatever to do with it. He had no authority from me.’

“ Judge Jelfs - ‘ Rooms 7, 9 and 11 were assigned to Collins?’

“ The Chief - ‘I did not know that.’

“ Judge Jelfs - ‘The rooms were together?’

“ The Chief - ‘Mine was No. 11. The others were off the parlor. They opened into each other; there was a door between them, but they had no connection with mine.’

“ Judge Jelfs - ‘You paid for the rooms and the ladies’ board?’

“ The Chief - ‘Yes.’

“ Judge Jelfs - ‘How much?’

“ The Chief - ‘I got some money from the clerk, and gave a check for the whole amount.’

“Judge Jelfs – ‘You got some money - $9, was it not?’

“The Chief – ‘Yes, I think so.’

“Judge Jelfs – ‘And you paid the whole amount - $37.50, I believe – by a check on the Bank of Hamilton?’

The Chief – ‘No, on the Bank of Commerce.’

Judge Jelfs – ‘Did you have any funds either in the Bank of Hamilton or the Bank of Commerce to cover that check?’

The Chief – ‘I had some in the Bank of Commerce; not enough, but I expected when I came home to be able to place funds enough to cover the check.’

Judge Jelfs – ‘I understand from your explanation that you might have been home on Sunday – but let that go for the present. Here’s another check (passing one over to the chief), did you give that?’

The Chief – ‘Yes; not enough, I admit.; but I expected to cover it when I came home.’

Judge Jelfs – ‘I think Mr. McKinnon  ought to give us the name of the man he went to interview – not for publication, but it may help us in looking into the matter.’

“Chief McKinnon wrote down the name on a sheet of paper, and passed it up to the mayor.

“Judge Muir – ‘Assuming that all you have told is true, do you think any respectable man would travel all around the country as you have been doing, staying at the same hotels as these women?’

“The Chief – ‘It never occurred to me for a moment that there was anything wrong about that part of it.’

“Mayor Stewart – ‘Were you away to assist in a criminal prosecution or to try to make an amicable arrangement?

“The Chief – ‘To try to settle the matter amicably.’

“Judge Jelfs – ‘You might have let some one know ehere you were all the time.’

“The Chief – ‘Yes, perhaps so.’

“Judge Muir – ‘At Guelph, how did you register?’

“The Chief – ‘I did not register. I often do not. Where I go, I am well-known.”

“Judge Jelfs – ‘Was it an arrangement that you were not to register?’

“The Chief –‘No; the bookkeeper knows me well, and he just assigned us rooms. The last time I was in Guelph, I stopped at the same hotel, and did not register.’

“Judge Jelfs – ‘Were you a visitor at Mrs. Gould’s house before this?’

“The Chief – ‘I know her very well, but have not been a frequent visitor at her house. I have been there three or four times, once or twice in Gould’s presence, but I have never been with her alone.

“Judge Jelfs – ‘Do you think this running all over the country looking after the interests of seduced girls is proper business for a man in your position?’

“Judge Muir (quickly) – ‘Of course, it is not.’

“The Chief – ‘I am aware that it is not, but sometimes we are asked to assist females who are in trouble. (A long and somewhat painful pause.) There has never been anything improper between Mrs. Gould and myself. All through this affair, there has been nothing improper between me and either of these women. The only thing is that I was indulging too freely in liquor.’

“Judge Muir – ‘It is a most discreditable and disgraceful thing that you should have been travelling around the country with another man’s wife.’

“Mayor Stewart – ‘Were you known to the bookkeeper at the Grand Union?’

“The Chief – ‘I do not know about that. The bartender there knows me, and the proprietor knows me very well.’

“Judge Muir – ‘He must have sized you and the girls up, and entered the fictitious names on the register on the idea that you did not want to be known.”

“The Chief – ‘Many times you may go to a hotel register, and not find there the names of respectable people who are on respectable business.’

“Judge Jelfs – ‘It’s very unusual.’

“Judge Muir – ‘And you cannot explain away the fact that you were travelling with another man’s wife, stopping two nights with her in Guelph, and several nights in Toronto.’

“Mr. Nesbitt – ‘The clerk of the Grand Union informed a reliable friend of mine that he thought the chief was there on detective business and did not want to be known, so he put down the first name he thought of – entering the women after, to keep track of the account.’

“Mayor Stewart – ‘He told us exavtly different.’

“Mr. Nesbitt – ‘Further, he said he had received no instructions from Chief McKinnon to enter fictitious names.”

“Mayor Stewart – ‘You got leave of absence from me for one day. When you were away longer, did you notify Sergeant-Major Smith?

“The Chief – ‘No.’

“Mayor Stewart – ‘Have you anything you desireto add?’

“The Chief – ‘I have nothing to say further, except in a general way. I am innocent of the serious charge –‘

“Judge Jelfs – ‘One moment. Can you explain why in Toronto the sisters occupied two rooms, while in Guelph they occupied only one.’

“The Chief – ‘The one who was in an unfortunate condition was restless.’

“Judge Muir – ‘You seem to have overlooked the fact that if a man were set to have improper intercourse with one woman, or with two women, that’s just about the way he would proceed.’

“The Chief – ‘I think I can show by the people at the Grand uion –‘

“Judge Muir – ‘All you can show is that you occupied three bedrooms together, and were registered under fictitious names.’

“The Chief – ‘I think that is an unfair way to put it. The rooms the ladies occupied were off a parlor, and had a door between, while neither communicated with mine.’

“Judge Jelfs – ‘No. 11, which you occupied is immediately adjoining No. 9.’

“The Chief – ‘But it is down the hall and around the corner.

“Judge Jelfs (who seemed to know the ground very well) – ‘Yes, like going around the corner of that bookcase.’

“Mayor Stewart – ‘Can you explain why you occupied rooms 7, 9 and 11, while the register shows 6, 7 and 9.?’

“The Chief – ‘The last day I was there, the clerk asked me if I would  change. Some troupe had come to the hotel, and I moved to 6.’

“Judge Jelfs – ‘But the register shows 6,7 and 9 from the first, and you say you did not occupy 6 until the last day?’

“The chief appeared somewhat confused, tried to add something to his expolanation, and then said, ‘If I were at the hotel, I could show you the rooms, and explain everything satisfactorily.’

“Judge Jelfs - ‘While there, you dined with, and were otherwise in company with the ladies?’

“The Chief – ‘I think I ate three meals while I was in the house.’

“Judge Jelfs – ‘”What kept them so late as Tuesday, when their business was all settled up satisfactorily on Saturday?’

“The chief’s reply could not be heard.

“ Judge Jelfs – ‘You say yu were imbibing too freely. With whom were you drinking?’

“The Chief –‘I drank by myself – in my own room, and in the bar.’

“Judge Jelfs (sarcastically) – ‘And in the hotel where you were well-known, too?’

“The Chief – ‘Yes. I ask you once more to give me an opportunity to produce these people, and any evidence that may be required to support what I have said. I can bring up my letter book now, and show you the letter I spoke of.’

“Judge Muir – ‘Oh, that is not necessary.’ ” ¹

The cross-examination of Chief McKinnon ended at this point:

“Chief McKinnon arose and walked to the foot of the table. Then, while Mayor Stewart was remarking that the commissioners would like to talk over the matter, the chief turned faint and had to be assisted from the room.”¹

Formal proceedings were over for the day, although Chief’s McKinnon’s lawyer attempting to argue on behalf of the chief, when the commissioners firmly told him that they knew all they needed to know.

The police commissioners decided to meet again at 3 o’clock the following day to render its decision on the matter.