Chicago Tribune
HEALEY OUSTS MORALS SQUAD;
LID COMES OFF?
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Chief Denies Dismissal of All Save One Inspector Has Convention Bearing.
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Will Appoint New Men.
Chief of Police Healey yesterday summarily discharged seven deputy inspectors of moral conditions. Some of them have been on Maj. Funkhouser’s staff ever since he became second deputy superintendent.
With one exception the entire force was dismissed. The remaining one is George Christy, a Greek, who is said to have been appointed at the instance of City Controller Pike in return for his organization of a Greek William Hale Thompson club. The others were selected by Maj. Funkhouser personally. Some of them were investigators for former Mayor Harrison’s civil service commission as far back as 1912.
Denies Lid Is to Come Off.
Chief Healey denied there was any significance to the discharge of all the veteran investigators on the eve of the national conventions. He said that his action did not in any way confirm rumors that the lid was to be thrown into Lake Michigan during the convention week. He said he would appoint new men to the vacancies, but it is expected they will not be named for a week or more.
Chief Healey said he would select the new investigators.
"I shall select men who are not so well known as those seven," he said, "and they will be men that I know personally so that I’ll have confidence in their reports."
"Is there any reason for their dismissal exactly at this time ?"
"No, I have had it under consideration for some time. The first order dismissing some of them has been in the office for over a week and has been delayed."
Up to the Captains.
"Does the fact that there will be no morals inspectors at work mean that the lid will be off during the convention week ?"
"No. The inspectors have nothing to do with the enforcement of the law. That is up to the captains and it will be enforced whether we have morals inspectors or not."
Maj. Funkhouser refused to discuss the subject in any way. He referred all questions to his superior.
That volunteer investigators may be at work was indicated by a letter to Mayor Thompson from Mrs. G. M. Mathes, president of the Woman’s Church Federation. It notified him that groups of Bible class men were aiding the organization in obtaining evidence against violators of the Sunday closing law. It charged that the mayor "could and did enforce the law for a time," and that "there has been a serious increase in the laxity of that enforcement since that time."
