Q. Are they on the force now?
A. That I can't say. I do not know anything about the present force?
Q. Did you discharge them permanently?
A. They left, certainly, and were never on again. They were on again for some days afterwards, for I had too many things to attend to, to attend to them just at once. I pitied the men, because I knew them to be good men, and I am very confident they will never do so again. It took the starch out of me. I was demoralized by it. There are some things you haven't asked me questions about. There was some talk here the other day about protection to the fire department.
By Senator Reyburn:
Q. There has been some testimony that citizens, about the time they were breaking into these gun stores, came and offered to be sworn—state what you know about that?
A. That was by Follensbee. Mr. Follensbee came there and offered. He came to the office very much demoralized.
By Mr. Lindsey:
Q. Just state the fact whether he offered his services, and then whether you accepted or not, and then give the reason why you didn't accept him?
A. I don't know whether he offered his services or not. There were more men, during these two or three hours that I was assigning these men to duty—there were more men who came in there, in the capacity of military strategists, than would be enough to run the United States and Confederate army during the rebellion, and I was annoyed to death with every man coming in there who had some plan. I could not get my wits together. This Mr. Follensbee came there. I have no recollection personally of what he said, but I do know that he was very sadly demoralized with something stronger than I am going to take now. He is a good gentleman, as honest a man as ever lived.