, 1864-07-22
ALLEGED AEs>NAPP1NE OF
fsECkU1IS HsY POLICE
OFFICERS.
Experience OF m Illinois Nero Re.
efuttin. Agent III New York.

lFrom th" N. T. Express, July 1e.1
a very serious case, In which serious
CHARGES Y ere preferred against Sergeant Webb
ard otticcr k,gltmire, of the lst precinct.
Rss mp Tor adjudication before the Board Of
Police Commissioners this afternoon, Messrs.
Acton, McMurray and Bergen present. The
son, colored individual, Of vcry Intelligent
a1sd ehrewd appearance, who alleged that be
rteidcs in Quincy, Ill, and that he was in
the recruiting business. He had picked up
four negroes at Cairo, n, and elsewhere,
list them in the service Of the United States.
At Chicago he fell In with some white men in
the EanlG business, who advised him to 70 to
Btettn, " hcrt he could sell his recruits to
the b-st advantage. lie took their advice and
arrived in this city in company with the re-
crnlts on Saturday, the I'd inst, and stopped
& \. q. Railroad depot, waiting for the
train TO convey him and his recruits to Bos.
ton. While waiting for the train Sergeant
Nebb and officer Rightmire came up and
asked Linn where he Was taking the men,
meaning the negro recruits. He made the
officers IN evasive answer, as he did not
know them to be such, but as they persisted
IN questioning him be told them he WIS TAX
Ing them to Boston to spend the 18th Of July.
Beiieying that something Was wrong, the
officers told him to consider himself under
arrest and that they would take hin down to
the station house, which they finally did,
under the impression that he was guilty OF
IN act IN violation of the late enlistment law
passed By the last Legislature, prohibiting
the taking Of residents of this State out to
any other to enlist them there. serreant
Knapp was In command at the station house,
and when the prisoners were brought before
him Newson still equiyocated, saying that be
was taking the colored men to Bos-
nm a 71n
geant questioned the other negroes,
and they stat.d that he had brought
them on from Illinois to enlist in Boston.
and that he had promised to give the men
800 each, and q bog $50, the bounty in Bus
ton then being 500. When the boy Ind made
THIS statement, Sewson threatened to leave
the boy behind for bis presumed ingratitude,
but Capt. Burdick interfered, and insisted
that he should take charge of the lad as he
had brought him on. NeWson then admitted
that he was going on to Boston to enlist his
companions and as be had committed no Of
fence against the laws of the State, he was
discharged. lie then requested that, as he
was y Stranger IN the city, some Officers
should be sent with him to take his men to
the depot Sergeant Webb Has sent to tase
charge of these men, and officer Rishtmire
accompanied him. Newson alleges that on
the way to the derot the recruits were stolen
from him by the Officers He searched all
find them, and he then went on to Boston
where he discovered that two Of the men had
been enlisted there BY Rightmire, He was
then instructed to come here and make
the complaint, which he cid. One OF
the eolored men whom he had
ea3n bs9asat TO tha this &c city ,nsd from cairo
Andrew jackson, and hailIng from Ga1latin,
Tenn, was placed on the stand. He is q
genuine specimen Of the negro slave, but he
testified il o. very positive and convincing
manner. He corroroFated a1l the complaIn.
ant hat sworn to up to the time he was sent
from the Station house to the depot. He
Was then in charge Of officer Rlgl,mire. and
be alleges that be Was taken to Ere engine
house By the oM .er, who told the boys there
to Keep I1m, he and two OF his companions
were Kept there four days in state Of intox-
ieation, and then sent to Boston. He swore
positively that officer Rig edtmire took him all
The woy 70 Boston, and to the Provost Mar
shaIs Office there, where his companions
were passed by the surgeons, but he was re.
jected, having lost three fingers of his left
hand. He thtn came back to this CITY, where
he happened TO meet Mr. Eewson. who
brought Eim as q witness in the case. His
comrades were paid 500 each by tue brokers
who took them On to Boston, they (the
troke1s) pocketing the balance, $500 each.
he positively identified Rightmire as the man
who took him to Boston, which the officer as
positively denied, In defense, it was shown
thst Sergeant Webb WAS right in making the
arrest In the first place, and be asserted that
he accompanied the complainant with bis re-
cruits; lett them there; there was at that
time an immense crowd, Of probably 500 to
COO people wiling for the cars officer Me-
Carty, Of the 2gth Precinct, testified to see
four negroes; he positively denied, nor WAS
there my allegation, that he had any con-
ne1ion with the after part Of The transaction,
and SO fur Ills skirts we're cleared
The only point ut issue was whether Right
mi1e spirited the recruits away, took them
to the engine house and thence to Boston.
This the officer denies In toto, but the witness
poeiti!ely re-atHrned 1t. As Rightmire Is On
special duty, and no record is kept at the
station house as to the time he reports for
duty, etc, tue books capnot show whether
be was on duty at that time or not. Captain
Burdick and Sergeant Knapp tbiuk it;alimost
Impossible for him to have been away NTH
out their knowledge.
The case nas adjourned for week to ena-
Bile the prosecution TO prove and Kightmire
to disprove that be Tas ont Of town