Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-09-24
THE SAFRAPY IN MOBILE.
brutality Of Negro POIIcemen-They
are Sustained by Gen. POpe's Mayor.

RrnfaIisy of Negro POIIcemen-They
are Sustained by Gen. POpe's Mayor.
From the Mobile Register, 10Th.
A lady was arraigned before the Mayor
this morning to answer the charge of hav-
ing used vulgar language, and with having
resisted two negro policemen. A large
number of witnesses were examined, all
negro for the prosecution and nearly all
white for the defence. The lady in ques-
ton resides in the neighborhood of Law
renee and Monroe streets, and she was
sitting in front of her doorway yesterday,
and her little child, not yet weaned and
Just able TO toddle, by some mischance
found its way into the street. A negro
drayman came along driving a four horse
team before heavy wagon loaded with
blocks. Although several people hallOoed
at him to stop and lookout for the child;
he did not do il, and the child was snatched
up by young girl just as one of the horses
was almost touching it. The mother had
seen the thing and her feelings we're
wrought up to such pitch that she could
hardly contain herself, and she rushed out
and seizing her child from the girl who
had rescued it, cried out to the
negro, ''you black rascal, would you
kill my child? She returned to
her house, and a moment after a negro POI
lieeman entered her premises and insisted
upon arresting her. She objected to accom-
panying him, and thinking that he only
wanted her to 20 and make charge against
the negro driver, she told him that il made
no difference as the child was not hufl She
was nursing the child at her breast at the
time, and the little creature while drawing
its nourisbment was sobbing convulsively
The negro, however, brutally insisted on
dragging her of, and tore the child from
her arms and put it one side. He finally
seemed to reconsider the matter, and then
left the house. He went across the street
and met another policeman, and after
short conference they both returned to the
lady's house and with great brutality and
unnecessary exercise of force, dragged her
from her dwelling, tore her clothes, knocked
the comb out OF her hair and hauled her
along the street with her hair flying
about her The thing was so outrageous
that the neighbors turned out and inter
ferred. 1t was an unusual sight 70 see
respectable won IN thus treated in the
public streets. The negroes refused to say
whether they had warrant or not and
told lady who asked them if they had,
''what the hell is it your business, if you
don't lock out we'll arrest you" They
carried piece Of paper in their hands, to
convey an idea that they had warrant.
They refused, also, to tell the lady what
they arrested her for, and she did not find
out until she got to the guard house, that it
was for language she had used when her
child was in imminent danger. This state
ment of the case was that shown by the
defendants witnesses, all unimpeachable
On the other hand, the negro police who
live in the immediate neighborhood,
brought up their wives and sisters and
gave a great deal of contradictory testimo4
ny. They substantially stated the same
facts as the witnesses for the defense, but
said that instead of calling the negro
black rascal, she called him black s. of
a b.. One of the negro policemen con
tradicted himself several times, and ex-
hibited dogged determination TO swear to
anything. His countenance, to say the least,
was a villainous one, and was fully in keep
ing with his action in this case. The
Mayor concluded to take the evidence of
the negroes, and fined Mrs. -- $40, upon
which she appealed.