Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-06-27
Meeting Of the Board Of Police.

DishhsskD-AN ASSAULT AND ARREST.
We briefly stated yesterday thst Major Rich.
ards was before the Board of Police for trial on
the charges referred aga mat in ~ the Con-
servative memoer.o of the Councils. fne Boarf
examined a pumoer ~ wifnesses for the pros.
ecutfon and the defense, and also cons de red
the f.liovlng statement Of MAJOR Richards: u
DIPARTNKSr OF METROPOLITAN Police,
Once Of Mayor and Superintendent. No. ?, Is.
Avenue, Washington, June T., fs6s.-To tAs
Board Of Police .--9HNrLRNRN. Inasm uch a. the
course which pursued ON Monday last, With
refesence to the stAuoning and removal OF DO.
lice officers from the door Of the Mayor,s once
on that day. and subsequent dis position OF por-
tons Of the force have been somewhat severed '
criticised in certain quarters, I deem IL proper
that make statement Of what has actually
occurred, and Of the motives which have gov.
Immediately affsr the oath Of once had been
adminIstCr rcd 70 the Mayor elect, which I wit
messed IN the Council chamber, was In formed
that the retiring Mayor had locked tue Mayors
session; and that, upon leavine the once the
retiring Mayor had, through the lieutenant of
police on duty In the City Hall, eau scd police
omcers TO be stationed at the door OF the May.
ors once, with instructions not to admit any
one 10 said ONCE, or to permit the door 70 b
opened forcisly or Otherwise. / immed lately
sought for and found the lieutenant, and ascer-
Rined that the above statement represented
correctly the status OF affairs they existed al
that time, or at least substantially So
1t was manifest that IL this q 10 position of the
by me the contest, as II had been going on dur.
ing the early part Of the day, would be still
further complicated by in volving m vself and
finally yenr honorable Board As partes to the
dispute. Believing that any official act of mine
in the City Hall on that day ought to be only
as a CONSERVATION of the peace and not as a ind ee
as to who was and who was not rightfuily
elected Mayor Of Washington, or whether the
Inauguration was formal or informal, direct.
ed the Lieutenant to Immediately withdraw his
men from the door of the Mayors Office, and to
ofier no resistance TO the gentleman who had
Just been sworn in as Mayor Of washington If
he attempted TO enter the same
When the retiring Mayor locked the Mayors
once and left, his term of ONCE had expired,
the once of Mayor ceased to exist, so that anv
request or directions gwen by that gentleman,
al that time, were entitled TO lust the same and
no more, consideration than those OF any other
IL should be borne in mind that, at this time
tnere was NO person claiming 10 be elected to
the ONCE Of Mayor except Mr.. Bowen; and,
consequently, there was no one to contest his
right TO occupy the once Of the Mayor.
1t seems to me clear, therefore, that if had
pei mitted those police officers to remain at SAID
door after my attention had been called to their
presence there, under the same Instructions
winch they had received from the re irir Q
Msyor, the responsibility for their presence
there and of their acts under their instructions
would nave iallen upon me alone, ard that /
cou Id not have transferred the responsibility
TO the retiring Mayor, or pleaded his request or
directions in excavation. II had, urder
these cIrcumstances.!p reven ted the Mayor elect
rom en- ,eripg his office wherever he Thought
proper TO do so, IL would have been purely an
exerc' e Of arbitrary power on my part and
70 my mind, clearly indefensiole and impossi-
bic of Justification.
Two or three days after the tran sctions mar
"a ed atoye, was notified by the Mayor, Mr..
Bowen, that he anucipa' ed trTt the outer door
OF tne west wing OF the CITY Hail. and the doors
lfrding to the Council Chambers would be
Ioreioiy entered by CERTAIN persons, some of
Councils.
By virtue his ONCE, As Nayor of the CITY,
and by authority Of certain gentlemen, whom
he recognized as presidents, respectively, ofthe
Board OF Aldermen and Board of Common
council, and in whose custody the Council
chambers were 1t the time Mr.. Bowen called
upon me 10 protect the public property from
violence. sad the doors above referred to from
being forcIbly opened.
Being placed in this position, had either to
stand oy passive spectator 10 a violent en-.
trance OF the building and rooms referred TO, or
prevent the sane, il attempted. As was an
tcipated by the Mayor, the attempt was made
on two occasions, and ON each occasion was
prevented by me.
With the foregoing statements / respectfully
submit the matter TO your consideration, and
IT su'h action as You may deem expedient.
A. c. RIcHARDs,
Major and Superintendent.
+. S.-SInce writing the above, Judge Fisher,
sitting as Judge Of the Circuit Court, decided
that Mr.. Bowen is de fdcto Mayor OF Washing.
ton, and that he must be recognized as So en-,
not only by the court. bu: all officers of the
law. i mention this as, indirectly, a judicial
Endorsement of my acts in the matters in ques-
ton. A,CR
The following resolution was submitted by a
remoev and was voted for by every member
of me Board save Mr.. Bacon, who, we learn,
voted for all, in substance, save that part
which compliments Major Richards in the
course he pursued:
Reso.sed, That the charges against Major A.
e.. Richards. SUPERINTENDENT Police. nrp.
ferred by Richard Wallach, and by q commit
tee OF the members of the Board Of Aldermen
and Board Of Common Council, for the trans.
acuon OF omcial business, be d!ernis spd az not
proven; and that Major Richards is entitled 10
me thanks Of this Board for the sincere and
earnest efforts be has evidently made to dis
enarge MS duties in an impartial manner un-
der the very difficult circumstances referred to
IN the said charges.
During the examination Of ex.Mayor Wal.
ZACH for the prosecuti "a little episode oc.
mony of the proceedings. From what we can
learn In reference TO the difliculty. 1t appears
that Mr.. Wallach, in the charges he preferred,
stated in substance that Mr.. Bowen, when he
made The demand for the ONCE Of Mayor. and
was refused the key of that ONCE by Mr.. Wal
ZACH, stated that be would not force an entrance
to the ONCE, but that he would have recourse
TO law 70 obtain what be deemed 10 be his
rights. When the letter Of DIR. Wallach was
read, Mr. Bowen stated that the allegation was
untrue. Subseq uentiy Mr.. Wallach asked Mr..
Bowen whether he stated it 70 be untrue.
Mayor Bowen replied that he had said that the
statement as made in the charges was an un-
truth, whereupon Mr. WaIlach struck him on
the face with the back of his hand, and was
Immediately arrested by Major Richards, and
by him turned over to Lieut.. Ecklon, who
placed 0P. Wallach in the custody of ohicer
Emory Ourand. Mr.. WalIach desired to give
bail for ss but Justice Harper Eas tel
Zach was taken before him. and he gave bail for
court in the sum Of SOU there TO answer the
charge Of assault and battery. Captain w. W.
Moore, president Of the Conser yatiye Board of
Aldermen, became his sur ETY..
Al o'clock yesterday afternoon, Mr.. NJ D.
Rossyally, general agent Of the .sLife Saving
and Ship Ballasting Company, ofNew York"
apparatus If the Potomac ferry wharf a