The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-04-16
THE ALLEGED EIGHTH WARD OUTRAGE,

Oak st. 200 OF Warrington ST. lots SSS to 30, In ~
THE ALLEGED EIGHTH WARD OUTRAGE.
~G---%---,--oS
Trial Of Captain Mills for Locking Up
Woman with Her Dead Infant-ThS Wit.
nesses and the Evidence.
Captain Nathaniel Mills, OF the Eighth police pre-
cinct, yesterday placed on trial for having, as
was charged, incarcerated In q station house cSl
few nights ago poor woman with the dead bt = II
her infant child.
The frsG witness called was Mr.. Crapsey, & -
porter.
TESTIMONY OF EDWARD CRAPsEY.
am reporter Of the press; l was last Monday
evening in the Fifteenth precinct station house, III
back room; noticed woman come in In charge OF
an Oicer; heard Sergeant Haggerty remark that the
child In her arms was dead; she did not appear to
to be under the influence Of liquor; left the sta
ton house just as they were ordering her to be
"taken back''-that is to say, to the prison.
Cross examined-I wrote the article on the eighth
Ward Outragen in the Times; heard some officer
give an order to take the woman back to the PRISON.
Sergeant Haggery seemed to be startled at the idea OF
having to lock the woman up seeing that she had
the dead child in her arms; saw some person make
sidered 1t an inhumanity on the part OF the police
to lock the woman up under the circumstances; do
not believe captain or sergeant in charge of q
desk is bound to lock up person on the charge Of
patrOlman without investigating the charge; heard
tn se nre @ e e
say that the child had died in the wOman's arms IN
church, my opinion was on the night OF the arrest that
the woman was in fit condition to take care OF HERSELF
that the sergeant did not fully investigate the case
before locking her up, and think now as did then;
DR.. Grswold and several other persons who were in
the Fifteenth precinct station at the time the woman
brought n also gave 1t as their opinion that the
woman was not SO much under the influence y! I! OF
TESTIMONY or SOLOMON COHEN.
Solomon Cohen, swOrn-I am q reporter OF the
press; on the night Of the arrest Of the woman in
question went over to the Fifteenth precinct station
house and with the consent OF the captain went
down to the cells to her; she told me the child
had died in o church, think In Thompson street;
that when she found the child dead she went Into the
porch and then out into the street, where several
boys got about her to annoy her. she called
on an officer to protect her. when he arrested her
and took her to the station house; she told me she
lived at No. Charlton street; she appeared perfectly
sober and rationale the child was lying on the bench
by her side; she did not seem to be under the slight
Cross-examined- II cannot say whether the door of
lock: not having ever been on the inside Of ceiI
(laughter)-I cannot say whether the door fastened
on the inside the woman did not look happy by any
means; she appeared to be suffering very much men,
tally; she showed me the dead child and remarked
that n was father, and am father-(laughter)-
could readily understand how great was her loss
and her grief she said she married, but her hus
band had left her some time ago. and that she had
been confined on the first of April; have often writ
ten about outrages by the police; might easily
give the number Of drops OF water in the Hudson as
the number OF outrages by the ice-lsensatiOnl-
have often written about the good actions OF the
police.
Coroner Schrmer SwOrn-I am one OF the
ncrs OF this county; held the inquest the body Of
the dead child; ofiicer Stevenson, the mother and
BaS seG e s that s
maturey born; the mother gave her residence as No.
3 Charlton street or rather that she worked there;
sent an Olfcer with her to see II any person knew
her ut that place and he returned and said that she
had worked there and was well known to them; they
gave her good character; her statement at the In
quest was that she married but had been de.
serted by her husband some time previous; she
stated that she had gone to church. and discovered
the child dead In her arms.
TESTIMONY OF OFFICER STEVENSON.
Onicer Stevenson, sworn-when on post on Mon
day night q citizen came to me and said there
was q woman near by with q dead infant In her
arms; l found crowd about her; asked her what
sne nad IN ner arms ms anu se said ex
under the influence OF liquor; then thought 1t
best TO take her to the station house, Captain Mills
examined the child at the station house and found
no marks Of violence on the body; at the command
OF Captain Mills after had made charge OF intox
cation against the woman, took her to the Fifteenth
Cross-examined by Commissioner Brennan-I saw
her the following morning when took her before
the magistrate; did not make an affidavit aga 1st
her, but preferred the charge OF intoxicaton; the
Judge discharged her.
smeled the womans breath the night Of her ar
rest and 1t indicated liquor; she said she had been to
church that night and that the child had died IN her
home; she was greatly agitated; did not see the
child In any PERSONS arms but the woman's at the
station house.
TESTIMONY OF SERGEANT CHRISTIE.
Sergeant Christie sworn-I was behind the desk at
the Eighth precinct on Sunday night when the
woman was brought In; Capital Mills gave the order
to take her to the Fifteenth precinct station house
after the charge was made; under the same crcum.
the same ORDER in fact could not have done other:
wise and obey the rules OF the Department. assumed
| the statement OF ofcer Stevenson to be true and
judged that the woman was In state that justified
| her being detained.
Cross.examined by Commissioner Bosworth-she
said she lived at No. 8 Charlton street, the house
bearing that number In Charlton street is about six
blocks away from our station house, 1t would take
person about twenty minutes TO go there and back
| TO the station house; nobody was sent to No. 8
Charlton street the night the woman arrested
| to ascertain whether or not she resided there.
TESTIMONY OF PATRICK WEBB.
| Patrick Webb sworn am sexton OF st. An
thonys Roman Catholic Church; about eight O'Clock
on Thursday evening boy came In the vestry and
said there was woman in the church who mad q
dying child she wanted to be baptized; told Father
| It dead the woman then began to cry thought she
| was under the influence OF nquor she wanted To
leave the child In the church think she said she
boarded at No. 81 Charlton street, she may have said
Cross-examined by Commissioner Brennan-The
'boozyn ike; shc was able TO take care Of herself
TESTIMONY OF CAPTAIN CAFFRBY.
snd csps eight
station house about o quarter 70 eleven O'Clock on
Monday night from the Cooper Institute, where
| had been, with O squad OF my men, on duty; Ser
| geant Haggerty informed me that there was woman
| In the main room, sent from the Eighth precinct
| who had a dead child In her arms told the ser
| geant that the sitting room was too warm for the
corpse and that should be put In some cool place
| where the doorman should every now and then yis
IL; the woman refused to give II up and on the sug
gestion OF Mr.. Lent, who was present, had her re
moved from the sitting room to cell; the following
morning sent out and got her cup Of tea after she
had come from the court OF her own accord, rs she
said she had not breakfasted and did not feel IKE
eating anything; she sat down by the stove and said
| she wanted TO remain until she could see the body o.
cl,l hIirAo