Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-11-24
Crooker, tho Railroad Magnato,
Under q Errest.

Officer John Wallace, of the old
police, will be tried before the
Board of Police Commissioners
next Friday, on complaint of Chas.
F. Crocker, of the G. p. r.. r. Co.,
who charges him with having
made an unlawful arrest. The
facts Of the case are that, on the
4th of this month, Mr.. Crocker
having occasion to ride from the
railroad office at the corner of
Fourth and Townsend up to the
vicinity of Sansome and and Cali
fornia streets, sent one of the por-
ters to get a horse and buggy for
his use. Shortly after, Mr.. Crocker
came out of the office and was told
that the buggy was ready, and was
at the same time shown one.
1t appears, however, that he got
into the wrong buggy and drove
away, The horse and buggy turned
out to be the property of j. G.
Ayers, u contractor and builder,
who, shortly after, coming up and
finding his property gone, sup
posed it to have been stolen, and
proceeded to make search, the
result of his labors being the dis.
covery an hour later Of the missing
property on Sansome street, near
California, where it stood by the
curbstone, the buggy being with.
out an occupant. The owner
watched for some time, in the hope
that the person who had driven it
from the railroad office would put
in an appearance; but, becoming
tired with waiting, and having
business elsewhere, Mr.. Ayers
called officer Wallace, gave him his
card, and informing him that his
horse and buggy had been stolen,
requested him to arrest whoever
attempted to take possession of the
property. The officer accordingly
mounted guard over the team.
Presently Mr.. Crocker came out of
an office adjoining, jumped into the
buggy, and started to drive away.
Officer Wallace Immediately
jumped into the buggy, and plac-
ing him under arrest, drove with
him to the Central Station, took
him to Captain Short, and an
nounced that he had the prisoner,
who was a stranger to him, under
arrest for grand larceny. No ex-
plantations were offered, and the
officer, under direction of the
Captain, took his prisoner inside
and booked him for larceny.
Soon after Mr.. Crocker was
identified, the matter was
explained, and the charge
dismissed in the Police Court on
motion of the Prosecuting Attor-
ney, on the ground that the whole
matter was an unfortunate mis-
| take. Mr.. Crocker's charges are
principally that the officer while
making the arrest, drove him
through the public streets, and
held him by the collar with one
hand, using the other to drive. Mr..
Crocker says that when he remon-
strated and asked an explanation,
the officer would not listen or say
anything except "shuJ up" That
this answer was made when he
urged the officer to take his hand
from his (Crocker's) collar, and
when he requested the officer to al
| low Dltu Mfs SIoChtTJj All opPoi-
tunity to prove his identity with
out going to the Police
Station. The charges conclude
by requesting the Commissioners
to deal with the matter as they
deem Just and proper. The officer
states that when he arrested Mr..
Crocker he did not know him, and
that when he stated that a mistake
had been made, he did not use any
insulting language, but simply said,
"pve heard that kind of talk be.
fore" He said that he held Mr..
Crocker by the coat-sleeve, and not
by the collar. and that as soon as he
became satisfied that a mistake had
been made, he offered Mr.. Crockel
every facility to see his friends and
have the matter explained to the
Prosecuting Attorney, so that the
charge might be dismissed. Hi
also said that had he failed to make
the arrest, he probably would hav,
been brought before the Commits
sioners by Mr.. Ayers.-S. r. Calt