The New York herald., 1879-07-09
CLUB AND SHIELD.
OFFICERS FROST AND FLETCHER OF THE EIoHrH
PRECINCT REBUKED IN THE COURT OF sPE-

OFFICERS FROST AND FLETCHER OF THE EIGHTH
PRECINCT REBUKED IN THE COURT OF sPE-
cIAL SESSIONS.
Two officers of the Eighth precinct received severe
rebukes the Court Of Special Sessions yesterday.
and had the modification of seeing their prisoners
discharged the ground that they had been ar
rested without reason. Patrolman George c. Frost
charged young man named Edward Butler with
assault and. battery. The evidence showed that
Butler was at the corner OF Charlton and
Hudson streets when Frost ordered him
away. and arrested him because he did
not move lively enough. Frost caught him by the
collar and dragged him to his feet in very rough
way. Butler. in dread of being clubbed. took away
tho ofcer's club. and Frost received injuries that
laid him up for several days. After hearing the
testimony all sides Butler was discharged Justice
Kilbreth saying to him :''It appears that you were
doing wrong and had . right to be where you
The officer attempted to illegal arrest
and assaulted you He. and not you. was the
sailant.
ANOTHER INSTANCE
Patrolman George Fletcher charged Thomas Null
len. Charles Connolly and william Moore with as
saulting him. but did not prove the charge. The
facts brought out by the testimony of different wit
nesses. including Fletcher himself, toll
lows:-About seven O'Clock on the evening Of the
I'd inst. the three defendants were standing in
s roasy
.Move on now" They did they were
uereo, Dut stopped az the corner OF ThOmp-
son and Prince streets. where Mullen asked
Moore to lend him book. Moore left their
pany to get it, but had gone few steps only whom
Fletcher again stepped up to the young men. and.
catching Mullen by the coat collar showed him
violently along. saying. "Get away from here.
you - - or III knock your damned head
off," He then hauled him about roughly. Mullen.
after patiently enduring this outrageous treatment
for some time. ut last resisted further
ing himself and Fletcher trying to snake
him into submission The officer and his victim
then fell into the gutter, the former top.
Fletcher pressed his knees Mullens chest with
all his might While thus engaged he lost his club
Another officer was passing just about this time on
car and saw the fracas. large crowd had gath
cred. through which he forced himself He had no
on the sidewalk. With it he raped loudly
for assistance. although it did not appear
that up to this time any had interfered to pre-
vent Fletchers brutality. Moore, who had returned
In time to his friends ill treatment imagined
that the officer who had last arrived about to
club Mullen. He therefore cried out, Don't club
him. He's done nothing and will go along with you
words than he himself upon by the lately
rived officer and clubhed. Connolly interfered.
but was struck stinging blow in the face and
showed away. Still another policeman hurried to
the scene. The crowd bad increased In great num-
Der and loud in its denunciations of the action
OF the policemen. This third officer grabbed Mullen
and dragged him through the streets to the Eighth
roughly treated
The Court discharged the three young men. JUS
tice Kilbreth said:-
This whole trouble was caused by the indiscretion
of Officer Fletcher. AL is due to the fact that he did
not know how to pesceably disperse crowd"