The daily gazette., 1882-09-11
CITY HALL INCIDENTS.
A sTRANaEELAWYER MAKES a
SENSATION.
HE SAYS JUST. WHAT HE THINKS.
An Unexpected Speech Full of Interest
Committee for burglary and ArsOn-A
Blackjack Biend, at Work.

This morning Harry Ounce was placed
in the City Hall dock, charged with being
drunk and disOEylerly at the Middle Depot
yesterday afternoon. Officer Mccormick
made the arrest and In doing so had his coat
sleeve torn to tatters. He testified that he
ordered the man to come along, the only
charge, however, that he made being that
Ounce was walking by the side of the car
into which he had been refused admission.
When he told the man to come along he
| refused, the officer stated, and struck that
official, who took care Of himself the best
way he could.
| Two or three other witnesses testified that
considerable trouble was experienced with
roughs around the depot, and that the pris-
oner had been sent away from that place
and also refused a seat in the car,
| just inside the railing Of the court sat a
fine looking elderly gentleman, who was
pointed out by the officer as having seen the
affair, and when the others had told their
version of the difficulty, the Mayor asked II
he had anything to say.
He arose with great dignity saying
he did not want to interfere with the ends OF
justice but he had a statement he would
like to make. He stepped TO the stand, and
after being sworn stated that he was a
stranger in Wilmington, aud that his name
was John II. Voorhees,, of Washington, d.
q. He then proceeded with his story, and
said that with two or three ladies
he had taken passage on horse
car and ridden as far as the middle
depot and without alighting came back in
tie same vehicle. He saw the whole diff
, Guilty and at no time were any of the occu-
| pants of the car afraid OF theirpersonal COM
fort by the action Of the prisoner, who used
no vile language, made no disturbance and
SO far as he was able TO discern had created no
/ 1, r H. had, raIl lNxyfI fIa
. side of the car mumbling, but not loud
enough 10 disturb any one. The driver had
rushed through the car and told the man
not to get on, but the latter made no effort
SO to do. He spoke in very clear manner
and his language proved that he was man
, of learning and observation and knew what
= he was about.
He thought, further, that the arrest was
unreasonable and unwarranted. He then
stepped down and Mccormick began
to explain why he had acted, stating that he
| was in danger of being assaulted by the
friends of his prisoner, and tried to excuse
= | himself
Mr.. Voorhees, then, with the permission
of His Honor, arose in front of the reporters
I table and said he should like to make few
additional remarks. He began by saying: 81
| standing In this court" He said he saw the
officer strike the man with his billy. He
e did not want to interfere with the policeman's 8
duty or orders, but it was getting to be too
common an occurrence for patrolmen to use
their blackjacks. He referred to the brutal
: work OF police in New York and iOld how a
: Young man who was sitting on bench in a
Y park there, watching some ants at work, was
badly beaten, and also of an old man club
: bed in his own doorway without cause, 1t
n is matter, he continued, which calls for
0 weighty consideration throughout the coun-
d try and it is the duty of all to help improve
1 the trouble
J. Policemen are only human, it is true, he
. argued, but in selecting officers great dis
i eretion must be used, " We want, y he went
It on, q men who will not let their passions
: get the better of their Judgment. Many of
them, pulled up with the responsibility of a
o little duty use their billies simply because
they have the power to do SO. l do not
" think the officer was justified in knocking
I, the man down because he tore his coat, and
|. he did fell him with his billy. The man had
d only made natural resistance
II His short, sharp, and decisive speech,
n every word of which was weighed carefully,
8 | created considerable interest and comment
h among the spectators and Others When he
e had finished His Honor stated that there
had been very much trouble in the vicinity
of the depot, and the officers We're much an
noyed by the roughs. While he did not de-
II fend brutality, Mr.. Voorhees,, he said, was
u not aware Of The difficulty the patrolmen
Us had to contend with. He did not comment
ol at all upon the officers free use of the billy
A. A. and fined the prisoner 81 aud costs,
> Mr.. voorhees,, who was evidently very
u, unsatisfactory witness for the prosecution
IA quietly retired when the decision was made
~ ~ having been virtually, though not openly
~ eoolly treated and to certain extent ignored
ei james naney was charged with having
g | blackjack John Glenning at the LogaI
y House on Saturday night, during a FREE
" y. fight there about cigar. Several witnesse
y. " testified to the hitting, although th'
- - assaulted man was not present at the hear
,ee ee ing this morning. Ilaney was muleted B
y and costs, after declaring that he had noth
~ !. ing to say aud wanted 10 be let of. Hugl
81 Shields, who war also mixed up in the sam
he rumpus, was arrested Saturday night afte
ef much trouble, and locked up yesterda
to morning, being fined IS and costs.
Uriah Demby "A eolored man was arraigne,
for robbing the store of j. IL. Mulhausen
7l0 King street, on Tuesday evening last
e. Chief Hawkins testified that about l
of O'Clock Saturday night telephone mes
Ir- sage was received at the City Hall froI
the exchange at Third and Market streets
M asking that an officer be sent there to arres
by a man for committing an assault aud battery
ty, An officer responded and found tha
Demhy, an old Jail bird, claimed t
les The officer seized the accused man and con
he PEELED Demby, who did SO very reluctantl.
nat to follow him to prefer formal charge. :.
Upon arriving at the Hall the clothing
1ns Demby was noticed and recognized by ii
lth Chief as answering the description of SON
en- articles taken from Mulhausen's plac
as, When charged with tho offense Demt
acknowledged the corn and told how he ha
fth entered the store by the back way He W,
rk, at once relieved of the identified article
the and equipped in boots, shirt and drawe
we thrown into "a cell while his alleged assailal
was released.
TO- Demby further told the chief and Sergeal
rye Mcconnell where some of the stolen goot
o. could be found, and those two officials,
. J, company with Mulhausen, who had bet
,ra sent for to prove his property, started on
ted still hunt.
As a result of their hunt yesterday, VIII,
the they searched the houses Nos. l404 and ii
in French street, another pair of pants and
lat, lot of napkins, towels, knlfes and for
Re- were also found, all of which were iden
run fed.
5ch, Mr.. Muhlhausen told of the robbery
the stand, and supplemented his story
the relating how an attempt had been made
nti- set fire to his store, quantity of rags a
ling waste material having been ignited behinC