The daily gazette., 1882-07-15
SOME OF THE MODELS. !"
RECKLESS PISTOL PRACTICE
BY POLICEMEN.
FIRING ON SOME FLEEINa BOYS.
Omcers Open Fire Upen Slight Offenders,
and Shoot One OF Them In the Hip
ReckIessness Almost Criminal.

To THE EDITOR OF THE GAZETTE:-W With
your kind permission / would like to call
the attention of the Mayor to the actions OF
some OF his "model police" in the Eleventh
ward lately. Situated in this ward is
clump of wood, and yesterday some boys
were there committing the awful depreda-
ton Of playing cards After being notified
Of the terrible fact, three police, under the
gallant leadership Of Sergeant Hatton,
charged the depredators, who being
ieeter Of foot than the officers,
managed to keep respectable dis
tance ahead. The police seeing they
were in danger of losing their prize, opened
| fusilade with their revolvers on the fleeing
| boys regardless of all consequences, one
| shot striking one OF the boys in the hip.
Fortunately for himself, and for the officer
also, he had measuring rule in bis hip
pocket, and the ball striking it, glanced of,
tearing his clothing.
| We hope that with the other Instructions
the Mayor gave the police, there were no
instructions to recklessly fire their reyolVers
| at persons for so trifling an 0fIense as the
1 above The boys have since surrendered
and paid their fines. DISCRETION.
WnMINGToN, July IA, 1882
| FIRING UPON BOYS.
When the above communication was re-
eeived at the GAZETTE office this morning a
/ reporter was dispatched to look the affair
up, as 1t seemed like a very remarkable one.
Visiting the Eleventh ward the news
gatherer soon struck bedrock and had no
difficulty in arriving at this last remarkable
exploit of Mayor Wales "mude force. "
The reckless shooting affair took place on
| Wednesday afternoon when a crowd OF
Eleventh ward youngsters were playing q
sociable game of cut-throat euchre. They
were out under the trees near Clayton street
and were SO absorbed in their frightfully ne
farious recreation that they did not know
anything about the policemen until they
were right upon them. The boys were mo-
allowed to consummate their villainy, for II
the midst of the game the policemen an
nounced their presence with shout. Their
were three of the of1icers-Sergeant HattoI
and patrolmen White and Green, and the,
had crawled upon the boys, with drawn re
yolvers, from three sides, so as to almos
surround them, The boys started up, as /
to get away. "Don't rum" cried the peac
guardians "or we'll shoot" The threat hat
no terror for the youngsters, for the mex
moment they were seurrying across the field
/ | for dear life.
As the boys started to run the policeme
opened fire with their revolvers, thus putin
the threat into execution. They did not fir
into the air, but directly at the fugitvei
whose heinous crime which was such a
outrage upon law, order and society. TIL
firing was kept up until ttse cliafebers of a
three revolvers had been emptied, and u
bullets whistled past the heads OF the boy
| urging them on instead Of having the effe'
of making them stop and submit to arres
John Holland, as he ran, felt somethiT
strike him on the hip, and at first thougl
he had been shot. No pain was felt, hoq
ever, and when he had gotten to place
f safety, he took time to see what had strut
: him. II was a bullet supposed to be fro
1 officer Whites pistol which had struck hi
on the hip and was only prevented fro
= tearing its way through his body by ca
a penter's rule which he carried In his poeke
The ball glanced from the rule and bad
a wrecked the seat of young Holland
n breeches.
# Yesterday John Holland and Charl
. Hauek, who were in the party, went to Il
4 Mayors office, gave themselves up al
4 / pleaded guilty to the awful offense f
n which their lives were SO endangered. Tn
e were fined. 1t is claimed that the bo
/ | were acting in an obscene and disorder
; manner and loa6ng under the trees.
e There is a good bit OF excitement in ii
!, Eleventh ward over this case and othe
which are cited. One is that on Thursdi
forenoon the policemen raided crowd
tramps with pistols and fired on them ma
shots, some of which came whistling oy
10 the fields and along the streets, making
le dangerous for people to walk along