Morning journal and courier., 1884-02-08
Police Commiesioners.

The Proposed New Barn-Award of Com tracts-Omcer Rice Complained of by Raekmen-Ver1ict Not Guilty. An adjourned meeting of tho Board of Po- lice Commissioners was held last evening Mr. Hart called attention to the vote of the board requesting the Court of Comm 1n
 Council to make an additional appropriation
 of $500 to build barn for the department
 He said change in the plans could be made whereby the additional sum would not be necessary as some interior work could be dis pensed with. It was then voted to withdraw the petition for an additional appropriation. The mason work for the barn was awarded
 to Chatfeld & Grant at $1 ,O75 and the joiner
 work was awarded to Larkins & Langley for $1, 325, which is $125 less than the original
 bid. The plumbing of the building was re- fsrred to Commissioners Hart and Catlin. The rule recently adopted providing that
 ''all members of the police force hereafter permanently appointed who maintain good
 record shall be honorably discharged at the
 age of ffty-five years'' WAS changed by ad
 ding the words, ''At which time claim may be
 made for further service, and granted at the discretion of the commissioners, based on the
 physical condition and the high degree of ef- fciency of the applicant.
 The petition of Patrick Foote for appoint
 ment as driver of the patrol wagon was or
 dered on file.
 Charges against Officer William A. Rice
 were brought by Thomas Cook, hackman,
 who claimed that on the night of November 26 he was assaulted by the officer at Union depot Cook claimed that lady asked to
 be driven to Wolcott street, Fair Haven
 and that while he was talking with the lady | Rice struck him three times in the breast i and showed him back to the line. William DunniRan claimed that the officer struck Cook three times. Robert Dunlap and Lewis Wilcox, both hackmen, testified l in substance the same as Cook.
 Officer Rice in his own defense said he did not strike Cook, but that he simply pushed | him away from the steps and back to the line. He said that Cook was ''full' at the time and made a good deal of noise. He said he used no more force than was neces- sary to make the hackmRn take his proper position.
 hack on the evening in question, said she
 did not call the hackmsn, but first asked the officer what the charges for @ hack were and he told her that it was fifty cents to any part
 of the city. She said the hackman was thea
 standing at the foot or the stars Sns say
 none of the trouble between Officer Rice and the hackman. . Officer Grant corroborated in substance
 the statement Of Officer Rice
 Judge StudIey was called and said he was
 surprised to hear Cook make the statement
 he had, as it was altogether contrary to the statement made by him when the case was before the City court. He said the com
 plaint made against the hacknan was for
 breach of the peace; the case was
 adjourned several times and finally he or
 dered nolIe. He thought at the time that the officer did no more than his duty. He
 said there was hardly day that hackmen
 did not violate the city ordinances and they
 ought to be made to conform to the law. He
 said the reason why the hackmen were not
 fined was because the complaint was not a | proper one. The judge thought that more | discretion should be used in granting licenses
 to hackmen. as some of them were not fit to | have licenses
 This concluded the evidence and the board | took ballot which was unanimously not 1 guilty.