National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-03-09
WHY Mrs. BROWN wAsnAGpEp.

From Her White observation-disclosures
ment Money Said to Have Been
Used.
EDlToR NATIONAL RErvBECAN: II will
he remembered that some time ago Mrs.
Sarah Brown, colored woman, who keeps
n lying.in-asylum and n indicated bath
house, at 3O5 Missouri avenue, was charged
with keeping also n bawdy house,was tried
and convicted in the criminal court, but
was on Saturday last granted by Judge
Macarthur new trial. II appears that
this colored woman, on Feb |, 1885, leased
from II. s. johnson, the saddlcry man, the
building for the specified purpose Of keep.
ing bathing and boarding house. Mis-
souri, avenue is small street, consisting Of
three blocks, running from the Botanical
Garden, on Third street, to the Baltimore and
Potomac depot, on Sixth street right back
of Pennsylvania avenue, where the old canal
is buried. There are number OF cheap
boarding and lodging houses on that street,
and mediums seems to abound in the
neighborhood. They are all white people,
and colored woman squatting right in
between them proved a bone of contention
especially as IL appears that this colored
woman Is somewhat well TO do. 1t was soon
agreed that no "niggern should live there
and be happy, and a conspiracy was formed
TO drive her of. She has paid her rent
promptly, which some Of tho neighbors who
had that house did not do. The first thing to
be done was to complain to Lieut.. Kelly,
Of the seventh precinct, and as a police
man lives in the neighborhood, he was, no
doubt, the medium through which the
lieutenant was to be reached, although lie
was advised by Kelly to have nothing TO do
with II himself. The first thing
Kelly very wisely did was to
hnnQn
and have It closely watched by the officers
on that beat, and succeeded In six months
time to find out ''nothing;n yet some Of
the women demanded she must 90. Wright,
said Kelly, II you will sign paper as the
| law directs, we will get raiding order. 1t
took six weeks to get some kind Of n paper
! signed, alleging all kinds Of charges, none
| OF which the signers pretended to prove on
| trial. They knew nothing Of their own
| knowledge, and how to find out something
was the problem. a happy thought struck
them, when at this stage of the game
| some one suggested the two master giants
Of discovery, Block and Raft, as the saviors
| Their services were secured. They could
| make q case If there was none, and their
success is worthy of better ending. Ac-
cordingly, Block and Raft went to work
and drew So from the contingent fund Of
the government, which, according to
Rats testimony, they did not give to one
Edward Cash, but put 1t upon the table in
| the police headquarters, where said Edward
Cash picked II up. Armed with s. bill of
the peoples money, Cash looked around
| for partner to accompany him to Mrs.
Browns house at exactly o'clock 2. M.
lie found one in the person Of Frank
Brandt, young grocery clerk, aud on they
went to Mrs. Browns house TO have bath.
While bathing, Block, Raft, Kelly, and a
squad of police raided the house. They
found those two bathers, Mrs. Brown, and
seven women, four Of whom were under
confinement. Three. OF them and Mrs.
Brown were arrested and carried to the
station house. The two men failed of the
purpose intended, and as they refuse to
periuTe themselves they were let of with
out collateral and told that they need not
give their right names. Next morning the
case was called In the police court, and
without going into any defense the court
fined the woman $50. An appeal was
noted. Right here is where predicament
for Block and Raft comes in. The neighbors
had only signed paper-no one had sworn
out q warrant. As Il matter of fact, nc
warrant had been sworn out before the
raid was made. When the trial came of,
somebody had to swear something upon
which to proceed, and us there was no one
willing TO swear, Raff and Block had to
attach their solemn oath to warrant after
.
stormy, rainy day, this woman, with hei
inmates under confinement and their In
fants in arms, were in the most brutal
manner put out of their house into the
streets, from the effects Of which ont
woman became deadly sick and lost he
child, all Of which will be proven by tive
of the most reputable physicians Of thl
city, when the proper time comes. TIT
police kept this woman's house In chargt
FOR five days, and when the key wa
to be returned to her, neither Kell'
nor the landlord wanted to touch thu
key for fear Of damages for withholding
it. When the case was called il
the criminal court, upon the appeal o
Block and Raft, not knowing that the de
Tense got upon the track Of the parties
through whom the job was to be carried
out, with the self-possession Of saints
mounted the stand and solemnly and re
peatedly swore that they had never hardly
ever spoke to any one,nor could they posi-
bly, remember that they had given an!
money to any one in this case, aud no
until the young grocery clerk was con
fronted did Raft reluctantly acknowledge
that they did draw 50 from the govern
ment fund and Cash cashed II at polio,
headquarters. The effect Of this confession
caused the assistant district attorney in hi
address to the Jury TO say that they nigh
disregard entirely the testimony Of Blocl
and Raft. Then they introduced the par
ties who had signed the complaint
Messrs. Browning, McDermott, and Wad
positively swore that they knew PERSONAL
nothing eitherof the inmates or Of the bus
ness Of that house-but that some peopl
gave the house a bad name. To this test
mony exceptions were made and noted
Then an old captain, with nose bloomin
as the roses, who is said to have led til
children of Ham out Of North Carolin
ha1 AI,on 1,,N
on the way In this city, who lives some ST.
or eight houses away from this colore
woman, and who, It is said, attends +
everybody's business better than his owe
was the prime mover In this cause. TIL
Judge charged the jury "that more tina
. one case Of unlawful cohabitation in sal
, house unjust be proven to sustain the charge.
Not one such case was. proven: The jur
; stood seven for conviction, five for &C
. quittal, but finally brought in a verde
Of guilty, with a recommendation
to the mercy Of the court. The court i'm
: posed a fine of $50, whereupon the follow
ing motion was filed: snow comes th
defendant, and moves the court to ares
judgment and grant her a new trial in til
D above entitled cause for the follown
reasons, to wit: /. Because the verdict wa
against the law; 2. Because the verde
was against the evidence; 3. Because c
| error on part Of the presiding justice upo
0 the trial IN the admission of evidence ai
, mitted after objection on part of the de
:, fendant's counsel as to the reputation c
' the house; 4. Because the jury was nc
r polled after demand by defendants couu
0 sell d. L. Cahill and Chas. Pelham, atto
+. news for defendant On Jan. last
gentleman well known in this city, VIII
!. took some interest in this case, called upo
u one OF the jurors who served on the trii
: TO ascertain how they came to such q col
r clusion. The juror referred to stated tht
4 had the jury been polled when the verde
was rendered he would have explained h
: vote as follows: ave were seven for col
: viction and five for acquittal. Two WI
;. led the others Of the seven conceded thu
q | no case had been nude out, but they elaine