The morning news., 1889-05-19
nnprR = RA11RoAD GATE.

po1icenan Grower to Be Tried for
: AGubbing 2 Colored Fireman.
lanes a. Groover, the Savannah, Flor
Ida and Western railway policeman, was
besrt over to answer in the city court by
t54ks Fndras yesterday in the sum Of
sb1i Which he gave for assault and bat
torvup9n the colored fireman, John Braboy,
- Ibe Coast Line railroad after prelimi-
Tarv examination which consumed the en-
~ NV in the Justices court. Col. James
S4,tls represented the Coast Line Tor the
Trrsecution and w. L. Clay was counsel for.
GroOver.
There were a number of witnesses, the
bpr8bn of the testimony going to show that
tEa officer had lacked Judgment, if he had
satexceeded his authority, in clubbing his
4'be testimony of the defense did not vary
r,uch from that OF the witnesses for the
Trosecution, except as to the raising of the
Savannah, Florida and Western gates
across Bolton street or Coast Line crossing.
M ri Bahl, tie gate keeper, left Groover
~ si;srsss Of the gate house and went away.
He claimed that from 4-lnch opening in
s}ritldiney near by he had seen Braboy throw
MsAt6e gate, and Groover made a similar
st3tement BrGboy swore that he stopped
andwent under the gate, and he was cor
rab0patod by John Wilson, an eyewitness.
: Tge principal witness for the state was
tbeengineer Of the locomotive, R. e. Bell
l1S tes s fed that BraboY was on the engine
.zyhea CsroOver came up, and Bell said in a
IeIllaT Way: ARREST him. y THAT'S exactly
what came for,n said Grower, and caught
hold Of Braboy and tried to pull him off the
eugine Braboy caught hold of something
and held on, and Groover released his hold
and SAID to Braboy: ''If you raise that gate
again I4iyill arrest you,D Brahoy said: II
have done nothing to be arrested for, and
whoever says | raised the gate tells lie"
This evidently nettled the policeman, who
again sought to arrest Braboy after the
warning. and he blew his whistle Braboy
got OH the engine and started to walk to
the office few yards distant, when Groover
cafght him by the band of his pantaloons,
and Braooy asked him to let him go to the
Office ard see Mr.. Drake or the conductor,
which Grower paid no attention to, and in
the struggle Braboy broke the officers grip
and started to walk to the office and had
not taken but three or four steps when
Grooyer knocked him down with billy.
Superintendent Drake and Conductor
Balbee Of the Coast Line road saw the
blow struck, as when they heard the whistle
blown they ran out Of the office. Mr.. Drake
then told Braboy to go on to the barracks
with the officer, and Mr.. Drake followed
ana look PHYSICIAN 10 uIess Ine wound In
Gicted by the blow.
Capt. J. H. Johnston, president of the
City and Suburban railway, and A. j.
Drake, superintendent of the Coast Line,
gave their testimony as to the manner in
which the gate is operated, and
1lr. Drake testified that he had
seen, sibce connected with the road, as
many as 1000 persons go under the gate as
Bra0oy had. Both Messrs. Johnston and
Drake said that when the gate is down it is
ssgnal that a train is coming, aud to pre-
FenU vehicles from crossing, but that foot
men continuously go under the gate, but at
their own risk, aud they had never known
Of au srFest before for so doing. Mr.. Drake
went alTther and said il was a signal for
trains to stop, under the laws governing
railroads, before coming to a public cross
ing, but that the law is violated by the
trains daily because no one kes the trouble
50 prosecute for violations of the law.