Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-08-10
POLICEMAN Str hD.
THE CHARGES PREFERRED BY GROVE
L. JOHNSON SUSTAINED.
A Lengthy and Complete investigation
Punishment Will be Inflicted
Monday Morning.

| oteAAOA0 W OAOfC JOAAoOA Al6ll ~
resumed.
There was large crowd present. MI
Johnson, accompanied by his son, Hiram
W., and his attorney, Charles I. Jones, sa
near City Attorney Hart, while Office
Stafford, with his lawyer, General A. L
Hart, sat close by.
All the members of the Commission
Mayor Comstock, Chief of Police Drew ant
Police Judge Buckley-were present, ant
little time was lost in getting down t.
business.
The prosecution, not having concluded
lis side of the case Friday night, resumed
by calling P. z. Platt to the witness stand
Mr.. Plat testified that he was at Ninth anG
streets during the late Republican pri
mary election. and saw Mr.. johnson there
He was also witness to Mr.. Johnson's ar
rest. He was sure that Mr.. johnson haG
been conducting himself in quiet, gentle
manly way, and had done nothing to war.
rant his arrest. Mr.. Platt said that several
persons who claimed to be peace officers
were making more trouble about the polls
than anyone else. He thought there was 6
general disposition among some of the
crowd that day to have MIR. Johnson ar.
rested.
Jud c. Brusie, Supervisor Tebbets, Hiram
Cook and A. Meister all testified that they
were at the polls and observed nothing un.
usual in Mr.. Johnson's demeanor.
Eli Froom, on account of whose attempt
to vote the row that day was occasioned
| told how he went up to vote and was
challenged by Timber Green. Immedi-
ately the crowd began TO surge and witness
was squeezed bodily. He kept as near to
the polls as he could though, as he said he
| suspected that "the gang" was trying to
prevent him from voting. 1t was during
! this crush that Mr.. Johnson was arrested
by officer Stafford.
Lawyer Jay Brown testified that he, too,
noticed Mr.. Johnson and was positive that
the latter was doing his challenging in a
quiet and peaceable way. Witness saw
Froom go up to VOTE and also saw special
officer Goods deliberately push him out of
the line. Witness demonstrated with
| Goods when Chief of Police Drew stepped
between them and warned witness to keep
quiet.
| j. Charles Jones, Clerk of the Police
| Court testified to the Court records showing
that no complaint had been filed against
Mr.. Johnson until couple of days ago,
| the original case having been dismissed for
want of complaint
| This ended the case for the prosecution,
and recess was taken until P NJ.
| 1t was agreed by both sides that the
charge of disturbing the peace pending
against Mr.. Johnson should be submitted
| to Judge Buckley on the testimony ad-
| duced at the investigation.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The defense presented its case in the
afternoon.
The first witness called by General Hart
was Fred Rohrer. He testified that he was
at the second precinct of the Third Ward
during the recent Republican primary. He
saw Grove L. Johnson there and also off
Ger Stafford. II attempted to vote at about
1:30 o'clock" he continued, land Mr.
Johnson challenged me on the ground that
( l was not a resident of that precinct. ] in
| sisted that l should vote. and there was
nearly riot-one side trying TO help me
| to vote and the other side trying to prevent
me. Mr.. Johnson ordered officer Frazee
| to clear the polls, and the officer tried to do
| it, but did not succeed. Just previous to
| that Mr.. Johnson got into row with q
man named Woods and both were talking
| very loud. After Mr.. Johnson was arrested
| and taken away everything was quiet. l
thought Mr.. Johnson was making all the
trouble. There was large crowd of peo-
pie around the polls and there was great
deal of noise"
On cross, examination by Mr.. Jones, the
witness said he was candidate on the
| ticket opposed to Mr.. johnson. Did not
| go TO the polls to crowd others away. 1t
was before Mr.. Johnson's arrest that he
had the wrangle with Woods. II didn't
| hear him use any vulgar language. |
didn't see him arrested. l was one of the
| crowd which was pushing and pulling. l
! thought officers Stafford and Frazee were
| trying to keep the crowd back"
Deputy Sheriff George Egan was the
next witness. He was participant in the
| Republican primary, and was detailed by
! the Sherif-by request of Mr.. Johnson, he
| understood-to 60 to the second precinct
| to help keep the peace. There was consid-
cradle pushing and hauling there-once,
| he said by Mr.. Johnson ordering officer
Frazee to take one of the challengers-a
man named Green-away from the polls.
| Frazee attempted to do it, and witness in
| terfered. He and Frazee then had a
| wrestling match, Frazee trying to take
| witness from the polls, too. He did not
see Mr.. Johnson arrested.
| On cross-examination Egan said that
Mr.. Johnson's language in ordering Green
under arrest was: Mr.. Officer, here's a
man for whose arrest warrant is waiting
! at the police station, and he has no right
| to be here Take him away" Frazee at
| tempted to carry out the order. II grabbed
hold of him." continued Egan, land told
him that Green was our challenger, and
| had a right to be there. Frazee and then
had it and quit winner"
Attorney Jones subjected the Deputy
! Sheriff to severe cross examination in re-
gard to his authority for interfering with
officer Frazee when the latter was about to
make an arrest. Egan maintained that
| FrsZee was not arresting Green.
Harry Jones was the next witness. He
| testified that he was barkeeper and
| worked on Second street, between K and
| L. He denied positively that he was a
prize fighter. Il went out 10 the Ninth
street precinct" he said merely us a
spectator. l met Mr.. Green there and he
asked me to stay there to help him in case
| there was any trouble. There was a large
crowd around at the polls. Mr.. johnson
was challenging on one side and Green on
the other. heard Mr.. johnson say some
thing about there being a warrant for
| Green's arrest, and heard him order
officer Frszee to take him away. Then
| there was a grand scuffle. Mr.. johnson
was in the midst of the crowd, and during
the row / saw officer Stafford take him
out / learned afterward that he had been
arrested"
| In answer to questions by attorney
Jones, the witness said he had been resi-
dent of Sacramento about four months.
He admitted that he had engaged in sew
eral glove contests, but he did not consid-
er himself prize fighter. He denied that
he went to the polls as a hired fighter, and
received no compensation for his services
| that day.
Thos. Woods testified that Mr.. johnson
was making a disturbance around the
polls, challenging every body, pushing and
| showing, and making racket generally"
| He was not present when Mr. Johnson was
arrested
George Newman, saloon keeper, stated
| that he also observed Mr.. johnson at the
| polls. Mr. Johnson was acting as a chal-
lenger. Il saw the big disturbance, out of
which Mr.. Johnson's arrest grew" said the
witness, but did not know how it started.
| | did not see Mr.. Johnson arrested, exact
| ", but saw Mr.. Stafford bring him ont OF
| the crowd. There was a great deal of
| noise, both sides were pulling and houling
and yelling at the same time
| Special policeman Robert Goods testi-
mony was to the effect that he was not on
| duty during the recent Republican primary.
but attended the voting in the Third Ward
as a spectator. Saw Mr.. Johnson at the
window of the second precint polling
place, and thought he was there as legal
adviser to the men on the inside. Did not