Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1891-09-18
THE OTHER SIDE.
The Arrest of Nose SIgafOos was Perfectly
Legal and Right, Being "0n View"

Legal and Right, Being "0n View"
Officer Devlin was seen, last evening,
regarding the published assertion and
affidavit that the police had committed
another outrage" in arresting Nose
SigafOOS, a =. & o. conductor, without
a warrant, tining him when be was not
present, rough treatment, etc. The
officer said:-
1.-THE assertions are without founda-
tiOn IN fact, and are malicious. The
facts are as follows:
There has been great complaint, on
the South Side. about the blOckading OF
streets by h. & o. trains. / have been
so lenient with the railroad men that I
have been censured by citizens many
times. but try % get along without
trouble for rhe railroaders, II I can
help H. Sunday evening, about twenty
minutes OF seven, while / was standing
az the corner OF Thirty-third and EOf
streets, talking with Police Court Clerk
w. III. Fee, a street car came along and
turned the corner and stopped, the rail-
road gate being down. Mr.. Fee and
walked 20 the corner, and some one
made the remark that il was q long
train, as they could not see the end Of
IL. looked down and saw that there
was no engine, the train having been
cut below. walked up toward Ford's
crossing, and saw man on car.
asked him who had charge OF the train,
and he said Il have said:
Don't you think it's time to cut
the tramp He pulled out his watch
and looked at it aud said. No, I've
minute and a half yet 1 said, No,
pardner, you haven't that much. You
ought TO have cut the train when you
stopped He said: III learn you some
law" and l replied, you're wrong. To
this he said: you're too d-n smart
| asked him his name, and he said:
That's my business" 1 told him he
was under arrest for blocking the cross
ing, and to appear in Police Court Tues
day morning. l arrested him thus, on
view, and did not need warrant, as
everyone knows; When the engine was
backed up 1 jumped on it, after speak
ing to Mr.. Fee, and asked the name Of
the conductor, and he told me Nose
SigafoOs. got off and told
Mr. Fee to make a note OF 1t, and to
write up the process the next morning,
Monday. Monday morning l got the
process, and served 1t on SigafooS on
the B. & 0. track, at Twenty-second
street. He asked to see the paper, and
l pulled it out of my pocket and showed
it to him, and even showed him the
summons for Pat Tracy, witness. He
asked me to read the process, and told
him didn't have to. He called the at
I Of IN
the fact that / wouldn't read it. l
told him to appear in Court the next
morning, and after had got away
short distance he called that he wouldn't
be there, to which replied, oh, yes,
you will
THE case was the first one called in
Court, and told the Mayor he was not
present. He heard the other cases,
and then went back and took up this
case, heard the evidence, and fined him.
As we were going out of the City Hall,
saw SigafOoS down by the monument.
l had the commitment, and the amount
Of the fine and costs was figured up on
the process. I took hold of him, and
put him in the lookup, after telling him
he couldn't get away, as he had request
ed, antil the fine was paid, and told him
the amount. l also told some Of his
friends, who came to see him, the
amount. He said nothing about paying
it. He had all the notice in the world
to attend Court, and to pay his fine.
There was no violence, except that he
kicked on going into the building, and l
showed him through the door"
Chief Delbrugge, Officer Lukens,
Constable Lauchlin and others corrobo-
rated this statement, the Chief saying
that the prisoner had rendered watch
as security, but as he was not doing a
pawn-shOp business he didn't take it,
The Chief also said that cases In Court
went right on, whether the defendant
was there or not. The officer making
an arrest was supposed to have his man
there, or be good for the penalty. Half
the defendants, or more, are never in
Court when fined.