The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-02-16
REWARD OF VALOR!
How the Police Department En-
courages Its Officers.
A NEW "DEAD OR ALIVE" RULE.
Courageous Patfolman Cummings Loses
Weeks Pay 8ecause He Fails to
Arrest . Desperate.

Officer ]. F. Cummings, who on Febru-
airy risked his life BY facing an armed
burglar at the Chaplin block on Pike street
and only let him escape after several
shots were fred, received his reward for
courageous conduct at the meeting OF the
board of police commissioners. Chief
Jackson charged him with neglect Of duty
in not bringing the man in dead or alive.
The officer demanded an investigation. at
the close of which he was exonerated. the
evidence showing that he acted the part
OF brave and faithful officer and not that
of neglectfui one. Nevertheless he was
locked one weeks pay. This was prob
ably to encourage officers to risk their
lives upon every possible opportunity.
The testimony of Eugene Chaplin. John
Convery and F. B. Short, who were in the
house and talked with the supposed burglar
a. he was backing down the stairs, before
making his exit, was 70 the point that
Officer Cummings stopped the man they
thought was the guilty party, but when 1t
came to identifying him not one Of them
could do it. The man said that he had
come from behind the building. and in
this statement Short said he thought he
lied, and could prove it by the tracks IN
but even before this Chaplin and Convery
had returned to the house to look after
q leak in the water pipes. The
the man. and went to investigate
the track theory himself. As he
started, the man pulled gun from his
pocket and said: ''Stand back" Cum
mings stood still and reached for his re-
voiver. As he got his hand on the handle
the supposed burglar fired in his face from
distance Of seven feet. Cummings re-
turned the fire and the man then turned
and ran. The officer then kept on firing
at the retrcating figure until his cartridges
were used up, and then he blew his
whistle. Officer Templeton reached the
scene about q minute after the last shot.
but then the fugitive had disappeared
down Seventh street.
Officer Cummings was put on the stand
and stated his case which was in accord
with the general story as given by the wit
nesses. He stated that while he did not
bring the man in he did his best and tried
to either cripple or kill him. 1t would
have been poor judgment to have kept up
a running fire when the man was q fast
runner and would have beaten him any
way. His only show was to hit him be-
fore he got out of sight and he pursued
that course. Commissioner WallingfOrd
moved that Cummings be exonerated and
Commissioner Cheasty said he agreed,
with the proviso that the officer lose his
pay for the time he had been laid Oft
pending the hearing of the case. Commits
sioner Holmes did not agree with them.
He thought the officer ought to have
brought in the man or killed him. He
could not see how an officer could have
missed human body at seven feet.
Commissioner Cheasty remarked that
there was some difference between shoot
ing at target and man. especially when
the man has the drop in the beginning.
Commissioner Holmes still thought tho
officer was to blame for not getting his
man, and proposed a secret session. This
move was defeated by Commissioner Wal
lingfoyd accepting the amendment regard
ing loss of pay, and the motion was passed
generating Officer Cummings and re-
storing him to his position on the force.
After q prolonged argument regarding
the difference between special and q reg
ular officer, w. A. Johnson, Samuel Ham,
ilton, Levi Stevens, J. b. Brooks and Z. A.
Spriggs were appointed regulars.
The poundmaster's report showed that
fourteen animals were impounded during
tho month, and the fees collected $1,000.
Chief Jackson's report for January,
previously published in the Posr-INTELLI-
GENCER was read and filed.