The Portland daily press., 1893-11-07

PSAu AAiHl LulfEy DAYS aHu 1sOPi AAAAeone
| -Wyer is a Souvenir of the Ingraham
| Administration and So are Majority of
| the Police Committee-Witnesses Testify
as to Officers Brutality.
| The case of Police Officer Wyer, who
is accused of exceeding his duty by beat
ing brutally the young son OF Joseph A.
Locke, Esq, in City Hall corridor Friday
evening was heard before the police COM
mittee yesterday forenoon. There was
an ancient flavor of Ingrahamism about
| the whole affair. In the first place Offic-
er Wyer is a relict of the Ingraham adj
ministration. When Mr.. Ingraham was
| first installed the heelers who had elect
ed him fiocked to City Hail in such
numbers and so crowded the corridor
| that special officer was NEEDED to keep
order and open passageway for those
having business at the city offices. The
Board of Aldermen, then as now the
majority being Democrats, proceeded to
| appoint Officer Wyer for this duty, speci-
| flying that the corridor should be the
place of his duty.
So Officer Wyer is Democratic institu
ton. And curiously enough the police
committee before whom Mr.. Wyer was ex-
amincd yesterday is also an Ingraham
institution. 1t will be rememb ered
that the Harper fraud in Ward One al
lowed Mayor Ingraham to hold over sew
| eral weeks. He utilized that time in
putting all the Democrats possible into
city offices, and in appointing Demo-
cratic majorities to such important city
committees SIS those on police and liquor
| agency Thus the police committee,
which consists of the Mayor and two
| aldermen, is now composed of Mayor
| Baxter and Aldermen Tolman and Cup
! till, two Democrats
| 1t is therefore natural that these two
aldermen should consider themselves
with Mr.. WYer as souvenirs of the Ingra-
| ham days. So the souvenirs decided to
| stand together.
| When the committee assem- bled yester-
| day forenoon Officer Wyer was late in
arriving. In the meantime Mayor Bax-
| ter read letter VIII oh he had received
| from Mr.. Locke in which the latter re-
! gretted that business engagement called
him to Philadelphia this nj. rning, and
! therefore that he should be unable to
| attend. He protested vigorously at the
| outrage which had been offered his son.
| He said the boy had received seven
| blows, one across the hand, and six
| across the back. Although the boy had
l CHI nd hnyjc cxuaofQp 11nGaT
| his overcoat, the blows were so heavy
! that plain marks were left across his
| back.
! The first witness was Mr.. S. D. Rumery,
who testified that he was coming down
| Congress street to attend the Zone Day.
performance. AS he went up the steps
| he saw Officer Wyer driving two boys
| out of the building. One of them he
| struck at twice, one blow taking effect
on the boys hand and another hitting
! the pillar The witness passed into the
| building and turning around noticed
| that the boy had entered again. Then
| he saw Officer Wyer go up to the boy and
begin beating him. Then the witness,
| with others, protested. This being un-
availingthey reported the case to Deputy
| Marshall Hartnetr.
| Mr.. Guptill-Did you hear the boy in
| suit the officer?
Witness did not.
| Officer Wyer-I have to say that the al
| legged beating occurred in but one place.
Mr.. S. W. Bates testified to seeing the
| beating and that with others he protest
ed to Officer Wyer, whereupon the latter
seized witness roughly by the arm and
| told him that when he wanted advice he
| would ask for it. The officer seemed to
| be in high temper at the time
| Mr.. l. 2. Harrington was coming to the
! One Day performance with his wife. He
saw the beating, and testified that the
| stick was applied vigorously. While
| the boy was being beaten he looked up
| and said he had done nothing but what
he had right TO-.
| Alderman Guptill-Did you hear the
! boy insult the officer?
Witness-Not at all.
| Marshal Tricky and Deputy Marshal
| Hartnett testified that there was an or
der forbidding an officer to carry either
an umbrella or cene Marshal Trickey
| testified that he had personally given
| that order to Officer Wyer.
| Questioned by Mayor Baxter as to the
| proper way of dealing with such a case
| City Marshal Trickey said that under
no circumstances should an officer beat
a boy. The proper course would be to
| arrest the BOY IL ne was making trouble.
Office. Wyer himself was next called
He is IS or 65 years of age, and is, as
was before remarked, a souvenir of the
Ingraham administration. He testified
that the boy, in selling tickets on the
steps was blocking the way into. the Hall
| He ordered the boy off the steps, but
| the latter would persistently return
Then the witness struck him with the
| stick.
| This stick was produced. It was about
four feet long and three-fourths of an
! inch in diameter. 1t was not a cane.
but a natural stick, crooked and with
| the bark still on.
| The witness continuing denied that he
had struck the boy over two separate
times. The witness then gave his ideas
about managing boys: I" 1 know of no
better way of dealing with unruly boys
than to whip them. 1t is good deal
better than to lock them up. I did not
strike the boy hard, and insist that he
| ought to be present, and that the physi-
clans ascertain by examination the ex-
| tent Of the injuries
| Nov gentlemen, the only trouble in
this matter is that the boy is the son OF
Mr.. Joseph HI. Locke, who thinks his boy
| is better than other boys"
| Herman T,lptiI1-nid the how in GIT II