The Portland daily press., 1893-02-21

The Case of O'Donne1l, who Brutality Beat
PoIicemen-The Province of the Courts
Usurped.
The last week has furnished a shining
example of the way in which the police
department of Portland has been man
aged in the last year. Few citizens are
aware of the shameless way in which this
important branch of the city govern
ment has been run. At first there
seems to have been some effort to
conceal the fact that men arrested by
the police were let out in large numbers
by the marshal without ever being
brought before the court but of late ev-
en- this concession to appearances has
een put aside. A fragrant instance has
taken place in the lastweek. Last Thurs
day there was most brutal row on Com
mercial street, in the course of which
Dennis Mccarthy was fearfully pounded
and kicked by Jimmie" O'Donnell, a
young man who is said to be Democrat
ic heller as well as a tough. The fight
was the exciting theme of conversation
among the orderly people on CONNER
cial street on Thursday. Mccarthy was
in a horrible condition when rescued
from O'Donnell and his friends. Blood
ran from his ears, nose and mouth, his
face was kicked and battered until he was
scarcely recognizable and it was thought
for time that he was dead. No more
brutal spectacle has been afforded in this
city Tor years.
What did the police do? Deputy Mar
shall Chase responded to the call for help
and arrested O'Donnell. Nothing could
be palmer than such man ought to
have been put before the court
But the next morning his APP
pearance was in vain looked for in the
Municipal Court. He did not appear
and has not yet been brought in. Yes
terday an inquiry at the police station
revealed the fact that O'Donnel' had
been discharged the nex3 morning after
he was arrested on the ground that his
was case of simple drunkenness.
This is glazing instance, but it only
illustrates what has been going on all
this year. 1t has demorallzed the police
force, destroyed it's esprit de corps and
emboldened and made insolent every
tough at the same time that it has made
him solid for Ingraham and SWEET. The
police officers have found themselves
greatly hampered in their work. Not
two months ago tough who had been
arrested for most brutal and open as
sault upon a peaceful citizen on one of
the principal streets of the city insulting
| ly remarked to the officer who arrested
him, 'sYou can arrest me if you want to.
but shall get out when I get to the sta
ton and you cannot help it."
The great excuse of the authorities is
that 40 one appears against the culprits'
They may try to work this in the case of
O'Donnell. But it was the duty of Dep
uty Chase, in case no one else should ap-
pear, to complain himself. A police force
10 W pICSOIVO LILO pOoNO "a cAiS CioJ3 oAAeA
not to shield criminals.
Last week there were A arrests, but
only 16 were brought before the court.
Where did the other 2S go? Ask Deputy
Marshal Chase. There are undoubtedly
cases of arrest where it may be wise dis
erection to release the arrested one, but the
present management of the department
shows that the very fellows who should
be held are let go.
No better measure of the proportion OF
this scandal can be found than the re-
ceipts of the city from the county on &C
count of witness fees. The witness fees
that are earned by police officers by their
testimony in criminal cases in the mu-
| nicipsl court are not paid by the county
| to the officers, but to the city. The city S
| receipts from this source indicate the
| frequency with which officers have been
called as witnesses, and this in turn
shows approximately how many persons
have been before the court for misde-
| meanors of various sorts. Last year the
city's receipts from this source were
81, 5O5.45. This year they have been only
| $1,217.17, falling ois Of over $4,000.
No wonder that toughs are insolent to
police officers when they are arrested!
| 1t is not for us to assign tho motives
that inspire this conduct on the pare OF
the police department. The public ca
| draw their own conclusions.
Blue Label Mass NJ, .ting.