The Washington times., 1894-09-05
SUBJECTED TO BRUTALITY
Mrs. ThOmpson's Serious Charges
Against Policeman Andrews.
SHE AND HER FAMILY ARRESTED
She Claims That Her Daughter Was Dragged
from Home by the officer and All Her
Clothing Torn OF Her-charges Of Va
grancy Preferred Against Them.
james Thompson, his wife, Mrs. Margaret

James Thompson, his wife, Mrs. Margaret
Thompson, and their daughter, Mrs. Nellie
May Cummins, of No. 4 J. street southeast, viii
appear in the police court tomorrow on the
charge of vagrancy, but their counsel John
C. Foster, will contend that they are victims
of almost unparalleled brutality on the part
OF Policeman Andrews, of the Third precinct.
The occurrence which will lead up to the
appearance of Mr.. and Mrs. Thompson and
Mrs. Cummins at the bar of the police
court transpired on last Saturday night when
they were arrested at their home, No. l.
street southeast, as they claim, for no cause
and taken to the Third precinct station, where
they were held until they could make arrange
ments for release on proper security.
Mrs. Thompson said yesterday: "On last
Saturday evening shortly after dark / was in
formed that man dressed in citizens cloth
ing, who it subsequently developed was
Policeman Andrews, was in my woodshed.
have lot of Brussels carpets there, and |
started for the shed with the intention of find
ing out who the man was. Before | got there
Andrews had LETT the shed and gone into the
closet where my daughter Nellie was. and,
seizing her by a little thin shirt waist she
wore. exclaimed; Annie, l want you He
then pulled her out of the closet and started
across large vacant lot in the rear Of our
house toward X street
DRAGGED ACROSS LOTS.
'My daughter, who is a dress-maker, had
worked at sewing machine all day, only
ceasing when night came on, because she
could no longer see to operate the machine
without lighting a lamp, and she was very
thinly clad. She did not even have shoes on
but Andrews kept on dragging her across
the lot. He refused, although asked re-
repeatedly by my daughter, to say who he
was or what was the reason for his con-
duct.
'As soon as l heard what the policeman
was doing ran across the lot after him, and
when / reached the place where he and Nellie
were found that nearly every particle of
clothing had been torn from her person. /
also asked Andrews who he was, and begged
him, If he was an officer, TO say so, but he
made no reply. and had not the most re-
mote idea who he was.
"Soon after l reached Nellie gentleman
who has boarded at my house for nearly ten
years, James Cobb, came up. He had heard
Of the strange occurrence and followed to see
il he could get any explanation from the po-
iceman. Mr.. Cobb asked Andrews who he
was. and added: IF you are rot policeman
you had better get away from here as quickly
as possible Andrews made no reply. but
pulled out his revolver and struck Mr. Cobb
over the head with il three times, cutting him
in terrible manner. Mr.. Cobb then closed
in with Andrews and a struggle ensued dur
ing which Mr.. Cobb bit Andrews finger and
hurt him pretty severely.
ALL OF THEM ARRESTED.
''While the fight between Mr. Cobb and the
man was in proCraes Npllia ran bacI- 20 tba
house. She had hardly gotten inside before
she was attacked with a spasm and for long
time lay in an unconscious condition.
In about an hour after the fracas on the
lot and when everything had apparently
quieted down there was a knock at the front
door and upon answering il l saw Sergt.
Mulhall with Andrews and several others
standing there. The patrol wagon was in
front of the house and Sergt. Mulhall said:
We want all OF you people. What for,
sergeantY said I. That don't make any
difference, was the reply, we want you
Nellie had not vet put enough clothes on to
appear on the street, and addressing her he
said: i want you to get move on you and
If you don't we will take you just as you are
8. by this time it dawned on me that maybe
the arrests were made on account of what had
transpired on the lot, and l said: why, ser
gsant, Mr.. Thompson had nothing to do with
ter. We want you ALL and want you to get
q move on you.
Mr. Thompson, Mr.. Cobb. Nellie. and 1
were then hustled into the patrol wagon and
taken to the station, where charges Of va
grancy were made against my husband. Nell
lie, and myself, and that of assaultng an Off
Ger against Mr.. Cobb. Then. for the first time,
l ascertained that the heretofore unknown
man was Policeman Andrews"
DON'T KNOW WHY IT WAS DONE.
When the cases were called on Monday Mr.
Cobb, by advice of his counsel, John c. Fos-
ter, pleaded guilty and was fined $40, which
he paid, and the hearing of the other cases
was postponed until Thursday.
Il am at a loss to know why Nellie should
have been seized as she was or that our house
was raided unless it was in some way to help
Nellies husband, Charles E. Cummins, who
last spring entered suit against her for
divorce, and has since been compelled TO pay
her $40 month alimony by order of the
court
"Cummlns is a clerk in the Post-office De-
partment and he and Nellie got along as
pleasantly as married people generally do
until one day in July, 1898, when during
visit by Nellie to me- he sent wagons to
the house where they lived on street.
near South Capitol street. and carried off
every particle of furniture. Since then Nellie
has made her home with me
From outward appearances there are no
reasons for charge OF vagrancy against
the ThompsoDs or their daughter. William
Thompson is constantly employed as a
painter at the White House or other public
buildings and lives at home, while M. Cobb
pays Mrs. Thompson S26 a month board
Harry Thompson. a son, is at present out of
employment but is daily expecting a good
position which has been promised him.