Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-10-18

The trial Of William Allen, for COM
hitting an aggravated assault on Patrol
man Paul Ward, came off in municipal
court last Monday. There was consid-
cradle interest in the trial and the at
K tendance was larger than usual.
Il The interest in the trial was jntensi-
fed by the fact that the prosecuting wit.
ness was all officer sworn to preserve the
public peace, while the assailant was
represented as one of the ring leaders of
a conspicuous organization of west
enders known to the outside public as
"Hayden's gang" 1t is said that this
aggregation of west end hahitues have
formed themselves into social club, of
which Dog.catcher Hayden is the
acknowledged leader, and have their
. hunting grounds in the western part of
the city, where their meetings are regu-
larly held and where they have become
familiar figures in the neighborhood. 1t
is said the object of the club is to shine
socially and physically, and an evidence
of their proves in respect to the latter
was demonstrated Saturday night.
While 1t is conceded that the club
was represented by number of its
foremost members last Monday, the
.
Hayden himself. He appeared in the
role OF a high-minded, peace-loying citi-
zen, and put himself on record as ready
and willing to preserve the peace at all
hazards. In fact, he told Judge Ball he
was ready at all times to assist an officer
in the discharge of his duty, and little
+ was it his desire that a single blue coat
or public officer should receive harsh
Il NJ Ian, han do 9
Yves not he n sworn officer of the city
himself-sworn to catch all the dogs he
could lay hold of and asphyxiate them
in less time than il takes to lasso the
average poodle or ordinary mongrel-
and why should he not be ready and
willing 10 preserve the peace in other
respects as well?
Notwithstanding all this Dog-catcher
Hayden failed ANONYMOUSLY to explain
why he did not interfere in behalf of
Officer Ward, Saturday night, when the
latter was being hammered and beaten
by the enraged Allen, who left a re-.
minder of his vicious assault in the
shape Of badly discolored eye and a
bruised and battered forehead. Hayden
did swear that he walked to the patrol
box with the plucky officer and his
prisoner, but there was not one iota of
evidence to the effect that he attempted
TO interfere in the officers behalf.
Arthur w. Spruance conducted the
prosecution, in the absence of City Soil
citor Elliott, while Walter II. Hayes ap-
peared for the prisoner. Officer Ward
testified that he was called to the vicinity
of Fourth and Scott streets Saturday
night and was trying to induce an ac-
quaintance to go home, when Allen in
terfered and he told him to 60 away.
He resisted and Ward said he would
lock Allen up, when the latter drew
back and knocked him down. Ward
got up and he says Allen knocked him
down again. Then someone grabbed
Ward and held him, but he finally broke
away and drew his revolver. Allen was
cowed by the sight of the pistol and
agreed to accompany Ward to the patrol
booth. From there he was sent TO the
City Hall.
Allen took the stand in his own be-
half and swore that when he APP
preached Officer Ward and the man he
was trying to induce to go home, the
officer pushed him away. He said, "If
you weren't in uniform l would lick
you" He s.ated that Ward then threw
down his club and sailed into him and
hand-to-hand encounter ensued. He
swore that the officer first pushed him
and then the fracas started. Patrolman
Ward states that this is untrue.
j. +. Farley, an eye witness to the as
sault, testified that he saw Allen knock
Ward down twice. They were strug-
Cling in the middle of the street, with a
crowd about the officer, and no one
interfered in his behalf.
Dog.catcher Hayden's testimony was
merely corroborative of Aliens story.
Judge Ball, after hearing all the evil
dence, fined Allen $40 and costs.