The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-05
SIMPLY DID THEIR DUTY
Not Such Brutal Treatment as Mas al
First Reported
COULDN'T REMEMBER ALL
The Police Commission Meets TO
Investigate "Outrages and indie
cent" Action OF Policemen
OFFICERS Exonerated. asf

BUTTE, April g. ne poico ~
held special meeting ,l.is afternoon to
;nvestigate the charges of an "outrag eous, 4
brutal and indecent" arrest preferred by |
w. w. Adams and Joe Perron. After |
thorough examination it was found shat
there was no foundation for the charges
and that the officers simply did their duty
In making the arrests.
w. w. Adams stated that hc and Per-
ron went into the Anheuser-Busch on
| Tuesday night to get supper. minute
| or two later they were attracted TO the
| front of the saloon by row and Adams
found Officer Stoneburg with his club
raised over the head of man whom ne
was trying to arrest. Adams shouted
.Don't kill him." and Stoneburg there
upon threw him up against partition and
arrested him. The witness did not see
any unnecessary force used by the OIL
cers. and could not tell whether the po-
lice or the persons they were trying to ar
rest were getting the best of the fight.
He was not injured in any way, and the
charge of brutality In the complaint re-
ferred to the treatment OF MIR. Perron.
Mr.. Adams said that he did not know the
parties that the police were trying to ar
rest when ths difficulty started, and II all
happened so quickly that he could not
give a very clear account of 1t. He had
. Il -
not know just exactly why he had called
II out to the officer not TO kill the man.
Il Joe Perron testified that after Mr..
J Adams arrest he ran after he and Officer
Stoneburg and overlook them in front OF
the California brewery. He offered to
furnish bonds for Mr.. Adams and Stone
, burg pushed him back and threw him into
the gutter. Officer Leyden afterwards ar
rested him aud Perron complained that
he also kicked him and called him
| -
!, Joe Klaffki testified that barroom row
: | started between two men named Nor
|. rison and Meaney and Officers Stonebure
: and Leyden rushed in ''like a couple OF
!, mad bulls and seized the men. Klahki
ran out from behind the bar to settle the
Q dispute just as the police arrived ana
+ shouted 10 them not to club the men, as
q they would 60 with them. Adams
8 then ran out and Stoneburg pushed
r, him into q corner and made two or three
r punches at him. Klaffki went down 'c
n the jail office to furnish bonds for Adams
and Perron and Officer Leyden too nlm
talked to him again as he had that night
ID Klaffki told him not to say anything tina
or he would be sorry for.
8. Sol Levy saw Joe Perron trying to pull
Adams away from Officer Stoneburg ant
Nv Interfering with the officer. He did no
o. know ANYTHING about the trouble.
Night Jailer Frank Anderson testifiet
that when Klaffki came down to the jai
Office to furnish bonds for the men h
said that the police did not get to the sa
loon until half an hour after the troubie
er Jack Leyden told him that he lice
KIaffki walked away over close to hir
M land Leyden pushed him into the Office
10 Klaffki said. "You would not do that II
M was e)ed."
1t Officer Leyden told the following stor
ne of the affair: Morrison and Meane
had had trouble earlier in the evenin
m, and saw they would fight as soon q
tn | they could get together. told Stonebui
Iar and we watched the men. Morrison wei
~ into the Anheuser-Busch and Meaney &c
al ~, lowed him in and hit him on the back I
VIII the head. We then ran in and Stonebul
Try seized Morrison while 1 grabbed Meane
the Meaney resisted arrest and seized n
b a | club. Then Adams came up from behir
ed and grabbed me around the neck ana d
,ck Klaffki, and two or three others took no
| of my arms. After that otonepurg eau
to nv assistance"
Officer Joe Sinsel testified that he W
not on duty Tuesday night, but was {
trac.c ed TO the Anheuser-Busch by the re
, Ia and the crowd. When he arrived Mean
had hold of Leyden's club. he saw IN
Adams was about to interfere. and
u took charge of Morrison and told Stor
burg TO 90 to Leyden's assistance.
h iO The testimony of Officer Stoneburg W
hev corroborative of that given by Leyden.
On motion of Mayor Dugan, second
: by Maule both of the officers were {
ouerated, as it was the expressed sense
the commission that they had simply do
| their duty.