The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-09-06
THE POLICE COMMISSIONERS
Officer Snyder Arraigned Before
the Board on Serious Charge.
He Is Under the Complaint of Girl
Named Maddie Cousins, Who Says
That the Officer Is a Party to
an Assault on Her. The
Officer Testifes.

ent: Com mlSSloners Bolton anu ' er-
dier. Mr.. Verdier presided.
A letter was received from Mr.. ".
81. Oreekmur. whose application was
before the Board ut Its last meeting
for position on the force, requesting
the Board to allow him TO withdraw it,
as he had secured more lucrative
position.
The request was granted.
Officer Snyder was before the board
to answer n complaint preferred
against him for having sometime last
epring been party to O criminal as
sault committed by colored man
named Tony Keeling. on the person of
q girl named Maddie Cousins, 16 years
of age. The evidence of Mr.. NJ. Gross,
who made the complaint. Mike Perry
aud the colored girl, Maddie Cousins,
was heard.
The immediate cause OF the investi-
CATION was brought about by Mr..
Groes' clerk looking into the character
OF Officer Snyder in connection with q
euit brought against the city for the
illegal capture of his dog by the officer.
MIR. Gross coming into the full posses
sion OF all the facts through his clerk,
felt justified in reporting the matter to
the board.
MIR. Gross testimony was to the
effect that the girl passed his house on
the night Of alleged occurrence in com.
pauy with his colored porter, Mike
Perry, weeping, aud that when sthe
porter cnme to work the next morning
he stated TO him what had occurred the
might previous.
MIR. Gross advised Perry to tell the
girls mother, and for them to make O
complaint to the authorities. He said
thn ihptI ,1a cal nj Of hic in Il
until it was brought up by the investi
CATION OF the recent dog capture.
Perry testified that he was an eye
witness to the assault, seen through a
window from the street by him, and
shat Officer Snyder stood In the room
at the time of the occurrence.
The girl Maddie Cousins made q
straightforward statement OF what oc
CURED. and gave as reason for not
ceporting the affair thnt she was Intimi.
dated by the officer and from fear that
Ae would arrest her "ld lock her up.
The girl, in answer to IL question by
Capt. Bolton az TO what she did for n
eivelyh hood, said that she had been
working off aud on for tho pust four
years for MIR. Pickett in his crab fac
tory at Virginia Beach aud that she
went to this house IN company with
Alike Perry to call on girl friend that
lived there. While sitting in the room
with Perry and the other girl the otli
Ger came III with Keeling aud the girl
who lived III the house ran out through
fear of the officer.
The officer then asked for the keeper
OF the house and Oh being told that she
had gone ont he commanded Mike
Perry to go out aud find her, leaving
her alone with the officer and Keeling
and that it was then that the assault
was committed by Keeling, the officer
being present.
Officer Snyder was called and testi-
fled in his behalf. He stated that he
went to house on New street last
spring. which had been complained of
as Nuisance by the residents in that
locality, and had driven from it sew
eral women and men, all colored; that
on the night III question he did not see
ahe girl Aladdie Cousins iii the crowd,
but that he had seen her on previous
occasions in that neighborhood, and
had ordered her to leave.
AT this point the inyesti cation took
considerable latitude. MIR. Julius Il.
Saunders, who had been employed by
MIR. Gross MS counsel for the girl, OBJ
5eoted to introduction of mat
ters OF an IRRELEVANT character, uu
cess the complainant was allowed to III
troduce robuttai testimony. He
claimed that the matter of the capture
OF the dog, referred to in the evidence
OF Officer Snyder, had no connection
with the specific charge; that matter
would be investigated in the courts, as
Mr, Gross had already sued ont the
necessary papers.
Che! King was heard. He testified
that the house i'll question where tho
alleged criminal assault was committed
had been reported TO him as q house of
questionable character, and that he
had ordered Oilicer Snyder to raid 1t,
which ho had reported to him that ho
bad done and that the inmates left the
house and never returned.
Alter hearing all the evidence the
Board continued the case until the
next meeting IN order to allow the
officer to secure further evidence in his
defence at which time the plaintiff and
her witnesses will be present aud IL
further examination made.
Officer Bass was arraigned on the
charge of indulging in Intoxicating
siquors, and tho full examination into
She charge WAS postponed until the
next meeting of the Board.
MIR. Il. ID. Aile was appointed sub.
etitute on the force, provided he passes